Philippians 1:1-11-True Gospel Fellowship

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MW Editor’s Note: Mentoring Warriors welcomes warrior Carson Herbel to the tribe! Carson had an opportunity to speak on the meaning of true Gospel fellowship at a gathering of young adults in Kansas City. You can read the transcript below, listen to Mentoring Warriors’ AI voice (Matthew) read it to you, or follow the Spotify link below.

Warrior On!

Philippians

Main Theme: True Gospel Fellowship

Intro

Block KC! Good evening! If you all could turn with me to Philippians chapter 1. and as you’re turning there, like Nick said, my name is Carson Herbel and One of the most important things you should know about me is my beautiful wife, Sammy! a lot of you know Sammy! [there’s a photo up there of us] we just celebrated 7 months, and I’m very humbled the Lord drew us together in his timing. She’s a NICU nurse at Children’s Mercy downtown and i am in sales for a technology services provider, which she is YET to comprehend even what i do. I encourage you to ask her about the message obviously but ask her about what i do, you’ll get something different almost every time. But we belong here to Lenexa Baptist Church, and we serve together with The Block! i am very humbled by this opportunity that Nick and Luke have given me to kick off a new series thru the Book of Philippians the next several weeks. I’ll tell you, their leadership to me has been extremely life giving to me and The LORD has used them to create such a flourishing culture at both LBC and Journey and here at the block. I praise God for their leadership!

Context intro

But imagine you’re a Roman jailer in the city of Philippi, and it’s just another night shift. You’re responsible for keeping dangerous prisoners locked up—those men who disrupt the peace. You are just doing your job knowing that in a few years you and your family can retire here with the other Roman veterans.

This night is different. Two prisoners, they aren’t cursing their chains: they’re singing hymns. You’ve never heard anything like it. Then, the ground shakes. Hard. Stones crack, iron bars rattle, and suddenly—every door flies open. Freedom is right there, but no one runs. Terrified, you reach for your sword. If prisoners escape, you will be put death, so you pick up your sword and are about to take your own life But before you can, one of the prisoner’s shouts “Stop! Don’t harm yourself! We are all here.” You drop your weapon. You’ve heard whispers about these men and their singing about their God, but now, after witnessing this, you fall to your knees being overcome with awe and fear of their God and his unstoppable power”, and ask, “What must I do to be saved?” That night, everything changes. You, the jailer, who once locked up Paul and Silas (those guys who were singing hymns in their chains) now you wash their wounds. You and your entire household believe in Christ, and for the first time, a new supernatural joy fills your home, and desires for retirement is now focused on a desire to advance the gospel that tried to lock up in jail. You become a spiritual family with these men along with several other women with nothing in common. one girl was formerly demon-possessed, and one was a wealthy businesswoman named Lydia – selling royal garments to the higher ups.      this jailer, his family, and these women, were among one of the first believers in Europe. it’s an incredible thing to see God take such a dissimilar group, open their hearts to the gospel power, and bring them together into a shared experience and a bond. 

This sets our context up for the series we are starting tonight, through the book of Philippians.  These are the individuals that Paul the Author has in mind as got to share in the gospel from the birth of this church. But this letter is also a thank you letter, its partially why it just rings with joy. And a large part of that is a financial gift and way theses Philippians ministered to Paul’s needs. 

Now twelve years later, Paul is arrested again, this time under house arrest in Rome – He’s good at getting into a place like this, but praise God for it. This is where paul probably wrote a lot of the NT and did a lot of preaching from this home. But those in Philippi learn about him in jail and send Paul this monetary gift, they send Epaphroditus to bring it and physically minister to his needs, and this man shares updates on how the church is doing,

And what Paul learns in these updates are some issues of disunity/internal conflict within the church (which we will see in later weeks how this disunity harms witness of the church, like Miranda said in the panel last week). There is also opposition to the gospel and false teachers that he learns about. So, Paul writes them a letter, both to address some of these issues but, also just a thank you letter for how they helped him. 

We’ve been learning about this concept of the church fellowship and relating to one another and being connected, But when we think about fellowship, often when we primarily think about advancing the gospel. Don’t get me wrong, you would not be a good church without those beautiful things.

But as Paul writes this thank you, i want you to look thru a specific lens of fellowship with me. There is a more fundamental aspect of fellowship we forget about and fails to mark our Fellowship. And maybe reason why our fellowship doesn’t joyfully well up inside of us like Paul and the Philippians. So, what is that we will focus on tonight? “Before we can ever talk about taking the gospel out, we need to celebrate and share in what the gospel has done within.

In these 11 verses, we will see 3 characteristics that Paul had toward these Philippians Christians.

3 Marks of their Fellowship, that we too should have if indeed we are experiencing true biblical fellowship… 

True Gospel Fellowship has a proper perspective 3-4, has a proper affection 5-8, and has proper priorities 9-11. 

– as I was preparing, I was having a hard time figuring out how to break this, but we will probably spend most of our time in that middle section. ‘proper affection’.  So dial in there.

But these verses are an extended commentary of Paul’s thanks for the Philippian believers. We’ll see Paul’s delightful heart to God for the Philippians tonight, and in what God has done for them, and the joy that he experiences even when he’s praying for them.

So look at me starting at v3-6 

“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 a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

“True Gospel Fellowship has a Proper Perspective”

and i love how he says this with earnestly as he remembers, and prays, and thanks God for the Philippians. He thanks God for them all, always in every prayer, for them all.. you hear the emphasis when i read, ALL, EVERY, ALWAYS. I mean, he truly has an intense feeling for these people, and they ranked very high in Paul’s heart. i couldn’t help but notice here how Paul almost all his letters, begins with a thanksgiving and prayer like this. There were always corrections to address or false doctrines to prove wrong. And here in Philippians, he sees disunity. But before he even gets to those points, he doesn’t cease to thank God as he remembers, and prays for them. He just Joyfully celebrates with God for who they are in Christ. 

that thankful perspective needs to mark our life, as well as our prayer life.

I noticed a majority of my time praying was not marked by giving thanks for personal things, let alone for others. Wat does that say about me, if you’re feeling the same way, what does that say about you?? “It shows that we care more about what we want rather than caring about other people.” it challenged me recently in how i prayed. do we just dominate our prayer with requests and needs, though that’s wonderful and good and God wants to hear those things, but if thanksgiving is small or nonexistent, then it might just mean we don’t adequately spend time reflecting on the greatness of our GOD and his gifts to us. Maybe that just means we are simply not thankful. OR worse, entitled people.

So, when the Lord places a man or woman on your heart and you think about them, don’t quench it, put your energy and action toward them and reach out. text em.  And invited them along with you to things and do some spiritual good to them. Tell them you are thankful for them and praying. Its not possible to rejoice with the church and be partners by being private and putting energy just to ourselves. 

Are we delighting in and praying for those at your church, in this room, your family (even if they are hard to stand and there is conflict, do you thank God anyway for them)? But maybe for some here, a better question that is enough to convict you, Do you pray? 

1 Thess 5:16-18 says “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in ALL circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”that might be part of the disunity the Philippians felt or that we feel with others in the church or at home.  “i heard this week that 90% of conflicts and disagreements between believers would be gone if we just commit to praying and thanking God for each other and keep them in their hearts continually” How does this work? Because your not complaining and arguing, instead you are thanking God and praying for them! I needed to hear this as i studied, … be patient and take the time to consider your brothers and sisters like this. thank the LORD for them. We can trust that “God will supply every need of ours according to the riches in glory in Christ Jesus… He knows what we need before we ask him” so we don’t have to feel burdened about having to pray for everything in our lives,     but what if we constantly prayed for someone on our heart?

Do you have people who come to mind when you hear this verse… “i thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all, making my prayer with joy?” are there people who think of YOU as the 1st name that pops in their minds?

That “Grace is praying for me.” “That Nathaniel is praying for me.” 

if we are going to be the church at our respective churches, we need to cultivate this kind of fellowship with one another, Joyful thanks and prayer for one another.  That’s the perspective Paul has. 

Look at my next point…

“True Gospel Fellowship has a Proper Affection”

Look at v5 briefly, But read with me again, ” 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 1st day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7 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,[d] both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.

he just remembering their faith and as reflects on their whole spiritual journey from that first day 12 years earlier when he met them by the river and in that jail cell and God opens their hearts to Christ for the 1st time (go read Acts 16). He recalls & reflect.  He even brags about these guys to another church for how they gave and his response is just thanks for that partnership. 

and he is likely calling them to remember as well! To be encouraged and trust God, because there was likely suffering and there was this disunity, but He says, REJOICE brothers REJOICE! Remember what God’s done.  He tells them that 7x times in the book, we’ll see why this is often called the epistle of Joy right? 

You know, i talk about this rich connection they had but why does this feel so rare? Why is ours is so weak by comparison to what Paul and Philippians had?

maybe when you think of fellowship, you think of grabbing coffee or sharing a meal. or having deep interesting theological conversation

or a possibly you’re thinking of that small period of time like right before i came up where they tell you to greet one another around you, so you shared a few words (maybe somewhat awkwardly as you made eye contact and felt forced to say something)

that’s a fellowship time right?  

Whatever you think of when we think about fellowship, whether it’s those things or other things, we can all agree that Paul and Philippians had it and knew what it meant. 

And one of the reasons Paul is thankful is because of their partnership.  It’s this word “Koinonia” for Partnership or fellowship. ironically, that’s why we call this the K-Hall (koinonia hall) – if you were ever wondering it’s on the door frame out there. But it means to share IN something. it’s in the Gospe1. Its far more than just having things in common.

You and i want it to click with each other and to have it be easy and smooth – full of things that matter. not just be some superficial conversations about our jobs or movies, or sports. those are great and have their place but We, too, want that kind of Christian friendships that cause us to well up inside with Thankful Joy that they express in the opening verses.

I think we struggle to find this kind of affection because we think our fellowship is dependent on our circumstances. ” My fellowship increases and decreases based on if i don’t have the fun i expected to at that block skating event tomorrow or my fellowship goes up and down based on if that convo with that guy or girl went good or bad. 

Why do we struggle? we walk into relationships with an agenda.  Say this slowly and pause after

we focus on me and meeting my own needs and how i feel, and pressure gets put on the relationship. 

But listen here, if you are a Christian here tonight, haven’t you given up your works? And denied yourself?  As salvation is a gift of God, so is fellowship.

Friendship is wonderful, but the Bible teaches here of a fellowship that lasts far beyond the activity at hand, far more lasting than a convo. but rather on a shared salvation. We celebrate together that we have been eternally saved by Christ and given a new purpose.

The very 1st thing Lydia did when God saved her, (that wealthy businesswoman, 1 st convert) she pleaded that Paul and Silas come into her home. Her salvation in Christ created this desire to be useful for the gospel and in Gods people

Same thing with the jailor. He wanted to be hospitable and fed them and tended to them. 

This is why Paul was so thankful, they shared in the same thing. Their salvation that they had thru Jesus Christ and the gospel was at the core of who they were. And It created then a Confident Affection toward one another in what God has Done and is Doing in the Philippians lives. 

Look at verse 6,

“Confident of this very thing” some translations say “and i am sure this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ”

6) you know, as Paul was looking thru the windows of his place of house arrest, but i just picture him writing this verse having a smile on his face, telling them that ” i am thankful and confident in GOD that this Gospel that saved Lydia, the possessed girl, the Jailor and his family, and now YOU Philippians… he’s going to bring you to completion. He sees this longterm fellowship they have as evidence of what God has done in them. and so, he thanks GOD with a confident affection. 

But where is that confidence grounded? is it in the work of Paul or in the work of these Christians that he’s writing to? Was it in their remembrance of Paul, and in how they sent this wonderful gift to minister to Paul or their laboring together for the gospel? Paul was excited to pray to God and thankful to God for what GOD did and is doing in the Philippians. Not what they’ve all done, but what GOD has done IN them thru Christ. Paul was assuring the Philippians that “hey, this work that God had begun in you years ago from that 1st day until now, that God would continue to bring you to a glorious completion when Christ returns!”

Paul’s view of them was not only a joy because of their sharing in the gospel, but also a confidence in where they are headed.. 

I have a dear friend here at the block, we don’t go to the same church, but the Lord just laid on their heart my wife and I.  and they were praying for a way to bless us and was begging the Lord to help meet a need of ours… and they did.  But do you know what our response was, i had no words or know how to thank this person but, all i could do was weep with thanksgiving to God for what He has done in this person’s heart to even feel this way about my wife and i. it made no sense, but I just started thanking God for their salvation and their testimony. I felt like Paul. It’s wonderful we have this person in our lives and that they met our need, but what’s more is that we share this confident hope that God is continually working in us and will complete us both one day, where we will enjoy God and one another forever. 

Do you see people as Paul does—through the lens of God’s work in them before eternity? He thanks God, even with their flaws, he sees them as God sees them 

It’s easy to write someone off as immature or difficult, but do we see them in light of who they will be at the day of Christ? Does our fellowship bring us joy because of their salvation?

Even those who don’t know Jesus, knowing where they could end up in eternity in Hell—do we look at them with compassion?

But this verse is part of a much larger promise & assurance that Christians must cling to and grow in. and i want to take a minute to encourage you: if you are sitting here tonight, asking “how can I be confident that God will actually bring me to heaven/finish what He started”.   Look at Lydia, that 1st convert, God chose her before the foundation of the world and that day by a river the Lord filled her heart to respond to the Gospel, and He began a good work in her and her salvation was part of the great work that begun in Philippi!!! Certainly, the Philippians believed this verse.    Us here tonight… do we?

This is why Paul is so confident about the Philippians’ endurance. God finishes what he starts!

He is not like us.   when i begin tasks and projects at work, I get distracted, leave them half-finished. I’m in sales and i have a CRM or software to track my activity and tasks, so that i can hold true/have integrity to what I promise customers and to be proactive.  and often i begin a task and something more important comes up like a team member that i lead asks for help, so of course i want to drop everything, I love these guys and I do, but then I come back I totally forget what I was doing. SO start something that is on my mind, this happens again, And now i have five things that i am working un that remain uncompleted. But God is never like that. He never lacks the wisdom or power to bring what work He has started to fulfillment. 

Consider Jesus’ words in Luke 14:28-30 (see them on the screen) this is not its context (He’s talking about cost of discipleship and treasuring Jesus above all) but it proves the point—Jesus tells of a man building a tower who first calculates the cost to ensure he can finish. Otherwise, he risks public ridicule: we see there, “This man began to build and was not able to finish.”

Here’s the difference—God is never in danger of such shame (impossible). He never lacks the resources to finish what He starts.

So, if you are here today, confident in your salvation yet living in fear that one wrong step might cause you to lose it, hear this: That’s never going to happen. 

God cannot fail to bring His work to completion and can’t be mocked. As Jesus declares in John 10:29,  “My Father is greater than all, and no one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand.”

God secures His own for His glory. The perseverance of the saints is rooted in the preserving power of God him