Love
abounds in knowledge and depths of insight
Philippians 1:1-11
During Paul’s second missionary journey, he was looking
for a new place to preach the Gospel, so he went to Phyrgia and Galatia (the central
and southern parts of modern-day Turkey). He also tried to find a way to
Bithynia, in the northern part of Asia Minor, or modern-day Turkey, but the
Holy Spirit did now allow him to go. He eventually arrived at Troas, an Aegean
seaport along the western seacoast of Asia Minor. There, he had a dream about a
man from Macedonia calling “Come over to Macedonia and help us” (Acts 16:9).
Paul took this to be God’s call to preach there, and went across the sea, arriving at Philippi, a leading city in
Macedonia.
This was the first city in Macedonia that Paul began to
preach. There were no synagogues here. Acts 16 records the conversion of two
families: Lydia and her family and a jailor and his entire household. This was
how the church of Philippi began. It was in the early 50’s AD (51-52 AD). The Philippian
church is significant for three reasons; it was
the first city reached for the gospel and the first church established in
Macedonia. Second, the Church was begun by Gentile believers; most likely,
there were more Gentile than Jewish members. Thirdly, the strong guidance of the Holy Spirit is
easily observed at the beginning of this church, as we have noted.
The book of Philippians is one of the four prison
epistles that Paul wrote. The main content of this letter is the life of believers, focusing on one question:
what does it mean for us to live as Christians?
Paul also dealt with an additional theological matter, a Jewish influential
group, called the circumcision group, and its assertion that believers must
keep the law, in order to be right before God. This was and still is the most
powerful force that opposes the core principles of the Gospel.
Today’s passage contains three concepts: greeting others in
the form of a benediction, his thanksgiving for the Philippians, and his prayer
for them.
1.
We
are servants and saints (Philippians 1:1).
While Paul was in prison, he wrote this letter, along with
Timothy, to the believers in Philippi, where two people had accepted Paul’s his
message, as we noted earlier. Since then, Paul had begun planting churches in
many other parts of Macedonia. As we know, he planted a church in Corinth and Thessalonica,
during succeeding mission trips. If we take this letter to have been written
around AD 62, it might have been about ten years or so since the Philippian church
was established that this letter was written. As we noted in v1, there were
also deacons and overseers in this church by the time this letter was written.
First,
Paul and Timothy introduced themselves to this church as servants of Jesus Christ.
Servants were the possessions of their master or lord. They were the lowest social class; however,
Paul and Timothy were very proud to be servants of Jesus Christ, because they
had such pride in their Lord and were
very happy to be his servants.
So, servant was their functional identity. All their
works and lives were made up of the will and purpose of their lord, Jesus.
A man can choose to be one of two kinds of people. One is
an autonomous man. He is the king of his own life and does whatever is
reasonable or fitting to his own taste. Almost all men want to live as
autonomous or independent men. The other choice is to become a servant.
Servants serve their masters or lords. For them, the will or purpose of their
master overrides all of his or her own will. He has to know and honor the
master’s will. Paul was called by Jesus and was very proud of being known as his
servant. Also, all that he did, establishing a church at Philippi as well as making
four missionary journeys, was in accordance with the will of his master, Jesus.
Second, the
recipient of this letter was the Philippian church. Paul called them saints or
holy people. “Holy” originally means dedicated to God, set apart, sacred or holy.
It carries a strong sense of belonging to God, who is the only one holy.
Actually none of them were as holy as God is, but since He had chosen them to
be His people and taken them out of the world in sin, they were called His holy
people.
If we consider these two ideas together, believers have
two distinct identities; just as Paul identified himself as a servant, all believers
are servants of Jesus Christ. Secondly, Paul called the Philippians God’s holy people
or saints. What are we? We are God’s holy people, as well as servants of Christ
Jesus. In these two words we find what it means to be a believing Christian. So,
in all our relationships, whether it is with other people or with God, we are
to live in such a way as to reflect these two identities.
Identity defines both our roles and our relationships.
When one does not know his role or identity, it is a crisis in his life. Identity
crises always bring confusion in life. When I work, I dress like a doctor, work as a doctor, and people have no
problem recognizing me as a doctor; however,
if I dress up like a nurse, talk like a clerk, and still try to do the work of
a doctor, my patients will be confused. Out of their identities flow how people
are to live in this world.
In our society, many people are confused because they do
not know who they really are; because of
this confusion, they go about with a false
identity. It is a very pitiful thing, if one does not know his identity and role;
he is lost in the universe. There will be
endless wondering and confusion in their life.
In Paul’s mind, he was 100% a servant of Christ, and the Philippian
believers were unquestionably saints. In this clarity of identity, Paul ran his
life and produced marvelous work.
Likewise, we have a clear identity as servants and holy people of God. We
should not forget this in all the situations of our lives.
2.
We are
to live in and enjoy God’s grace and peace (Philippians 1:2).
Paul greeted them in the form of a benediction - grace
and peace to them from God the Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ. This benediction is a calling, “Right now, may God
give you grace and peace.” This greeting is found in all the Pauline letters as
well as in the letters of Peter and John. This bears a very important significance.
To all believers of that time, these two blessings from God were needed and
called for, and God was bestowing them
upon believers. They enjoyed God’s grace and peace. So, these two formed the basic state of the believers’ heart. What was
the reason behind this?
Romans 5:1-2 – “Therefore,
since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.”
When we receive grace and peace from Jesus and God, we
are able to function as His holy children and servants.
What does Peace do?
Philippians 4:7 – “And the
peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus.”
What does Grace do?
1 Corinthians 15:10 – “But
by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.
No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”
Grace was the driving force in Paul’s life which
accomplished mighty works of God. Both grace and peace come from God through
Jesus Christ. These are two essential
qualities that we must have in our inner beings, so as to live and function as God’s
servants and holy people. In all, Jesus’ disciples faced real hardships in
life. Even Paul was in prison as he
wrote this letter, but he had peace and grace. These two make up the foundation of our inner being and enable us to do
what we should as servants and holy
people of God. May God our Father and His Son Jesus give us grace and peace,
now and forever!
3.
Thanks
and joy in God’s works (Philippians 1:3-8)
V3-4
Paul was filled with joy and thanksgiving whenever he remembered
anything related to the Philippians. This was a very positive and affable
feeling toward them. Have you had similar feelings when you think of someone?
It is a great source of joy to have someone for whom we feel thankfulness and
joy. What was the reason for such feelings in Paul?
V5 “because of your partnership in the gospel from the
first day until now”
What was their partnership in the Gospel? We can
determine this information from
this and other Pauline letters.
a. The Philippians
supported Paul in various ways and through various means; since he had established
their church, he went about to many places and preached the Gospel. Many times,
he was beaten, imprisoned, and suffered
a great deal from oppositions, but, from the beginning until the time of this
letter, the Philippians were with him in love,
respect, and honor as God’s servant. On several occasions, they had sent
him supplies (Philippians 4:10, 18, 22). Not long before this letter, they sent
Epaphroditus to Paul’s Roman prison with supplies .
b. The Philippians
also prayed for Paul, supporting him through their prayers whether he was on a
journey, in prison, or experiencing
other sufferings. This meant that they not only had compassion for their teacher and shepherd,
but also a heart for the Gospel itself,
sharing the same mind and spirit with Paul. This is what is meant by their
partnership in the Gospel.
In these ways, they gave Paul unbridled support both
personally and for the Gospel. So Paul had tremendous comfort, joy, and
thanksgiving to God who was working in these people. I think that the faith and
partnership of the Philippians was a
model for the many other churches established thereafter. Could this be one
of the reasons why God directed Paul to minister in Macedonia through his dream? It is also possible that
the support from the Philippians made a positive impact on Paul’s missionary
work in the rest of Macedonia.(4:14-19)
Paul was so convinced of God’s work in the lives of he
said this:
“being confident of this,
that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the
day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
In this way, the Philippians’ partnership in the Gospel
was evident to Paul’s mind. To Paul, these were manifestations of the work that
God had begun when the Philippian believers first received the Gospel and of that
spirit which had carried them this far.
Such an undeterred partnership in the Gospel served as proof of God working in and with them. Out of
this conviction came a great hope and vision that the God who began a good work
in them would surely carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Here the good work that God began is His work of salvation. God began this work
as Paul preached to the Philippians from the Gospel of Jesus, and they received
it by faith. God would complete this work in and among the Philippians. In this
way, Paul saw the full salvation of the Philippian believers, though that was
yet to come, on the day of Jesus’ coming. Seeing such visions brought a
tremendous joy and great encouragement to
those who heard of it.
Yet some might not be sure of Paul’s vision. This sounded
like flattery to the Philippians,
especially those who did not have favorable affection for Paul.
But Paul added this:
“It is right for me to feel
this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in
chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace
with me” (Philippians 1:7).
It was not
flattery; it was genuine affection, deeply rooted and coming from the
bottom of his heart, and his unceasing prayer for them was that he could see
and understand how God was working in their lives. He prayed for them from the beginning
of their participation in the Gospel until the time this letter was written.
Paul’s constant prayer enabled him to see what was beyond the surface and led
him to believe that God would complete their journey until the time of Jesus’
coming.
Who can testify that this was in his heart? Can he take
his mind out to show to the Philippians? However, there was one who can testify
to what was in his heart.
“God can testify how I long
for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:8).
This tells us that Paul loved them with the affection of
Christ Jesus. What is meant by the “affection of Jesus Christ?” It is the
spirit, compassion, and love that Jesus had for the sinners while he hung on the cross. “Father, forgive them for
they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). It is Jesus’ love that first called Paul on the road, ‘Saul,
Saul, why do you persecute me!’ (Acts 9:4), despite the fact that his heart was filled with
murderous intent. Paul knew what the affection of Jesus Christ was, from
the very depths of his hearts!
I am sure that the Philippians went through difficulties
as well, and they might not have been aware that such blessings and hope were
with them. So Paul’s commendation was very precious and important for them,
providing them with the right perspective on both their present and future.
Paul’s thinking may have followed these lines: As I am
thinking of you, I am very thankful for the faith you have shown. Though we are
very small and you could have sought some other way of faith, you have been
with us since we began our new ministry. This proves that your faith is not
just in us but in the God who works in and among us.
Today, we continue
to pray for many missionaries in the world; we pray for Belize, China, Taiwan missions, India, and
Thailand. They are all our partners in the Gospel, and we have joy as we
pray for them and serve them through encouragement, God’s word, and monetary
support. All these are part of our partnership with all of those missionaries in
the Gospel. In this, we rejoice and have great hope.
In our prayers,
worship, and campus visitation,
we are all sharing this partnership in
the Gospel with many believers around the world.
So far, the Philippians have donewell. Then what came
next?
4.
Your
love may abound in knowledge and depth of insight (Philippians 1:9-11).
Paul looked back on what had happened since the beginning
until this time. Now he was looking ahead; “How would they do in the next few
years? Could they sustain their faith, despite the increasing persecutions against
Christians?” Uncertainty lay ahead of them. The first systematic persecution
happened around 64-68 AD, during the reign of Emperor Nero. This letter was
believed to be written in AD 62. It is likely that such hardship was foreseen.
Also, at this time, Paul was in prison and was not sure if he would be released
or would face the end of his life. In such a situation, Paul gave this prayer
for the Philippians:
“And this is my prayer: that
your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight” (Philippians
1:9).
First, Paul was looking
ahead to the day of Christ. We believe that Paul was executed around AD 65,
after his second imprisonment in Rome, i.e. during the reign of Emperor Nero. Death
had threatened him many times. Having
experienced his life nearly ending so often, Paul had a comprehensive view of
life. According to this outlook, the day
of Christ was at the forefront of his consideration for how he lived his life. It
is the day of reckoning. For some, it will be the day of shame and judgment; for
others, it will be the day of reward,
commendation, and blessing.
What is your outlook for life? Does it include the day of
Christ? It should! When I was in my twenties, my mind, heart, and spirit were
so absorbed in thinking about how I could
secure immediate blessings on earth. In my thirties, the dominant question of
my heart was how I could build my fortune. In my forties and fifties, the
question was how I could make my name known among the people around. Such
thoughts miss out on one of the key components for a godly outlook on life. The
goal or final destination of our lives should be the day of Christ.
In a few different places, Paul expressed his desire for
God’s reward
Colossians 3:23-24 “Whatever
you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human
masters, since you know that you will
receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you
are serving.”
Toward that goal, Paul prayed for Philippians:
Philippians 1:9 “Your love may abound more and more in
knowledge and depth of insight.”
In prison, Paul’s life was in a very tenuous situation, but,
in such times as this, he talked about love. He prayed that the Philippians’
love might abound in knowledge and depth of insight. He considered that love was
important, above all else. What is the most important thing we like to have if
we are anticipating such life-threatening
situations?
At the beginning of his kingship, Solomon asked God for wisdom.
God was happy to hear that, and gave him wisdom. So wisdom might be considered
to be the best thing they should have; to
Paul though, it was not wisdom, but love in knowledge and depth of insight. Love
and knowledge is an odd combination; likewise, love and depth of insight is a
difficult concept to grasp. One thing we can understand clearly is that the
love that Paul was talking about cannot
be found in ignorance or in a
shallow perception of things.
God loved Paul and the Philippians and gave His Son,
Jesus, to suffer on the cross so that he may pay off all their sins. What were the
debts that they had? What was the cost to pay off that debt? What did he do to
pay it off? To know all of these things in depth is abundant knowledge and insightful
love. So the knowledge is not just information, but has depth of insight that
is deeply felt in our inner being. It is beyond any idea or expression of
language; it is “pathos” that connects our heart to the heart of Christ.
As we know, the essence of the Gospel is God’s love for
sinners. So, this love is best learned
through our partnership with other believers in the Gospel. The more we
participate in the Gospel, the more our love
abounds in knowledge and insight.
Until we have received the love of Christ, such love is never known to us. Until
we show our love to others, we have never known or tasted the richness of
Jesus’ love. Until we pay the cost for other’s weaknesses and sins, we might
have a scanty understanding of the depth of Jesus’ love. Out of the richness of
Jesus’ love, we are to grow in love. Where does this love lead them to?
“so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be
pure and blameless for the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:10).
The reason why Paul chose love as the most important
thing when going through trials and temptations, is because when one is acting in
such love, he has the ability to discern what is best, and is given power to be
pure and blameless.
When we go by love and abound in knowledge and insight, we are able to see the way to bring about
the best outcome from the given situation. So it is not by economic sense, pragmatic sense, or justice and righteousness, that we receive the best outcome. It is through love - Agape.
Let’s say that Bob has a grievance or disagreement with me. How can I handle
this? I can either make a decision based on my desire to protect my honor or what
would cost me the least, or to uphold a pragmatic middle point between him and me. None of these options brings
out a better outcome than by acting in a love that is abounding in knowledge and
insight. In other words, if I make a decision out of my deep love, the kind of
love Christ had then the outcome that I
will get is the best one. So, if we have love, the kind of love shown by Jesus
Christ, then we are wisest in our discerning
of all things. We can then make the best judgments and decisions.
It is a remarkable insight. So, if a difficult problem
that comes into your life, make decisions based on the width and depth of love through
Christ. Then you will surely be happy and experience the best outcome.
Also, love is the best way that leads us to be pure and
blameless. We struggle with sinful
desires daily; this society bombards people with sexual temptations. For
young men, this is an unending challenge. The Old Testament suggests this:
Psalm 119:9 “How can a young
person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.”
Paul also said this:
1 Corinthians 6:18 “Flee
from sexual immorality…”
Here, Paul offered the best answer to such temptation; it
is to know and live by love, a
particular love, Jesus’ love. It is unique and from a different perspective. The
utmost purity and righteousness that God requires of us is achieved by having the love that comes
from having such knowledge and depth of insight.
When our hearts are filled with love, there is no room
for sinfulness or temptations. We will surely bear good fruit that will be counted
worthy on the day of Jesus. So as we see here, love gives us discernment that
leads our lives to become more efficient and productive. At the same time, love
produces in us the fruits that are pure and blameless. In this way, we become worthy
of God’s blessing on the day of Jesus’ coming.
“filled with the fruit of
righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:1).
Such fruit is what Jesus looks for in those whom he has
chosen to be children of God. The fruit we bear makes us worthy of God’s glory.
So, in our lives, God is glorified, as He was in the life of Jesus. God is
glory! God is love. We must grow to have the same love abounding in knowledge
and deep insight. Then, we will surely be welcomed on the day of the Lord, and God
will surely be glorified in and among us.
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