Title Paul's Thanksgiving and Interpretation of Problems
Contents
Sermon Title: Paul's Thanksgiving and Interpretation of Problems
Bible Text: Philippians 1:1~19
[Introduction]
The Philippian church in today's text was founded by the Apostle Paul under the guidance of the Holy Spirit while preaching the gospel. In Acts 16, when the Apostle Paul was going to preach the gospel in Asia, the Spirit of Jesus stopped him and he was praying. In a vision, a young Macedonian young man said, “Come over and help us.” Philippi was the first place Paul met while on his way to Macedonia, acknowledging that God had me preach the gospel there.
There, I was looking for a place to pray and preached the gospel. God opened the door of Lydia's heart, believed in Jesus Christ, and invited Paul to his house, and the gospel movement began in Lydia's house.
And when the demon-possessed slave girl he met there cast out demons in the name of Jesus Christ, the owner, who used the fortune-telling slave girl to make a huge profit, thought that the profit had been cut off, falsely accused him of spreading strange customs and imprisoned him in prison.
Therefore, it is the church that the Apostle Paul had greater affection for.
Let's look at the text.
1. The Apostle Paul says that whenever he thinks of the church in Philippi, he always gives thanks to God, and whenever he asks for it, he prays for them with joy (verses 3-4).
We have many encounters while living on this earth. Among them, what kind of meeting is it that it is really good to meet, full of joy, and always gives strength? Of course, there are many meetings, but I think the most important meeting is the meeting between the servant of the Lord and the saints. And it is a meeting between the saints. These are the most blessed encounters. Also, this kind of meeting is what God allows us to meet.
See verse 5. “Because of your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.”
That's right. An encounter through faith in Jesus Christ is the most blessed encounter.
The world always meets for self-interest. However, meeting in the gospel is an encounter that pleases the Lord and an important meeting that establishes the kingdom of God.
Therefore, these encounters are always gracious, and these encounters are always meant to last.
1:6, “We are sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus.”
Meetings in the world are temporary and temporary. And when that purpose is fulfilled, most of them do not meet well. But meeting in the Lord is eternal.
Those who do not know God do not have such a real encounter because they are slaves to sin, the world, and the powers of the devil.
Because the people of God are meeting in Jesus Christ, it is always a pleasant meeting. But if not, it's because you're definitely holding onto something else. God's people who have received Jesus Christ can rejoice in the midst of problems as the Holy Spirit indwells and guides them.
So, listen to what the Bible says.
Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
In particular, the Philippian church in today's text should be more so.
That is, they are not doing things that will perish in the world, but because they are being used to accomplish the kingdom of God and its righteousness.
Philippians 1:7 “It is proper for me to think this way for all of you, because you are in my heart, and in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you are all partakers of the grace with me.”
Dear saints,
Our Lord is saying that God will surely reward anyone who gives “a bowl of cold water” to a child in the name of a disciple.
However, in Mark 10:29-30, it is said that persecution is also received.
But don't worry. It says that God will repay you a hundredfold again.
Also, Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we are not weary.” Then you will surely reap in God's time.
So, live a life of gratitude.
The Apostle Paul said that the Lord always remembers and pays attention to the deep interest in evangelism and missions of the Philippian church.
Look at Philippians 1:9-11.
First of all, this devotion to preaching the gospel is because the Philippians truly received God's grace and love. However, some believers say that if I do this for the sake of the gospel, God will bless me with such motivation.
So later, if things don't go your way, there are times when you complain and complain before God.
Therefore, we believers must first pray that we will receive grace before God. You have to dedicate yourself to your mission with the strength God has poured out. Only then will God truly receive it.
Today, the Apostle Paul wants to become such a Philippian church. It means to throw away the form and appearance and devote yourself to the Lord with true gratitude and emotion that comes from within.
And the saints need to grow more and more abundant in knowledge and understanding in the Lord every day. This is why we want to always act with a sincere heart by discerning what is extremely good, so that when Jesus Christ comes to this earth as the Judge, we will be full of the fruits of righteousness and give glory and praise to God.
Our members must grow day by day in the Lord.
Even after 10 years have passed, you should not always be on the same foundation of faith as that time.
Just as a child continues to grow from birth, the Holy Spirit within us tells us to be strengthened in the grace of the Lord every day. So, while you live on this earth, you must live the life of the Lord's witness.
This is the blessing of our calling.
God's people were set free from all problems the moment they believed in Jesus Christ. However, until the day when I stand before one Lord, the world and sin, myself, keep from receiving God's grace. Therefore, we must pray for the filling of the Holy Spirit.
The devil always tries to keep us from receiving grace and to make us live a life of failure in our worries, resentment, and complaints.
Therefore, the Lord's people must discern well what God's will is in the midst of problems and difficulties approaching moment by moment, and also realize through the Word what life is truly pleasing to God.
3. When this happens, the problem before us is not a problem.
In 1:12-19, the Apostle Paul was imprisoned because of the gospel. Then, the work of God appeared in the place where he was imprisoned. So, believers in Jesus began to appear in the prison.
Dear saints,
Do you have a problem in front of you that you cannot tell people? Don't be discouraged and discouraged. Then think about what blessings God will give us.
And thank you. The work of God that happened in the Philippian prison will appear in your life.
However, if we do not see God's plan in the problem, envy, strife, and strife will arise as shown in the text. But even that, God uses it.
Nevertheless, other members of the church were able to go to the Lord more actively with boldness, receive grace, and preach the gospel.
Which side do you want to be on?
However, the Apostle Paul says that these appearances were present in the Philippian church, and the eyes of the Apostle Paul who saw it spoke about these issues outwardly, but they were preached with a good will, but they rejoice and rejoice because it is Jesus Christ that is being communicated.
In the name of the Lord, I bless you that you will become your people who always keep in your heart the grace and joy that God gives you in the face of problems.
The grace of the cross is a free gift given to us by God. We cannot meet God in our own strength. Because in Romans 3:23, all have sinned.
So, in the case of Genesis 3, because of the temptation of the devil, man left God's law and fell into sin, which is original sin. All are under the power of sin. Affiliation is a child of the devil.
Ephesians 2:1 says that we died in our sins and transgressions, and in verse 2, the Bible says that we are bound by the world's customs and are slaves to the devil.
Therefore, only God can solve this problem. So God came to this earth in a physical body, and this person is Jesus Christ.
Those who believe and receive this person become children of God and are set free from all problems. This is the authority given to children.
Therefore, the gospel is power.
1 Corinthians 1:18 "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."
This is God's grace. Believing in this grace is faith, and it is a free gift from God.
Therefore, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
However, in the Philippian church, there were people who did this wonderful gospel with good intentions, but there were also people who did it for their own greed. But there is only one God who is glorified.
Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose."
So we can rejoice and rejoice in any situation.
Nevertheless, what comforts us is
In Philippians 1:19, the preaching of the gospel is done through prayer before God and the help of the Holy Spirit, so the fruit God gives is different.
Therefore, I hope that you will become all the blessed saints who always hold on to the power of the gospel before God and pray and receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit well to overcome all problems.
[conclusion]
Dear saints,
Above all, the saints must receive grace. Because our strength and abilities are limited.
The Apostle Paul was the Philippian church who worked together with prayer, material, and love for evangelism and missions, but service is important to them, but above all else, thanksgiving and thrill of salvation, and receiving God's grace every day, conflicts, worries, and envy are easy to fall into. , jealousy, etc. is hoping to win in life.
And also, when problems come, I want to live a life of walking with the Lord, realizing what God's plan is in the problem and that it becomes the door of God's grace and gospel witness through the problem.
The covenant blessing given as soon as God called Abraham from Ur of the Chaldeans, that is, through you, the nations will be blessed, and you will become a source of blessing. And because of your seed I will send the Messiah, whoever blesses you I will bless, and whoever curses you I will curse.
May this blessing always be before you in the name of the Lord. Amen