Paul's opening to Philippians shows how the gospel retrains our eyes to see the church through joyful partnership, confident perseverance and prayer for progress.
Speakers
Matt Felton
The gospel retrains our eyes
The sermon opened with Don Carson's "three dollars' worth of the gospel": "I want ecstasy, not repentance; I want transcendence, but not transformation."
Many treat faith and church this way: just enough to feel safe and good, and hopefully to reach heaven.
Carson's Basics for Believers, a study of Philippians, is available at the book stall.
In Acts 16, Lydia, a demon-possessed slave girl and a suicidal Roman jailer came to faith, and the Philippian church was born.
Ten years later, Paul is in prison in Rome. The church sent Epaphroditus to care for him and report on them.
Every line of verses 1-11 contains "grace," "gospel" or "Jesus Christ."
The gospel retrains how we see the world, and especially the church.
1. Joyful partnership
"Partnership" in verse 5 is the Greek koinonia, often translated "fellowship." The same word lies behind "partakers" (verse 7) and "share" and "partnership" in Philippians 4:14-15.
We often mean Christians hanging out at Chipotle. Paul was 800 miles away in a cell, so he meant more.
The poor Philippians gave repeatedly, evangelized neighbors and suffered like Paul (1:29-30). Paul called all of it fellowship.
Fellowship means going into business together: the business of the gospel, whatever it costs.
Believing, belonging and committing to all of us, not just three friends, is only the beginning. Giving and sending teams to Scotland, Delhi and Warsaw deepen it.
The monthly Hymn and Prayer meeting is a full expression of this: evangelism reports, followed by prayer.
Paul, in chains, overflows with gratitude and joy, which are "twin marks" of every Christian.
Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. Grumbling is not. If you lack joy, ask whether you are keeping in step with the Spirit, obeying and repenting.
Gloomy Christians should start practicing gratitude. "The happiest, most grateful man in the entire Roman Empire is in chains."
2. Hopes for perseverance
Verse 6 is "one of the most explosive promises" in the Bible. Next week's whole sermon is on it.
God's good work began with Lydia by a river outside Philippi's gates. Ten years later, the church is still believing, suffering and standing strong.
In the parable of the soils, three soils receive the word with joy, but only the fourth endures. Time is the true indicator.
Liking is not faith. Faith receives, commits, suffers and endures.
Galatia flirted with the Judaizers' false gospel, and Corinth had chaos and sexual sin, so they needed warnings. Philippi wasn't perfect, but it was true.
A messy life, even one that is your own fault, is not evidence that you aren't a Christian.
Every year you hold on is more evidence of real grace. God always finishes what he started.
3. Prayers for progress
Scripture records the actual words people prayed. Learn to pray Paul's prayers.
Verses 9-11 hold three key words, linked like a chain:
Love: for God (vertical) and one another (horizontal). God gave his Son, who came gladly. Receive that love by faith and watch coldness turn to summer.
Knowledge: it must grow with love, or love becomes blind and knowledge puffs up. "We grow in proportion as we know." Knowledge never comes passively.
Discernment: this is the word's only New Testament use. It means judging rightly and choosing what pleases God, and it fastens love and knowledge into obedience.
Discernment examples:
A guilty child confessing repeated sin. Do they need correction, consequences, encouragement or a hug?
Conflict with his wife. Should he press his point or shut his mouth?
A phone. Should he delete the apps, use a dumb phone or limit himself to one hour a day?
An attractive new teaching. Why is it different, and why does it attract him?
Hebrews 5 says discernment is trained by constant practice, like a muscle.
We progress together. Pray through the membership directory, which prints Paul's prayers.
New eyes for one another
The congregation was asked to look all the way around the room. Some saw strangers, some saw opportunity, some saw only three friends and some saw a threat.
Grace lets us see real grace even in our greatest critic and care for the newest, weakest member.
Picture each person standing before God on the last day, and let every word do them good for that day.
Key Takeaways
The gospel retrains our eyes to see one another.
Fellowship is shared gospel business: giving, going, praying and suffering together.
Endurance over time is evidence of real faith, and God finishes what he starts.
Pray for love, knowledge and discernment to grow, for yourself and for the whole church.