Philippians 1:6-11
Paul’s Heart (2)
This is our third look into the book of Philippians. We spent one night looking
at the background of the book and the hearts of the people Paul met there. Then
last week, we began looking at Paul’s heart. It probably surprises some of our
day and I feel certain that it would have surprised some of Paul’s day to know
that Paul even had a heart.
I find it strange how when a person refuses to let their heart guide them, but
rather insists on being guided by a Higher Power, such as the Word of God, some
people just suppose he has no heart at all.
The point is, all people have a heart and Paul was very appreciative of the
encouragement the Philippians had been, both in supporting him in his ministry
and since his arrest.
I mentioned last week that we will learn such things as doctrine from this
book, but right now, we re learning some things about the Apostle Paul. The
question tonight is what else can we learn about Paul?
I. \\#Phil 1:1-2\\ Introduction
II. \\#Phil 1:3-30\\ Paul’s Heart
A. \\#Phil 1:3-6\\ Paul’s Love
B. \\#Phil 1:6\\ Paul’s Confidence
C. \\#Phil 1:3-11\\ Paul’s Prayer
I. \\#Phil 1:6\\ Paul’s Confidence
A. Paul’s confidence was not IN the Philippians or himself, but IN THE
LORD.
1. Paul was confident that God was going to see these believers
through to the very end!
2. This verse is one of those ANCHOR verses.
a. It doesn’t matter where you are or what is going on in your
life, this verse can help you.
b. God is not a quitter.
(1) For peace of mind, you can add certain qualities to the
list of attributes of God.
(2) Some attributes of God’s power:
(a) God is omnipresent (everywhere),
(b) omniscient (knows everything),
(c) omnipotent (all powerful).
(3) Some attributes of God’s character:
(a) God is just.
(b) God is holy.
(4) We need to add two to the list of God’s character:
(a) God doesn’t quit anything He starts.
(b) God doesn’t loose anything that is His.
c. This is a verse which teaches God doesn’t quit. God is a
finisher. Even more, God is THE Finisher.
B. If you are saved, God has begun a glorious work in you.
1. God’s work of redemption will be finished.
Colossians 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, [even] the
forgiveness of sins:
2. God’s work of adoption will be finished.
Ephesians 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus
Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
3. God’s work as INDWELLER will be finished.
John 14:17 [Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because
it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with
you, and shall be in you.
4. Even God’s work as heavenly CARPENTER will be finished.
John 14:2 …I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you
unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
5. You can also call Him the heavenly HOTEL CLERK.
a. The reservation has been made.
b. Cancellations and No Shows are not allowed.
C. Here is what this truth boils down to:
1. You are not going to loose your salvation.
2. God is not going to get tired of you.
3. God is not going to give up on you.
4. God is not going to quit on you.
5. God is not going to let you quit on Him.
D. God is going to finish the work He has started.
II. \\#Phil 1:3-11\\ Paul’s Prayer - We know that prayer was one of the
things that Paul gave to his friends at Philippi, even while in jail.
From these verses, we can learn two things.
A. How to pray. \\#Phil 1:3-6\\
1. In thankfulness, joy, and confidence in the Lord.
a. These were the verses that we looked at last week.
b. They described Paul’s feelings toward the Philippians.
c. However, Paul specifically says that he prays for the
Philippians WITH JOY and that he THANKS HIS GOD for them.
d. So this is not just how he feels. This is how Paul prays for
them.
2. I continue to hammer home the fact that God created us to be
emotional beings and our religion, even down to the way we pray,
ought to be laced with emotion.
3. Not praying this way, I believe, diminishes our prayer power.
a. If you are not honestly thankful when you are thanking God for
your blessings, what is the point?
b. If you are not honestly joyful when we talking to Him, don’t
you think He knows it?
c. For that matter, if you are not excited and happy that you
are in His house to worship Him, what do you suppose He
thinks?
B. What we are to pray for. \\#Phil 1:9-11\\
1. \\#Phil 1:9\\ That their love would abound more and more in
knowledge and judgment.
a. There is a lot in this prayer request.
b. Paul is praying that love would abound more and more.
(1) Love is that warm, fuzzy feeling.
(a) Warm, fuzzy feelings are good!
(b) The warm, fuzzy feeling should grow more and more.
(c) You should have one kind of warm fuzzy feeling for
your mate, for your children, for your parents,
for your church family, FOR YOUR GOD.
(d) Love should always be sweet, stirred, and growing.
(e) However, it is easy for that warm, fuzzy feeling to
turn to self.
(1) Without realizing it, you can be more in love
with your self than those you intend to love.
(2) The way to tell is by your actions.
(3) Instead of you trying to please your mate you
start trying to get your mate to please you.
(4) That is not LOVE but SELFISH LUST.
(2) Love is actions.
(a) When Paul defines love in 1Cor 13, he doesn’t define
love by our feelings but by our actions.
(b) Loving actions should grow during a relationship.
(c) However, we must make sure that what we call love
is love.
(1) Being unkind - Don’t pretend you love someone
and then treat them unkindly.
(2) Over indulging them - At the same time, don’t
pretend you love someone and indulge them.
(d) Contrary to popular belief, love is not an excuse
to do wrong to the one you love.
(3) So two components define love and both can be corrupted!
c. So Paul is not just praying that love would abound more and
more, but that it would abound more and more in KNOWLEDGE
and JUDGMENT.
(1) To keep the right kind of love growing in the right way,
Paul prays that their love would be shaped or formed
by two qualities.
(a) Some have worked with substances that must be
shaped - concrete, metal, plastics.
(b) To get such liquids to stay in a specific shape,
you build a form.
(c) The form needed to shape love is KNOWLEDGE and
JUDGMENT.
(2) The only place to get reliable knowledge that can keep a
sinful heart balanced in love is from the Bible.
(a) The truth of the Bible will shape our love, keeping
it from turning inward and selfish.
(b) The Bible alone has this power.
(3) But Paul is also praying their love would grow into
judgment.
(a) Judgment is justice.
(b) Justice is doing right by force.
(c) For love to stay right it must be forced to stay
right.
(d) Love will shoot off in a dozen different directions
like a wild hedge if not forced to grow correctly.
(e) Again, the only place to get sound justice to
force our emotions to do right is the Word of God.
(f) The Bible does give commandments to couples on how
to treat one another, how to run a home, how to
maintain finances, how to rear children, etc.
d. So Paul is praying that the Philippians feelings and action
would grow into knowledge and judgment.
(1) Paul is praying that the power of God’s Word would
shape and force the feelings and actions of the
Philippians.
(2) When you consider the kind of love that Paul is praying
would grow in the Philippians, you realize that this love
would make everyone's life more peaceful and pleasant!
(3) Through Paul’s prayer, we learn that we must work as hard
to shape our love as any other growing, living thing.
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