The Faith That Rejoices

FEBRUARY 28, 2021 STUDY NOTES PHILIPPIANS 1:25-27 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES THE FAITH THAT REJOICES INTRODUCTION In the previous verses Paul was dealing with a dilemma trying to determine what was best Would it be better for him to continue to live or die, either was okay for Paul, Php 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If Paul continued to live, he would continue to bring forth fruit, which would be better for others, Php 1:22 But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. To die would mean that Paul would immediately be in the presence of Christ, Php 1:23 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: As Christians we agree with Paul, to be with Christ is a far better state than the earthly path of life But do we share the joy of faith that Paul had? Most of us do not really have “a desire to depart” Paul was also thinking about those he ministered too, he wanted what would be better for them, Php 1:24 Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. A good question for all of us to consider is, of what spiritual value is our life to others? Is the life we are currently living a life “of faith?” Is it a life filled with joy for us and others? As long as God allows us to live our daily life it must be filled with “The Faith That Rejoices” SPIRITUAL PROGRESS Php 1:25 And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; Paul said that he was convinced, he was convinced by faith, convinced that God’s choice would be best Believing that God’s decision would be to allow him to “abide,” meaning to remain in the flesh And as long as he lived, he would “continue” to minister, Paul had not given up on life or his ministry Paul had a purpose for living, his life was not just for his own benefit, he lived to minister to others First notice that Paul said, “with you all,” something that is not easy for us to fulfill all of the time Sometimes we find it hard to love the un-loveable or to go out of our way for the wayward It is easy for a church to minister to those who are our kind of people, but what about “all” others Peter speaks to us concerning others, 1Pe 4:9 Use hospitality one to another without grudging. The verse literally says, “be a friend to one another,” which is not to be limited to our choice of friends It is easy to show hospitality toward our friends, our family, and to our church family Hospitality is an open heart, an open hand, that opens the door for others, even to strangers You learn to love and minister to strangers as you love and minister to your church family If you do not love your church family, there will be no love for strangers, yet we must be careful We do live in the day that we must be suspicious of people and Christians must be cautious We live in the day of locked doors, high fences, guard dogs, cameras, and concealed weapons We must be cautious and on guard, but we must not neglect our duty toward strangers We must not be so cautious that we neglect to fulfill our “Labor of Love” ministry Our duty is to help those who are in need and not to turn them away because of their appearance There are those who honestly need food, clothing, gas, medicine, lodging, or a helping hand We must be the Christian and the church family who is willing to meet their needs That is why Prairie Grove Baptist has a ministry known as the “Labor of Love,” Heb 6:10 For God is not Page 1 of 5 unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. Ministering to the needs of others is more than work, it is a “labor of love” We must minister to others through God’s love and in “His Name” “In that ye have ministered” means that there has been an active ministry in the past Which is true of Prairie Grove Baptist Church, we have ministered to the needs of others, even recently “And do minister” means that ministry must be an ongoing ministry, we must continue to minister It is easy for Christians and churches to talk about what they once did for the Lord But we cannot live with the satisfaction of yesterday there must be the service of today As we minister, we must be sure that it is not a service for attention, but that it is a ministry of love The “Labor of Love” is a ministry because of God’s love, a ministry of faith which results in rejoicing Peter gave us a warning, ministry must be “without grudging” (1 Peter 4:9) Don’t gripe, murmur, grumble, or complain because you have done something for someone The attitude of “grudging” destroys the value of the deed, grudging defeats the labor of love The opposite of the attitude of “grudging” is the spirit of cheerfulness, which is the joy of faith Paul told the Philippians my life will be lived “for your furtherance and joy of faith” (Philippians 1:25) Paul’s purpose of ministry to all believers was to strengthen their Christian life, their spiritual progress Paul’s desire was for all Christians to spiritually mature, Col 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Peter instructed us to spiritually mature, 1Pe 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: We can understand Paul to be saying, I have a reason for meeting together with you in church What Paul is saying is so important to Christians today, yet it is so neglected today I am not just talking about Christians who don’t come to church, but even many who come to church The last verse of 2 Peter gives us a reason for being faithful to church, 2Pe 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. We are to come to church to grow spiritually and minister to one another, which will glorify Christ Growing spiritually is Paul’s purpose for continuing with the believers, we need to “continue together” The word translated “furtherance” speaks of advancing or going forward even against obstacles Our growth in grace was greatly tested in the year 2020 and 2021 has shown to be no different But we must remember that Christians have always faced the forces of the world, the flesh, and Satan And Paul is telling us that we must face all trials and troubles with THE FAITH THAT REJOICES Scripture often instructs us concerning the reasons Christians can rejoice, we must rejoice at all times Christian joy is of utmost importance to our spiritual maturity and “Labor of Love Ministry” Paul speaks of joy or rejoicing in all four chapters of Philippians (Read it and mark the references to joy) Here in verse 25 Paul tells us that the increase of faith will result in the increase of joy Faith and joy go together, the increase of one will also increase the other, 2Co 1:24 Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand. Paul did not want to lord it over others through the name of ministry, some do that today Peter has a word for us concerning the attitude of lording it over others, 1Pe 5:3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. Christians are not the average person helping someone, we are unique people with a unique purpose Peter identified Christians as “God’s heritage,” what a wonderful way to be identified Paul used the same word translated “heritage” in, Col 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance (same word) of the saints in light: “God’s heritage,” are “the saints in light,” all Christians are “saints,” set apart by God, for God The Christian is “set apart” for God’s service, we are “set apart” to be an example “of light” Page 2 of 5 Throughout the Bible “light” represents truth, salvation, the spiritual life, the goodness of God All of which must be witnessed as Christians come together in ministry, we are to be “saints in light” The right attitude is easy when you understand that you are working with God’s “HERITAGE” Christians must minister together in faith, the “FAITH THAT REJOICES,” it is a joy to serve God Paul wanted to minister to others so that they would grow in faith and increase in joy We all need to experience the joy of faith, consider how important joy and faith are in our present day We can experience the joy of Jesus even when we are not happy with the circumstances we face in life A lack of faith will result in a decrease of joy, spiritual discouragement, and a state of depression You cannot separate spiritual growth and joy, an increase of faith will result in the increase of joy SPIRITUAL ABUNDANCE Php 1:26 That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again. The rejoicing of the Philippians would result in boasting, the meaning of the word “rejoicing” Their grounds for boasting would be that Paul would continue to minister to them But they knew that it was God’s will for Paul and for them that allowed Paul to continue to minister So, their boasting was ultimately in “Jesus Christ” and their rejoicing was “more abundant” “Jesus Christ” is the source of true joy for all Christians, regardless of the circumstances of life Their rejoicing was in Jesus, but we must not miss the basis of their boasting, which was Paul’s ministry Paul’s ministry among them allowed them to see more clearly the riches of their salvation This verse tells us how important a living testimony for Christ really is, which we also find in, 1Th 4:1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. Pay close attention to “as you have received of us,” which was while Paul was with them When Paul was with them, he had “told” them how to live as Christians When Paul was with them, he had “shown” them how to live as Christians Paul’s testimony among them was “how ye ought to walk and to please God” The daily walk of a Christian is to be in the footprints of Jesus, we are to follow His path of life Spiritual growth is a daily walk with the Lord, step by step and day by day Now we must hear what Paul says next, we must “abound more and more” The word “abound” means “to exceed a fixed measure,” to be over and above You have-to already be working for the Lord before you can abound in the work of the Lord To abound is to do more than you have been doing, to take another step today, which is not always easy Don’t be satisfied with the memory of past accomplishments, which is easy to do As Christian’s we should never be satisfied with our work for the Lord yesterday Put to practice what you have learned from God and you will learn something else to put to practice There is always another step forward in the spiritual path, we can always do better at learning and living Paul believed that God was going to allow him to once again go and minister to the Philippians Paul was rejoicing in Jesus, the Philippians were rejoicing in Jesus, “by my coming to you again” But whether Paul came to them again or not, his instructions to them was the same BE A WITNESS FOR CHRIST Php 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; “Only,” regardless of what happens to Paul, regardless of whether he is able to come to them or not Paul instructed them concerning their “conversation,” which is not limited to what they would say Page 3 of 5 “Let your conversation be” is one word in the Greek and the emphasis is upon their manner of life The basic idea of the Greek word is citizenship, with the thought of living as a good citizen Paul later identifies Christians as citizens of heaven, Php 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: The conduct of the earthly Christian life should identify with the nature of heaven Paul is saying, behave yourself, you are a citizen of heaven, perform your heavenly duties Fulfill your duty toward God, toward one another, and especially toward those who are lost He gives us a guideline, something we can use to compare our conduct with Our daily life is to be that which is “becoming to the gospel of Christ,” a life that is esteemed worthy The “gospel of Christ” is to be our standard of life, that which guides the decisions of our life The “worthy” Christian life is living according to the teaching of Jesus and following His example The Christian life is to be a life worthy of the “gospel of Christ,” as often stated by Paul Eph 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, Col 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 1Th 2:12 That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. The word “walk” refers to the daily path of life, the way that we conduct ourselves daily Our “walk” includes our thoughts, our choices, our talk, and our actions “Walk” refers to our daily behavior and conduct, the life we live day by day In classical Greek the word “worthy” had the meaning of “bringing into balance” Referring to the balancing of the scales, when that on one side of the scales equaled that on the other side “Worthy” identifies that which is of equal value or comparable On one side of the scale is our position “In-Christ” and on the other side is our daily life Paul says that our Christian walk should compare with our Christian talk The “worthy” Christian is the one who is a living testimony of Christian character every step of the way The Christian who continues to live the Christ like life regardless of the circumstances they face in life Paul instructed the Philippians to continue their worthy walk whether he was with them or not THAT WHETHER I COME AND SEE YOU OR ELSE BE ABSENT I MAY HEAR OF YOUR AFFAIRS Paul’s desire was to enter into a face-to face relationship with the Philippian church Their desire was for Paul to minister in their midst, to stand along side them as they served God But what if God did not allow Paul to be with them, what would happen if he was absent? Paul is going to show them that his presence with them was not a must for their ministry They must learn that there is only “ONE” who must be within their midst to minister, “JESUS” Jesus must be the center of all of their “affairs,” Paul had already explained that, “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ” Paul is going to share with them two important points in order to take care of their “affairs” THAT YE STAND FAST IN ONE SPIRIT Paul’s words identify with the daily conflict that Christians face as they live for Christ In the last three verses of this chapter Paul will instruct them concerning their battle against Satan Paul has a detailed description of standing fast against Satan in Eph 6:10-18, read it It is the Holy Spirit that unites Christians and gives them the power to stand against Satan (Eph 5:18) WITH ONE MIND STRIVING TOGETHER FOR THE FAITH OF THE GOSPEL Page 4 of 5 Our minds must continually be centered upon Christ and his purpose for our life As we fulfill God’s will for our life our mind and heart must be filled with faith in “the gospel” Trust your daily life to the gospel that you trusted when God gave you a new life to live, Jud 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. “Common salvation” is the salvation which is common to those who have experienced it It is time for Christians to stand up for the faith, to “contend for the faith” There is but one true faith, it is the one and only faith, the faith that we must live for and fight for When Jude speaks of “the faith” he has more in mind than what we say we believe He speaks of the life that we live daily because of what we believe, the same thing Paul is telling us CONCLUSION Next week we will explain in more detail verse 27 and apply it to the end of the chapter There is a song that identifies with what we have studied today, “THE FAITH THAT REJOICES” Watch the screen and sing along with the song Page 5 of 5