Introduction––A New Series & Thanksgiving

Today, we begin a new series on Paul’s letter to the Philippian church, called “Joy That Cannot Be Bound,” an 8-part series will take us to the end of November, alongside our First Things First Sunday, which will continue on the first Sunday of each month during Ordinary Time.

Paul writes (vv. 3-4): “I thank my God for every remembrance of you, always in every one of my prayers for all of you, praying with joy.” The people of this Philippian church are dear friends of Paul .They were the first community in Europe to embrace the gospel that he preached there. They stood by him and supported him throughout his ministry, and overall, they were doing quite well in living out the gospel.

I can relate to Paul. I’m not in prison, but I do thank God for all of you! You’re the first church I’ve pastored. You’ve supported me generously from the beginning, and all things considered Church of the Cross is doing quite well in living out the gospel. When I think of you all I too am filled with gratitude and joy.

The Expansiveness & Fragility of Joy

Joy …. have you ever noticed the expansive nature of joy? How it can sketch out like sunlight spilling into a room, filling corners, and enveloping everything it meets. How joy expands you, increasing the quality and quantity, the actual length of your life, how it broadens your perspective, and makes you feel lighter and invincible. How it makes space in your soul––for hope, for love, for everything that’s good.

And have you noticed how joy expands, not only you, but spills out beyond you. How it's contagious, how it deepens relationships, and strengthens communities as we come together to celebrate the good things of our God. Joy grows and fills, expands and overflows.

And yet, have you noticed how easily external circumstances or inner worry and turmoil can so quickly steal our joy? How a perfectly good day can be derailed by a single text or email, or how your mind can start to replay that one troubling conversation from last week and rob you of the delightful peace you just had. Joy can be so expansive and fleeting and fragile, like a soap bubble ready to pop.

The car breaks down, someone says something offhandedly at work or school, you watch the presidential debate, or you just wake up feeling…off. Suddenly, all that joyful expansiveness collapses in on itself, and everything feels smaller, tighter, heavier, meaner. Life’s little anxieties and irritations can so easily steal our joy, and make us feel confined and chained inside, like we’re in some kind of soul prison.

Paul’s Joyful Prison Letter

Then we have this letter, Paul’s letter to the Philippian church, a letter he wrote from a literal prison, “in chains” as he repeats in Greek––yet so much of this letter is about joy. The word for joy, in its various Greek forms, shows up 16 times. Not to mention all the other joy-related words, like thanksgiving and praise, confidence and contentment, hope and love. And gospel, or good news, a word Paul uses in this letter, more than in any other letter. This prison letter is filled and overflowing with joy.

But Paul isn’t writing about a joy that is fragile, like a soap bubble ready to pop at the slightest irritation. He’s writing about something that is solid and resilient and enduring, like a fig tree, a tree that can take root and grow in the harshest and rockiest of environments, whose roots can break through thick concrete if needed, to get those nutrients, to live and grow and produce those delightful fig fruits, that aren’t technically fruits, but rather inverted flowers. That is the kind of joy Paul is writing about in his letter, and praying with in chains.

The Joy That Cannot Be Bound

So what is this joy that cannot be bound? What is it rooted in? From where does it grow? Does Paul pray with joy, because he happens to have a joyful disposition? Or because he’s learned how to find the silver lining in his cell? Does he live and pray with joy in his chains, because he’s just naive, overly optimistic, incredibly detached from real life? No. He lives and prays with a joy that cannot be bound, because he is rooted in, lives out of the good solid news, the solid, unshakeable, joyful news of Jesus Christ. Because Paul lives and prays in Jesus Christ.

Writing to his Philippian friends, he says that he always thanks God for them, and prays for them with joy, why? Verse 5. Because of their koinonia in the gospel. Koinonia is a rich word meaning a fellowship, partnership, and participation in the joyful news of Jesus Christ. And Paul highlights a wonderful part of that good news.

The gospel of Jesus is like a prism through which the light of God shines, refracting into a spectrum of rich, vibrant colors—each representing a different facet of the gospel’s beauty: forgiveness, Christ-likeness, resurrection, new creation, and more. Here in verse 6, Paul highlights one of these radiant colors—the promise that God, who began a good work in the Philippians, who began a good work in us, will be faithful to bring it to completion by the Day of Jesus Christ.

Paul’s Joyful Confidence

That promise is one of those vibrant colors of the gospel that gave Paul an unshakeable, joyful confidence, that can take root and grow no matter the circumstances or chains we find ourselves in. Because it is based, not in anything shaky, like us, or our forever changing circumstances and psyches. It's based on the almighty, loving, faithfulness of our God revealed in Jesus Christ.

This God, our God, has begun a good work in you, and will continue to complete it in Christ, until the day of Jesus Christ.

You can count on that, with increasing joy, no matter what is happening, or how you are feeling.

The Working Genius

I’ve mentioned before how our staff took the Working Genius survey, which helps teams identify their strengths, competencies, and frustrations across six categories—Wonder, Invention, Discernment, Galvanizing, Enablement and Tenacity —to improve effectiveness and collaboration.

When it was just Ryan and me in the office, one strength was noticeably absent: Tenacity—the ability and drive to see tasks and projects through to completion. We had plenty of ideas and innovations and starts, but not as many completions.

Then we added Heather Kauffman, our Pastoral Resident, and Pete Williamson, our Executive Pastor, to the team, both of whom have Tenacity as one of their strengths. Now all kinds of things are crossing the finish line. We’ll be talking about something in the morning, and by the end of the day, sometimes by the end of the meeting, things have already been completed! What a joy that is, to be able to rely on that strength of theirs, and see the impact on our team and for our church.

Our Tenacious God

That’s a joyful confidence we can all have on a meta level. Our God is the most tenacious being there is, and in Christ we are on His team. He’s our divine Leader who finishes what He starts like no one else. His faithfulness, his steadfast love, his creative and resurrection power are beyond our comprehension. And He directs them all to complete the good work he began in us. That’s good news. That’s joyful news.

God’s Good Work––Christlikeness

But what is that good work? It’s many things. Our conversion, justification, sanctification, resurrection, and glorification, it’s essence being Christ-likeness. Which is revealed in this section of Scripture. Paul says he longs for his friends with the compassion of Christ. Longing is love’s response to distance between people. Paul longs for them with the compassion of Christ. That is God’s good work––sharing the love of Jesus with someone like Paul, with someone like you, with someone like me. Going back to the imagery of our Gospel reading (John 15) by God’s gracious work Paul has become a fruitful branch of the Vine, bearing the fruit of his love, with a joy that no one can take away.

The “Supreme Things”––What Really Matters

Paul then prays for that love to overflow more and more in the Philippians. He tells them, “This is what I pray for you.” It's worth memorizing and making part of your prayer language. He prays for their love to expand, but with knowledge and full insight, i.e. with moral discernment so that they can determine what truly matters, the “supreme things” in Greek––what matters most. Good intentions, and loving feelings, while important, aren’t enough. We need knowledge from God’s Word, and deep perception from the Spirit, to discern what really matters in a particular moment.

This whole section, verses 3-11, teaches us how to pray with joy, in Jesus, for the supreme things, for what really matters. With a growing confident, unstoppable joy. I encourage you to re-read this section on your own and go through the discussion questions in the guide, which we shared in the weekly email for neighborhood groups. This week I’ll also post them at the end of the sermon transcript, which are now available by Sunday evening.

I also recommend spending the next few months reading and re-reading the whole letter, going deeper, memorizing parts, and letting the whole letter with all its parts fill and form you, and teach you how not only to pray with joy in Jesus for what really matter, but how to live with Joy in Jesus for what really matters, which is what the rest of the letter is about.

Back to the prayer. Oh how we need to pray this, and have God answer this. We are saturated with information, we hear so many conflicting voices, so much noise. We need the grace, the ability, to sift through it all and determine what really matters. This is one of the greatest needs of our age.

We need to know, in the heat of a political debate, whether on the broader culture level or with a family member or friend, what really matters. Is getting the vote, or winning the argument, or something else. The book, The Afterparty is a great help here. When deciding how to steward our sexuality and bodies, we need more than to know how we feel or what our surrounding secular culture is saying, we need knowledge from God, from His word, to know what matters most. When choosing careers, where to live, or how to use limited Sunday space—like whether to go to two services—we need to know more than our likes and dislikes, or what makes us comfortable, we need knowledge discernment from God to determine what truly matters.

The Day of Jesus Christ

What Paul prays next points us to what ultimately matters most: the discernment that enables us to be pure and blameless on the day of Christ, when God calls all to account, rights every wrong, and finishes His good work. A great and terrible day, as the OT puts it—great for those in Christ, and for those living in the way of Christ, and terrible for those who are not.

Paul prays for the Philippians, who are in Christ, that they would arrive on that day with lives that are pure and blameless—having lived in a way, with motives and deeds, that God would approve and say, “Well done.” And of course, with much forgiveness from the cross for the times they fell short.

Paul summarizes this pure and blameless way, with similar imagery to our gospel reading, as a life “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes from Jesus.” A Christ inspired, Christlike life. A life shaped by Jesus’ humble, non-grasping, self-giving way, which is Philippians chapter 2—the joyful love of Jesus that fills Paul, and that Paul prays would fill and overflow in the Philippians, that they, in our gospel imagery, would become fruitful branches of the Vine, living for what truly matters, so that they would do well on the day of Jesus Christ.

We can pray for this with confident joy, because our eternally tenacious God is committed to finishing this work. Therefore this is a joy that can take root and grow, no matter how dark our circumstances or minds may be.

In this age, the darkness will never fully disappear, and our joy will always be mixed with tears. Only in the next age will it be pure joy. But even now, this kind of joy can take root, grow, and become bigger than the darkness that envelopes us, as we learn from this letter to pray, and live, with joy in Jesus, for what really matters, knowing one day this joy will envelope everything.

Bikerides and a Prayer

Lately, I’ve retired my e-bike and started riding my regular commuter bike, one the Ryan and I built up from scratch, which has slowed me down some, and actually made my rides more enjoyable, and conducive to prayer on my way to work. For the past two weeks, I’ve been praying with joy for our church, thanking God for the same things Paul did and asking for the same things.

I’ve also been praying a related prayer for you all, one I’ve prayed for myself for some time: Father, don’t let me/us die until we have lived a life in the grace of Jesus that will cause You say on the day of Jesus, “Well done! You’ve been faithful with a little, now you’ll be in charge of much. Enter into the joy of your Master!” When joy will envelope everything.

These are the kinds of prayers we can trust God to answer, this is the kind of good work we can trust God to do. As we learn to pray with increasing joy in Jesus, for what really matters, to the glory of God.

STUDY QUESTIONS

Taken from: Philippians: 8 Studies for Individuals and Groups, by N.T. Wright

PAUL’S REASONS FOR THANKS
Philippians 1:1-11

There’s a wonderful old prayer attributed to the sixteenth-century sailor Sir Francis Drake (1540-1596). He prays that when God leads us to undertake any great piece of work, He will also remind us “that it is not the beginning, but the continuing of the same, until it be thoroughly finished, that yieldeth the true glory.” Drake himself was certainly a “finisher” as well as a “beginner.” As well as being a legend in his own lifetime for his military exploits, he had sailed right around the world. Once you’ve set off on a journey like that, there’s no point stopping halfway.

OPEN
What are some examples you’ve seen that bear out this principle that there is more glory in finishing than beginning?

STUDY

Read Philippians 1:1-11. In this opening to his letter, what convictions does Paul express?
Why did the Philippians bring Paul joy?
Who is someone of whom you can say “I thank my God every time I think of you” (v. 3), and why?
This letter is all about partnership (v. 5), one of the most important words in Paul’s vocabulary. It is sometimes translated fellowship, but it clearly has a practical, even financial, implication which our word fellowship doesn’t always carry. Although it develops particular Christian meanings, including the delighted sharing of worship, prayer, and mutual support and friendship, in Paul’s world it was the normal word for a business partnership, in which all those involved would share in doing the work on the one hand and in the financial responsibilities on the other.
How had the Philippians worked in partnership with Paul?
Consider the Christian community you are part of. Would you say that you are in partnership for the gospel, or is your fellowship more social? Why do you answer as you do?
As Sir Francis Drake reminded us in his prayer, the glory is not in beginning a great task but in finishing it. The confidence Paul has throughout this letter is that God himself is a finisher as well as a beginner (v. 6). The particular work which God has begun, and will finish, is the work of grace, through the gospel, in the hearts and lives of the Philippian Christians.
How is it easy or hard for you to trust God to complete the work He’s started in you or in others? And why?
Paul prays that the Philippians’ love will overflow in knowledge and wisdom (v. 9). How does this idea contrast with more popular ideas of love?
Paul also prays that this wise love will result in moral discernment (v. 10). Why is moral discernment a necessary component of Christian love?
Finally, Paul prays that the Philippians may be filled to overflowing with the fruit of right living (v. 11). The word for right living is often translated righteousness. Here it emphasizes the behavior which results from both God’s faithfulness and the status of being forgiven family members.
What are some of the fruits of right living?

At every stage of the process—when people first hear the gospel, when they believe it, when they begin to live by it, and when they make progress in faith and love—nothing is done to the glory of the people concerned, as though they were able arrogantly to advance their own cause. Everything is done, as Paul insists here, through King Jesus, “to God’s glory and praise” (v. 11).

PRAY

Paul’s prayer for the church (vv. 9-11) is a prayer that all church leaders might wish to use for the people in their care. It is also a prayer that every Christian might use for himself or herself. For yourself and for others, pray that all of you will have love which overflows in knowledge and wisdom, the ability to discern right from wrong, and the fruit of right living to the glory of God.