Partners of Grace | Pastor Cody Harlow Philippians 1:1-8

And it's interesting because in Acts, Luke here, he stops using the we, us words that he uses all throughout. And he starts using they them pronouns. Many people believe that's because Luke, he is left behind in Philippi at that point to help that fledgling church continue to grow. Paul didn't leave them abandoned. And so we see that in the book of Acts. And it's kind of weird saying they them pronouns, by the way. That's just awkward for me. Just saying. Awkward for many of you, too. But many people they believe that until actually 20 when the we us start popping up again on their way back through eight years later. But we learn that Paul, he's imprisoned shortly after his arrival back in Jerusalem. And after a period of several years, he makes his way to Rome where this letter is composed in a Roman prison in 62 AD. And it is this letter that is just saturated with the Gospel. And my prayer today is that you would be saturated by the truth and the power of the Gospel as well. If you would stand with me in honor of God's word as we read Philippians chapter 1:es 1-8. God's word, it says this. Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi with the overseers and deacons. Grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God in all my remembrance of you always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy because of your partnership in the

Gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this that he who began good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all because I hold you in my heart. For you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel. For God is my witness. How I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. Let's pray. Our God in heaven, we are just so grateful today that we are able to come together. You have asked us to set aside one day in seven to devote holy to you. And so with our hearts filled with gladness, we just join together and we worship you and we delight in you and we listen to the word and we just praise you for sending Jesus Christ to come and to die for our sins. We thank you for his teachings and the examples that he set in humility and grace, in unity, in prayer, in love. We do not yet have that kind of heart, nor do we have that mind of Christ. So many times we just chase our own desires and we're filled with pride and unforgiveness and division and prayerlessness and indifference. Lord, we just confess that and we ask Lord that you would just move in our hearts that you would give us the right heart and the right mind to be re renewed Lord. God, we have so many people in our church that are just going through so many difficult seasons. And we pray for brother Steve Bis who lost his mom and as he has her funeral tomorrow. Lord, we just pray that you would grant them peace. We pray that you would be with Janet as well as she just stands by her man. And Lord, that he would she would just be a support for him as he grieavves. We want to remember Laura Reid who continues to fight with ALS and we know that you have a

Tremendous purpose in this and we ask Lord that you would just show your favor to the Reed family. Be with Byron as he faithfully just ministers to his wife. We ask for abundant blessings on them. Thank you for the good work that many of our men participated in and getting that elevator installed there at their home. Pray that's just a tremendous blessing. We want to remember Judy Juwel as she continues her fight in cancer and we just pray for her energy levels and ask that she would just be encouraged during this season. She's so sweet and kind and we just ask that you would touch her and help her to get better. We want to pray for brother Clim as he continues his fight with all of his different health challenges. Lord, we ask that you would be with him and help his body, Lord. Give him a season of rest and health and also encourage Beth, Lord. Just let her know that she's loved, that she's valued, not because of what she does, but because of who she is. Lord, we just love her. We also want to lift up to you Elaine Emory. She fell earlier this week and was taken to Colombia, and we just pray for complete recovery for her and we ask that you would just help her to be able to come home. I know that's going to be a long recovery, but still, we just want to pray for her and remember her. We want to pray for Greg Harrison who lost his dad last night and just pray that you would grant the Harrison family peace and comfort during this time. If there's any way that you can receive glory through this, we pray that you would do that. We pray that you would give them comfort, Lord, and help them to grieve in a godly way, Father. Lord, we give you our attention today. We ask for you to speak to us, saturate our minds with your truth. And we pray that your truth would change our hearts, that our hearts would follow our actions, Lord. And

We just ask for that in Jesus name. Amen. Well, our passage begins with this bold declaration by Paul and by Timothy. You see, they identify themselves as servants of Christ Jesus. That word in the Greek doesn't refer to a household helper, but is the term for a slave. And so Paul and Timothy, they begin by clearly identifying themselves in the most humblest of terms as a slave of the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's a great place for us to just stop and ask, how do you view yourself? How do you perceive yourself? What is what is the view that you have of yourself? I don't simply mean are you a Christian or not, but do you as one who has been bought by Christ consider yourself as a slave of Christ? If you're a slave, then your attitude in your heart ought to match our Lord Jesus. He's his sole desire was to do the will of the father. Jesus, he taught us that we are to be like him because he is our master. He is our owner. He bought us at a high price. I didn't die for you. You don't have to be like me. Jesus died for Christians for those who trust in him. And therefore, we are to reflect his image. John he wrote or Jesus he wrote this in John I need to turn that on. John chapter 13 verse14. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, which was the position of a slave, of a servant, of a humble person getting down washing those stinky nasty feet. Remember that it was an agrarian society. They had donkeys walking through the streets. They had mules. They had cows. They had chickens around. I mean, it was it there was doodoo everywhere. Okay. And you're supposed to get down and wash these feet. I've got five kids. I've dealt with a lot of stuff, right? You know what I'm saying? And it's never a fun thing to

Clean that kind of stuff up. But yet Jesus, he says, "Then you ought to wash one another's feet." See, those of us who live for our own comfort may be surprised that many rewards in heaven go to those who are unnoticed. Those who are the sacrificial servants who loved others for Christ's sake. Jesus, he taught us to be servant-minded about ourselves. Look at what the Lord said. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. Do you have a right view of yourself? Jesus, he tells us that we are walking paradoxes. That if we're humbled, we'll be lifted up. And if we're lifting ourselves up, we'll be brought low. And God has a way of working that out. You see, it's not about our boasting. It's about our boasting solely in the Lord Jesus Christ. Because among Christians there is no other boasting. We don't have any position other than the position that we have in Christ. Jesus himself, he taught us to deny ourselves. Then Jesus told the disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." When do you deny yourself? I don't mean, you know, I'm not having that donut today. I mean denying yourself of that thing that you're saving up for so that way you might be able to support a missionary, laying down your own desires for the kingdom of God. Jesus, he taught us to know that our actual poverty is to the Lord and our need for God. What does Jesus say? Blessed are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And I wonder, do you know that you are a poor person apart from God? You are in poverty. You are destitute. You are needy apart from God. You see, it's those who think that they are rich and okay

That are actually the most poor. And yet it is those who are poor in spirit who have the kingdom of heaven. But Paul, he discusses many other attitudes in the book of Philippians. He discusses the work of Christ in us in chapter 3 and how we need to be aware of our need to grow in Christ. Like we're not there yet, but by grace we will arrive. We learn that we have no boasting in our flesh based on anything that we do. Our boasting is in Jesus. In Philippians 2, it points us to the humility of Christ and how we should have that same mind and be humble and think of others. But all of these things point to our first point here, which is a Gospel- centered identity. You see, Paul and Timothy, they're they continue in this not just by referencing to themselves as slaves of Christ, but also by bealling believers, that's Christians saints. Now, I don't know about you, but that word saint kind of carries with it a Catholic connotation. Let's just say what it is. And it may make you bristle a little bit and it sounds so holy and so set apart almost like a special category of people, but guess what? It is. And I'm not being facitious either. You see, you Christian are called a saint. You have been called holy not based upon your performance and your obedience and great works or anything like that but because it is who you are in Jesus. You are a saint in Christ. Now let me be clear. Holiness is not the root of your salvation. It's the fruit of your salvation. You're not made right with God because you do good works. You do good works because you've been made right with God. Ephesians chapter 2, it says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God, not a result of works,

So that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Paul, he writes again in Titus, "He saved us not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, continuing on here, so that being justified by his grace, we might become hes according to the hope of eternal life." The saying is trustworthy. And I want you to insist on these things so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. You see, it is grace that leads to fruit, but fruit never earns grace. Sometimes we call heroes like St. Paul or St. Peter or St. Mary or whatever, but we have St. Be, we have St. Steve, we have St. Zach, got St. Jim. They're saints not because the church elevates them to that status but because Christ has saved them and they are called and they are set apart and they are holy Christian. That's part of your identity. And that's why Paul addresses his letters to nearly all of the churches not all of them but nearly all the churches to the saints that are in those churches. But why are we saints? Why are we holy? It's because of God's grace on us. We receive that grace through faith in Jesus. That is who you are. That is who you are in Christ. That is your identity. How do you identify yourself? Don't settle for what the world tells you about who you are. Rest in what God tells you who you are. You are holy. You are set apart by his grace for his glory. We see here also two offices that are in the church. Two offices, overseers and

Deacons. That's God's prescribed plan for the church. Overseers, they're tasked with overseeing the flock. That word in the Greek here is episcopos, which is synonymous with elder. That's presbuteros. The other word or the other office here is diconos, which means a deacon. Someone that is eager to serve. They're so eager to serve that they're kicking up dust and trying to carry out their deeds. That's that's the understanding in that Greek word. But notice that it's the Lord who has provided and prescribed the leadership in the church. And yet the gifts of peace and grace that we receive from the Lord Jesus Christ is part of his grace. What I what I find is that if peace is lacking or if you feel like grace is diminished in your life, oftentimes it's because our walk with the Lord, maybe we've been just kind of ignoring those graces in our lives. I found that true in my own life that when peace is not like a river but is more like a flood of turmoil, when grace has disappeared and it's replaced by impediments. More oftentimes than not, it's because I've neglected my relationship with the Lord Jesus. And as I said in my community group, the answer is not just simply do better. The answer is repentance, which means that you will address the behavior as well. And so I say, Lord, can you please forgive me? Can you help me to have the right heart, the right mind, the right outlook on this? I don't want to be apart from your grace and your peace. I want who you are because I know in you there is grace and peace. So can you guide me? Can you help me get back there? And that's the right answer. And it's centered on our Gospel identity. But let's move on from our Gospel-shaped identity to our Gospel-shaped gratitude. Paul, he says, "I thank my God in all my

Remembrance of you." What is it that Paul overflows with in joy and thanksgiving for the Philippians? Why does he do that? Why is this letter so positive and full of joy? It's because of their support of Gospel work and specifically of Paul's ministry. And it's clear that their support is what Paul is me referencing here. Paul, he says this later on in the book, and we'll get there in a few weeks. It says, "And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the Gospel when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving except you only. Even in Thessalonica, you sent me help for my needs once and again." You see, it is Paul's gratitude that flows from their partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now. That first day clearly brings to mind Lydia's act. Wow, I've received salvation. Come stay with me. Y'all don't have to stay out in the street. You don't have to go to some sort of end. I've got a free place to stay with room and board while y'all do Gospel work. And that was support. And Paul, he doesn't use the phrase supporter here in the Greek. The word here is coinonia which means fellowship. To be a partaker, to be a partner, literally means to be in fellowship with, to be in fellowship in ministry. It's much more than just simply being a supporter. I want you to imagine for a moment a missionary that's in a rowboat and he's crossing the stormy sea toward an unreached island. And a supporter is like someone that's standing on the shore cheering them on. They're tossing some supplies when they can. It's helpful. It's generous. And it's appreciated. But someone who is in fellowship is being in the boat with that missionary. They're in there. They're straining against the waves. They're rowing as hard as they can. They're getting soaked by the same waves. They're risking the same dangers.

And they're celebrating the same victories. That's being in fellowship with. That's being a partner in ministry. A supporter says, "We believe in what you're doing." A fellowship partner says, "We're in this together." In the Philippians, they didn't just support Paul, they suffered with him. They sent people to him. They shared in the mission as if it were their own mission. You see, being a partner in Gospel work isn't just about financially supporting ministries, missionaries, pastors, etc. Sometimes due to life situations, all you can be is a supporter. And I get that. But being a partner is about sacrificing the time and the talents and the treasures. It's about enduring through the hard times. Supporters are important. Fellowship partners are essential. And those fellowship partners lead to God being thanked with tremendous joy. As Paul says, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy. Thirdly, note the Gospel-driven confidence. Paul, he says, "I am sure of this." Now, that's confidence right there, right? No shadow of doubt exists there. Are you sure, Paul? Absolutely. And what is Paul sure of? That the Lord that began a good work in you will complete that good work. Now, that's a key verse for the book of Philippians, and it's a key verse for your life as well. It's a promise for Christians that God is not going to give up on you just simply because you stumble, just simply because you struggle. God's work is not going to be thwarted by you and your shortcomings or your failures. The same God that took Abraham, even though he lied about his wife being his sister, even though he took matters into his own hands and slept with his wife's handmade, the same God that still brought about the work of redemption through the promises that God made to

Abraham and through that whole line of faith brought about redemption for the whole world. God can he can deal with your struggles too and he is the same God that is at work in you. And yet there's also a correction here for the Philippians. It's almost like Paul is saying that while he is thankful for their fellowship and his ministry that ultimately it's all a work of God. And we know this, don't we? You see, it was the Holy Spirit that did not allow Paul and Luke and Silas and Timothy to go into Asia. It was the spirit of Jesus Christ that didn't allow them to go into Bethnia to preach. But it was the Lord that sent that vision and that call that we call the Macedonian call to go to Philippi and to preach there. You see, Gospel work is the work of the Lord. And so there is this tension between believers accountability for what we need to do and our need to fully rely on the Lord. And it's a growing work. It's a lot like a bicycle, right? You know, we're we're trusting the Lord to do his work. We're obeying as best as we can. And yet it's the Lord that's still doing his work. He's the one that gets all the glory. He's the one that's still working it all out. Gospel work is the work of the Lord. And he never leaves that work unfinished. This is what Paul wrote when he talks about the what theologians call the golden chain of redemption which brother John read from this morning. It's Romans 8 29 and 30. It says for those whom he forneew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called. Those whom he called he also justified. And those whom he justified, he also glorified. That golden chain of redemption is forged by God alone. We call it the golden chain. And if it

Is a chain, then it's God's chain. It's the chain that hangs on his belt. God, he doesn't just get his people to justification and leave us there. He continues to work on us and he works in us. And we can be sure that God is going to bring that work to full completion because God's the author of salvation, the bearer of our faith, and the closer of our sanctification. Just as Paul had complete confidence that the Lord would complete that work, we too can have full assurance that God, he is going to complete that work in us. And so you might feel discouraged. You might feel discouraged in your own weakness in overcoming sin. You might be pessimistic because of slow growth in the church. But it is God that finishes what he's fashioned. He's the one that completes what he creates. He's the one that achieves what he arranges. And we can have full confidence in this truth because Christian, you are his and he is yours. And this completion will not come to fruition until the day of Christ Jesus. Now, that makes us pause here. And just a little bit of clarification for you. And we know this, but it needs to be said more often. Heaven is not our final home. Okay? It's not. Okay? That's not the end of the chapter. Okay? Because God, he has a plan to make a new heaven and a new earth. We read all about that in the book of Revelation. See, it's heaven is a spiritual realm. It's where our souls go to be. When we depart from this world, we go and we're with God forever. But you know what? He's coming back and he brings those saints, there's that word again, with him. And you know what? Our bodies are resurrected. We are made new. We are made whole. God makes everything new at that time. And that's the day of Christ Jesus that he's talking about there. You see, heaven's not the final chapter. It's glorious, but it's the waiting room for the final

Resurrection. One day, Jesus, he will return. We will receive new bodies. We will live forever in the new heaven and new earth. And that's the day of Christ. But let's look at our final point. Gospelfueled affection. Listen to what Paul says to the Philippians. He says, "I hold you in my heart. I yearn for you with the affection of Christ Jesus." See, Paul, he loves them. He loves them so much because of their history. And not just because of their history, but because of their partnership in their ministry. He loves them not just as a teacher, but as a partaker. That word partaker, if you're looking at your copy of God's word, it's the same word that we see as partner in earlier in that passage, but it's got a prefix there. It's sug in the Greek, but it literally means co-. So, as in a co-partner, someone who is sharing in something, namely imprisonment and apologetics, imprisonment and the defense of the Gospel. You see, suffering has a way of unifying people that a lot of folks don't understand. Someone that shares in something like imprisonment and defending the Gospel. It leads to a vigorous affection for each other. Think of the letters written back in World War II, World War I, back home. Encouragers that would write letters to soldiers. They would send money or care packages, encouraging words. But you know, the men that were in the trenches, the ones that bled and wept and fought side by side, you know, they had something much deeper than just those those relationships back home. They had a brotherhood. Those were men that fought and died next to each other. And that unity was forged by hardship. It was a bond that's not theoretical. It was earned through suffering. It was earned through loyalty. And that's what Paul had with

The Philippians. They weren't just spectators. They actually stood with him in his imprisonment. They helped defend and confirm the Gospel. They shared in that struggle. And that's why he says in verse eight, "I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus." See, his love for them wasn't just a sentimental feel-good love. It was battle tested. You see, a church that is built on Gospel partnership produces deep genuine love, not surface level relationships, but it happens intentionally and it happens through the Gospel and it happens when we prioritize the Lord and his Gospel ministry. Now, as we continue on through this book of Philippians, this is going to set the context for the rest of the book. And I hope that you're blessed and that you're challenged as we go much deeper into the book of Philippians. Head, heart, hand, head. God, he wants you to know that your identity is secured in Christ. You're a saint by his grace. So remember, Christian, you're not working for God's approval. You're working from God's approval. You've been set part set apart not because of your good works but because of his unmmerited favor on you heart God he wants you to believe that he is at work joyfully God wants you to believe that he is joyfully at work in you and others. Even when you feel weak, even when you feel stuck, God is not finished with you. He began a good work in you. He will complete it because you're his. Because your salvation does not rest in your strength. It rests in his strength and his unchanging purpose. In hand, God wants you to commit to being more than just a supporter, but to be a Gospel partner with others. See, Gospel Gospel fellowship isn't just writing a check or saying a prayer.

It's about locking arms in ministry. It's about suffering together. It's about being on mission together. So, don't stand on the shore. Get in the boat and row with your brothers and sisters. Let's pray. Father, we do thank you for this time that we get to have together. I just pray that you would move among us, that you would move within us, that you would help us, Lord. We ask Father that your grace and your peace and your mercy would just be all over us. Father, we confess that often times we miss it. Often times we fall short of the glory of God. I just pray that you would help us, Lord, to know you, to love you, to trust you more and more each and every day. We thank you just for the work that you're doing in our church. We ask that you would continue to move among us. We love you, Lord, in Jesus precious name. Amen. Go in peace. Thank you. >> Oh, yes, we do have BBS prayer time at this time. Sorry, that's why we're not doing the response song. I was Yeah, didn't have the order of service in front of me. At this time, we've gotundred Where' Thomas go? Is he over there? I think I said like 150 that are registered right now for vacation Bible school. So, that'll put us probably at close to 200 by the end of the week. Okay. So, praise the Lord for that. It's a good problem to have. And many of those Oh, yeah. Praise the Lord. But, but we want we want to make sure that we have a right perspective because numbers don't mean anything if lives aren't transformed. >> Okay. And so, what we want to do is we want to spend some intentional time praying for our volunteers this morning. That they would be able to have good Gospel conversations that there would be prepared hearts and things like that.

So, if you are a volunteer, if you're doing things with vacation Bible school, would you just stand where you're at right now? Just stand up if you're helping volunteer with vacation Bible school. Awesome. Praise the Lord. Now, if there's someone that's around you, okay, I want you to get up and I want you to go and I want you to hold their hand or put your hand on their shoulder or something and just take a few minutes just to pray for that person. And once you are done, you can fellowship or go grab lunch, whatever it is that you need to do. Okay. All right. And I will close this out in prayer. How about that? That'll probably be a little bit more better. So go ahead and get up and put hands on people and Hallelujah.