Philippians 1:3-11

3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, 5 in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. 8 For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; 11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Our small group will be studying this passage tonight. But as I was preparing, I was so struck but the warmth of what Paul has to say, that I thought I’d take a moment to ‘blog’ some of the wonderful things I’m seeing here.

The first thing that really strikes me is the depth of Paul’s affection for this church. He says to them,
v 3 - “I thank God for you!”
v 4 - “I’m praying w/ joy over you”
v 7 - “It is only right for me to feel this way about you...since I have you in my heart”
v 8 - “I long for you with the affection of X”
v 9 - “As I pray for you, I think about your love...”

I wonder how many congregations can say those kinds of things about each other? One of the great joys in my life here at Rockport is to see how this kind of deep feeling is alive among us! Certainly we haven’t gotten it down to perfection, and there’s always room to grow. But I really do see this kind of love alive in our fellowship – to which we can say, “Thank you, Lord!”

At the end of last week’s prayer time, I asked our group to spend some time this week looking at this passage and asking two two questions:
1) What ought to bind us together in the body of Christ, and particularly in this church?
2) What does Paul pray will be true about us as people who are ‘in Christ’?

I see several things here that bind believers to one another. First, as we’ve just seen, there should be a deep, Christ-like affection toward one another. Jesus said in John 13:35 "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Love for fellow believers is one of the first and most important marks of a genuine Christian (see 1 John 3:11, 23; 4:7-8; 11-12, etc). Every believer should seek to increase the affection he feels for other believers, and to demonstrate that affection through his/her actions.

The second thing I see that binds us together is a joint participation in the Gospel. Paul says in v 5, that he prays with joy in view of their ‘participation in the Gospel’. Every genuine believer loves the Gospel they have believed, and is committed to sharing that Gospel with other people! That makes us “co-laborer’s and “co-combatants” joined together in this same holy pursuit – that His Name would be great among the nations (Psalm 67). For that reason we purpose together to spend and pray and go and tell and serve and share with one accord this message of God’s grace in Jesus.

A third thing that bind is us a solemn confidence in the power of this Gospel! I love verse six, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” The Gospel is God’s work. It is by His power and grace that any of us believe (Rm 1:16). It is through this same Gospel and the grace and power it brings into our lives that any of us continue to believe and thus remain faithful to the end. This confidence then continues to do two things for me. First, it makes me less likely to panic when things don’t go well. I know that God is in control, even when I (or others) blow it. I can rest in His grace. But second it gives me patience with others. This Gospel is not done with us yet. I’m not looking to find perfection in your life, just a genuine change of direction from the old self-satisfied, self-centered life you used to live, to the new Christ-exalting, Christ-centered, life you’re living now. So when you blow it, or disappoint me (or I do you), it’s not the end of the world. I know God’s not finished with either of us yet.

Fourth, we are held together in a Shared grace. Paul says in v 7, “For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me.” What is implied here, I think, is that this group of Christians in Philippi were demonstrating the grace of God in their lives by the way they cared for Paul in his time of need! They stood with him! They supported him! They loved and encouraged him! We must do the same for one another! And we will, if we are truly in Christ.

And then fifth, I see us held together by a common experience of new righteousness in Christ. In v 11 Paul says that they have been “filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ” Such Christ-like fruit is something that spills out into believer’s life in a way that can be seen (Galatians calls it the ‘fruit of the Spirit’). Such ‘righteousness or Christ-like attitudes and behavior then spill out from our lives into our relationships with others! And that’s when “church” really begins to happen. You see, whenever these Christ-like attitudes and commitments begin to spring up in a body of people, they become begin to experience the joys of a genuine Christian fellowship. That brings an irresistible and attractive force that soon draws other people in to enjoy the good thing God is doing. I love it when I see that happening among us! And I’m humbled by it, because I know no human plan or program could bring it about! It’s a God-thing!

But then, there is a second question I used to challenge our group as well. I’ll only touch on it briefly here since I’ve already gone so long. But it too is a very important question and could lead to a great deal of very fruitful discussion. Here it is: What does Paul pray will be true of us who are in Christ together? Let me just point out four quick things.


1) That we will experience a growing love! He prays in v 9. “ . . . that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment,”. Notice that this love is not only meant to grow outward and embrace more and more people, but it is also full of ‘knowledge and discernment!’ In other words, it’s not a love that is based on empty platitudes and warm fuzzy feelings! It’s a love that is rooted in something real! Something God has done! You see, God through Jesus Christ has created a new reality in us that binds us together in love and then pushes us out in that same love to give our lives together for Christ in the world. This love, rooted in truth, makes us wise as we demonstrate the reality of new life in Christ in everything we do, say and undertake together in Him.


2) This work of Christ gives us wisdom to press toward what really matters! The first part of verse ten says we exercise this knowledge and discernment “ so that you may approve the things that are excellent.” There is a great deal in this world that is not necessarily good, or bad. It’s just mediocre. A great deal of entertainment falls in this category. TV won’t make you a mass murder, but it will certainly cause you to kill a lot of time that should have been spent doing something that matters! Wisdom teaches us in the body of Christ how not to settle with merely avoiding what is bad, but instead to strive for what is “excellent” and what really matters in life by pouring ourselves into the great priorities of life which include family, friends, the Gospel and seeking to glorify God in all things.


3) We are meant to be blamelessness in our behavior. Verse ten continues, , “...in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ.” Behavior matters – not so that we can be saved (Eph 2:8-9) but as the evidence that we are saved (Eph 2:10, notice the connections here!). It is after all our “good works” that people will observe in order to “glorify God” because of us (Mt 5:16). How many unbelievers have been turned away from ever hearing the Gospel because of what they’ve seen in professing Christians. What if they were constantly seeing us live such good lives – lives in which there was nothing blame-worthy – that they had no choice but to confess that there truly is something different about us! Might not more people be brought to Christ by our blameless actions of love toward them, than by our boycotts and blame casting shouts against them?

That brings me to the fourth thing,

4) We must live fruitful lives of righteousness that bring glory to God. As Paul says in v 11, “... having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God."

My prayer is that God will make this true at Rockport and every church where his word is faithfully preached and his people seeking to live for the glory of His Name.

Wow!

Grace Bible Conference concluded at Rockport today! Wow! What an amazing time of fellowship and instruction centered around the experience of mercy from God. Every speaker and every message seemed to build on the one before it in a display of the riches of his grace. God was evidently among us to encourage and confront and build up His people.

I've been to a lot of conferences over the years. Usually there are one or two outstanding messages, and then a few that, while helpful or informative could only be described as ...well...OK. But here there seemed to be such evident grace from God that every message ministered something vital and helpful to my soul.

Another amazing thing is how great a diversity there was between the preachers both in their style and personalities, and yet such a great unity in the truth they proclaimed. Paul Washer is passion aflame as he burns for the glory of Christ. Mike Morrow exudes a confidence in truth with a 'country preacher' kind of charm. Charles Leiter teaches with a clear and logical faithfulness to Scripture that never fails to help me see something even more wonderful in the truth of Christ. And Mike Williams speaks so plainly and powerfully with a unique ability to disarm me, even as he presents deep and powerful truth in a way that is simple without being at all simplistic. Each man (and there were others as well) was used by God to show me something else of His glory that I needed to see. Now my prayer is that all who heard will believe and apply what they have seen into their daily life with Christ -- especially the numerous young people who were in attendance.

Finally (for now), just a quick word about Rockport Baptist! Wow (again). I am amazed at all your hard work -- the way you all chipped in and gave of yourself to make this conference come together so wonderfully. So many have done so much that it would be impossible to name you all. And a couple of you deserve loud commendation for what you've done...but since you would not want to be acknowledged publicly (thus keeping your reward in heaven) let me just say, "Thank you!" knowing that you know who you are!

To God alone be all the glory!
SSL

PS - I hope to blog a bit more about content once I've had time to process and perhaps listen again to the messages. We also plan on posting the messages on our website or on Sermon Audio as soon as we can. Now it's off to Louisville for the Together for the Gospel conference

It was a nice thought

Obviously I never got the chance to blog while in Romania. I'll try to catch up when I can. God has been so merciful as we met new friends and ministered in several cities.

I'm not sure when I'll be able to give a report. We've got a really busy schedule for the next two weeks. Grace Camp Meeting here at our church this week, with Mike Morrow, Charles Leiter, Paul Washer and Mike Williams. Then next week I'll be headed to Louisville, KY for the "Together for the Gospel" conference.

Lord willing, after all that I'll come back and get things caught up.

God is good!

Back to Romania

It's a busy week as I prepare to head back to Romania with HeartCry. We'll be there from March 28th to April 8th. Our main purpose, in addition to preaching in various HeartCry sponsored churches and a youth rally, is to teach at a Family Conference for the HeartCry Missionaries. Please pray for me as well as for Don and Cindy Currin and Walid Bitar who will also be teaching at the conference. If possible, I will try and blog a few entries while we are in Romania.

Does the Trinity Matter?

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
Galatians 1:8

Recently, I’ve been in contact with one of my former students, let’s call him ‘Gary.’ Gary is a fine young man, very bright and very dedicated to being trained for the ministry. Nevertheless I am deeply concerned for him, because Gary rejects the doctrine of the Trinity.

Now, there are some today who would wonder why that should matter, After all, they say, as long as he puts his faith in Jesus and tells others to do the same, who cares whether or not he agrees with me over the details of a 'doctrine' as esoteric as the Trinity. Can’t we just agree to disagree and go on from there? But while that’s fine when it comes to a non-essential issue like “should we use drums during worship?"; being sure about who Jesus is, is not a theological “side issue.” It is central to being “Christian!” In fact, many today have a “false faith” in a “fictional Christ” who cannot save! For no matter how much you believe in a man-made ‘christ’, if the one you’re trusting in does not exist -- in other words, if He is not the biblical Christ -- He can’t do you any good!

That’s why we must always go back to the Bible in order to learn Who Christ really is! It is there, in God’s inerrant Word, that we find God’s own explanation about Who He is and what He’s done. It is there in His word that we read of a God who is One God (Dt 6:4) and yet exists eternally as Three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Mt 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14; John 14:16; 1 Pet 1:2, etc). It is through God’s Word that we understand that the Father planned our salvation from eternity, the Son purchased it by His life, death and resurrection, and the Spirit applies it when He opens our hearts to repent and believe the Gospel News!

My prayer is that you will think hard and strive to grasp the truth about Who Jesus is, making sure to measure your faith against the unchanging truth of God’s Word and not just the fragile opinions of man. And while you're at it, pray for ‘Gary’ that God would open His eyes and enable Him to embrace the truth as well!

Seeking Him!
Scott Lee

PS - A good place to being in your study of the Trinity is with James White here or here
He also has a good book on the subject called, "The Forgotten Trinity"
In addition, I would recommend Wayne Grudem, either in his Systematic Theology, or in a series of mp3 sermons
Finally, for a classic and interesting look at the Trinity, there is always Jonathan Edwards' little "Unpublished Essay on the Trinity"

Help from Piper for those who want to keep their eyes!

"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY'; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. "If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
Matthew 5:27-29

Hardly a week goes by that I don't find myself counseling a young man (or a not-so-young man) who is struggling with the issue of lust. We live in such a pornographic society -- a society in which people have frankly lost every vestige of common sense when it comes to living by what used to be normal standards of modesty and decency -- that most men must battle for their very lives to keep their minds free from sinful and erotic thoughts. We are, of course, sexual and erotic creatures. And God created sex to be enjoyed in the context of marriage. But our foolish society has ripped it out of its God-given setting and spilled it onto the streets and airwaves until it has become something harmful and destructive, rather than the the binding force for strong and stable homes it was meant to be. Biblically defined, then, any desire for sex outside of the marriage covenant of one man and one woman who are committed to one another in the bond of lifelong marriage is sin.

Given that, and the blatant perversion of our culture, "How can a young man keep his way pure?" Several years ago, John Piper wrote a wonderful article called ANTHEM: Strategies for fighting lust. I've found it such a help in my own life, that I wanted to reproduce it for you here. (You can also find the original on Desiring God's Website by clicking here)

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A N T H E M
Strategies for Fighting Lust
By John Piper November 5, 2001

I have in mind men and women. For men it's obvious. The need for warfare against the bombardment of visual temptation to fixate on sexual images is urgent. For women it is less obvious, but just as great if we broaden the scope of temptation to food or figure or relational fantasies. When I say "lust" I mean the realm of thought, imagination, and desire that leads to sexual misconduct. So here is one set of strategies in the war against wrong desires. I put it in the form of an acronym, A N T H E M.

A – AVOID as much as is possible and reasonable the sights and situations that arouse unfitting desire. I say "possible and reasonable" because some exposure to temptation is inevitable. And I say "unfitting desire" because not all desires for sex, food, and family are bad. We know when they are unfitting and unhelpful and on their way to becoming enslaving. We know our weaknesses and what triggers them. "Avoiding" is a Biblical strategy. "Flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness" (2 Timothy 2:22). "Make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires" (Romans 13:14).

N – Say NO to every lustful thought within five seconds. And say it with the authority of Jesus Christ. "In the name of Jesus, NO!" You don't have much more than five seconds. Give it more unopposed time than that, and it will lodge itself with such force as to be almost immovable. Say it out loud if you dare. Be tough and warlike. As John Owen said, "Be killing sin or it will be killing you." Strike fast and strike hard. "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" ( James 4:7).

T – TURN the mind forcefully toward Christ as a superior satisfaction. Saying "no" will not suffice. You must move from defense to offense. Fight fire with fire. Attack the promises of sin with the promises of Christ. The Bible calls lusts "deceitful desires" (Ephesians 4:22). They lie. They promise more than they can deliver. The Bible calls them "passions of your former ignorance" (1 Peter 1:14). Only fools yield. "All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter" (Proverbs 7:22). Deceit is defeated by truth. Ignorance is defeated by knowledge. It must be glorious truth and beautiful knowledge. This is why I wrote Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ. We must stock our minds with the superior promises and pleasures of Jesus. Then we must turn to them immediately after saying, "NO!"

H – HOLD the promise and the pleasure of Christ firmly in your mind until it pushes the other images out. "Fix your eyes on Jesus" (Hebrews 3:1). Here is where many fail. They give in too soon. They say, "I tried to push it out, and it didn't work." I ask, "How long did you try?" How hard did you exert your mind? The mind is a muscle. You can flex it with vehemence. Take the kingdom violently (Matthew 11:12). Be brutal. Hold the promise of Christ before your eyes. Hold it. Hold it! Don't let it go! Keep holding it! How long? As long as it takes. Fight! For Christ's sake, fight till you win! If an electric garage door were about to crush your child you would hold it up with all our might and holler for help, and hold it and hold it and hold it and hold it.

E – ENJOY a superior satisfaction. Cultivate the capacities for pleasure in Christ. One reason lust reigns in so many is that Christ has so little appeal. We default to deceit because we have little delight in Christ. Don't say, "That's just not me." What steps have you taken to waken affection for Jesus? Have you fought for joy? Don't be fatalistic. You were created to treasure Christ with all your heart – more than you treasure sex or sugar. If you have little taste for Jesus, competing pleasures will triumph. Plead with God for the satisfaction you don't have: "Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days" (Psalm 90:14). Then look, look, look at the most magnificent Person in the universe until you see him the way he is.

M – MOVE into a useful activity away from idleness and other vulnerable behaviors. Lust grows fast in the garden of leisure. Find a good work to do, and do it with all your might. "Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord" (Romans 12:11). "Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58). Abound in work. Get up and do something. Sweep a room. Hammer a nail. Write a letter. Fix a faucet. And do it for Jesus' sake. You were made to manage and create. Christ died to make you "zealous for good deeds" (Titus 2:14). Displace deceitful lusts with a passion for good deeds.

Fighting at your side,

Pastor John

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All I can say is "Me too!"
Pastor Scott

He Must Increase!

"He must increase, but I must decrease. "
John 3:30

John the Baptist had it right. As long as I am “big” in my own eyes, and Jesus is “small,” everything else in life will be out of whack. I won’t see things as they really are. I’ll believe the lie that life ought to revolve around me and that my temporary happiness is really all that matters. Even my religion will serve my selfishness as I imagine that God is there to help me accomplish my own goals and figure out how I can have “my best life now.”

As long as I stand big in my own eyes, I am incapable of seeing or responding to the One Who alone is able to set me free. No, it is only when I am forced to climb down off the pedestal of self-worship that I become willing to turn and see the One who is worthy of true worship. It is only as I cease serving my own desires that I discover the One I was made to desire and Who alone is able to satisfy my heart’s true need. It is only when I am made to step off the throne of self-exaltation that I find the self-forgetfulness that lets me begin to be happy in Him.

Of course, I would never do any of this on my own. It is only when God, by an amazing and powerful grace, turns my heart from its infatuation with me, and sets my eyes upon the beauty and glory that is Christ and Him crucified, that my heart and mind become willing to turn from self-love to Christ-love (and that by faith alone!) It is only when mercy has taken hold of me, that I am enabled to repent and believe the good news that God will save a sinner like me!

How glad I am that God has done this – and that He keeps doing it every day – as I am allowed to hear His Word and believe His Gospel and find in Him One Who is worth forsaking all to have! My prayer is that God, if he never has before, would do the same for you this morning.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen.