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 God’s 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 Paul’s 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
don’t 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 much—not
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 Paul’s 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. Don’t 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. I’m 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.
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