Philippians 1:3-7 – Making God Happy – Bible study

Philippians 1:3-6 Making the Old Preacher Happy Paul wore many hats in the churches in which he had affliction. For example, to this church, Paul was an Apostle, the church planter, the pastor, and then a missionary sent out from there. He had this same affrication with every church he started although there were some he was able to stay at longer than others. Here Paul was now writing back to the church where he had invested a portion of his life. As he wrote, he shared what he was praying had and would continue to happen at that church. These were his desires, and I believe they Gods desires for this church. I am not ready to leave the Green Pond Baptist Church yet, but when that day comes, though whatever means it comes, I can tell you what would make this old preacher happy. It would make me happy if these prayers were answered for this church. My first thought for the message title was "Making the Old Preacher Happy," a reference to the Apostle Paul’s happiness if the Lord answered his prayers concerning that church. But then I thought, "If the fulfillment of these requests would make Paul happen, would they not make God happy?" So perhaps I should rename the message, "Making God Happy." What was Pauls requests? I. Notice How Paul Prayed A. My mind has been very unsettled concerning this text. 1. As I begin, I am not certain how far I will preach, how I will preach this text, or even what the title for the text should be. 2. In part, that is because there is a lot of truth here. B. For example, would you notice the heart that Paul prays with in verses \#3-7\. 1. I am always interested when we get to see something personal about the Apostle Paul and here we can see how he felt about the people for whom he was praying. 2. Notice Paul’s heart: a. \#3\ Paul prayed with a thankful heart. b. \#4\ Paul prayed with a joyful heart. (1) That is interesting when you remember the church at Philippi was the church where Paul and Silas were beaten and cast into prison. God brought an earthquake and opened the doors, but Paul stayed giving them the opportunity to win souls and start the church. (2) Yet, when Paul thought of that place and those people, he had joy in his heart for them. c. \#6\ Paul prayed with confidence. (1) Not in the people. (2) But in the God who always finishes the works that He starts. (3) Paul then knew that God would finish His work in Philippi and in the hearts of the people for whom he was praying. II. \#9\ Paul requested their love would abound more and more. Phil 1:9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; A. As far as I know, Paul never prayed that the size of a church would grow. His prayers were always that their spiritual nature would grow. B. The first nature he wanted to see grow was their love. 1. Paul does not tell us what he wanted them to love more and more. Only that he wanted that love to continue to grow. 2. Let me guess what kind of love. a. Love for Jesus. b. Love for other Christians. c. Love for the lost. 3. However, even if we understand the areas of love, if we dont understand love is, it does us no good. a. Love is not just having a fuzzy feeling for another. b. Biblical love is a love with action. 4. What kind of actions should we exhibit toward each of these categories? a. Toward Jesus, the actions should be obedience and more worship. b. Toward other Christians, the actions should be kindness and care. c. Toward the lost, the actions should be a witness and forgiveness. C. But Paul did give us more information on how to love. 1. Love is a great gift to give, the greatest; but love means so much to so many different people that it is somewhat shapeless. 2. Some people call almost anything love, even things which are harmful to the ones they say they love. 3. So Paul gave us two containers to pour love into, two containers to give it shape. a. Knowledge (1) Because of our fallen nature, people do not how to love. It is not just you. It is all of us. Some may have had better role models to pattern their love after, but all of us come up short. (2) So God gave us a Book of knowledge, the Bible. As I herald Sunday after Sunday, read it. Learn from it. Model your life after it. Let it teach you how to love as you should. b. Judgement (1) Judgment means justice. (2) We are to love in a way that produces justice, that moves people to do right. (3) You have not loved anyone that you in any way encouraged to do wrong. (a) Withholding disciple (b) Remaining silent when you should have spoken (c) Rendering excuses (d) Verbal encouragement (4) If what you do leads to wrong, it was not love. (5) Love with judgment. D. "more and more" 1. This term means to ever increase. 2. If Paul had just said he wanted them to learn how to love MORE, then a bit more loving on their part would have fulfilled the exhortation. 3. But more means after you have done it a bit more, do it yet a bit more. 4. And it implies to keep adding to it. 5. You and I will never learn how to love TOO muchnot Biblical love. III. \#10\ Paul requested that they would approve things that are excellent. Phil 1:10 That ye may approve things that are excellent. A. To approve a thing means to examine and test it. 1. Nothing has been approved if it has not been tested. 2. This was an oft repeated command on Pauls part. Romans 2:18 And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Ephesians 5:10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 3. Christians cannot afford to rest on their reasoning abilities. 4. Our minds are faulty. 5. So we must test everything to see if it is the best. 6. What do we use to test all things? a. It is always the same. b. It is the Bible. B. Notice what the Bible is telling us to strive for with our testing. 1. The things that are excellent. 2. The biggest hindrance to Christians achieving excellence is our accepting what is good. 3. Good is good. Better is better, but excellent is what God commands us to seek. 4. Dont quit looking until you find that which is excellent. IV. \#10\ Paul prayed that they would be pure and without offense. Phil 1:10 that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; A. Some things have changed in the English language since the King James Bible was given to us. 1. One is the definition of the world sincere. 2. In our day, sincere is an attitude. a. It means earnest or determined. b. That was not its main definition in the day the Bible was translated. 3. Then, it meant pure. a. You kind of get that idea with the remainder of what Paul said, "without offense." b. The idea in both phrases is that Paul prayed the people would continue on without sin. 4. Understand, I am not trying to correct the King James Bible. I am only trying to help share it. a. Paul was not praying this church would be earnest and determined. b. Many are jumping into sin with that type of sincerity. c. Paul wanted them to finish their race without sin. B. Oh, Church, that is my prayer for each one of you. 1. I pray that God will keep each of you in His will and that you would never wonder in the fields of sin. 2. Im not a country boy, but I was reared by country parents and I did a lot of wandering in the hills and woods around where I lived. 3. When you wonder, you are exploring, looking to see what you might find. 4. If you wonder in the fields of sin, guess what you will find? 5. I have not tried to make you into another Carl Hall, but I do pray that you would be wise enough to flee from sin and keep yourselves pure. I pray that the God of heaven answered Paul’s prayer for that church and that He will answer it for this church as well.