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"A Life Worth Living" Sermon Series
Rev Philip Rowe

1. NEW HEART

Philippians 1:1-11

That your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight (v9)

Introductory comments about St Paul's letter:
The Church was founded on Paul's second missionary journey;
It stated in a place of prayer with the conversion of Lydia;
Paul wrote it while he was suffering - while in prison;
However the word 'joy' occurs 16 times in the letter;
Is this because he is moving their vision from the earthly to the eternal, with 6 references to the Lord's coming day.

Sermon Summary
Our lives are worthwhile when by learning we change our hearts to glorify Jesus.

1. Christians have the life of God
'To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi' (v1)
You have the life of God.
Saint means holy, separate or set apart.
Not primarily in a moral sense, but rather who we are. The positive meaning of holy is' belonging to a different order, living in a different sphere'. So it refers to God as 'Holy, holy, holy' (Isaiah 6:3). So a Christian is someone who partakes of the divine nature. We are born again, or from above. That is, we have a new heart; a new inner life. This is in Christ. It is through our faith-union with him. Through his death and resurrection God's life becomes a reality in us. Do not allow yourself to be sold short with regard to your current experience of God. Have you this experience of 'born again' divine life?

2. God will perfect Christians to glorify Jesus Christ
'The one who began a good work in you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ' (v6)
God has a great future for you. 'Began' (enarchomai) means to inaugurate: a deliberate and decisive act. This is the work of God. It begins with the human decision, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.' Being a Christian is a 'good work', a positive life style - both in the particular (the gift Paul is thanking them for) and the general (all the work of grace in their lives). It is positive for us and for the world. This continues to the end of earthly time when Jesus Christ returns at the 'day of Christ Jesus'. At the moment, the Church (i.e. Christians) is being prepared to be his bride. When Jesus Christ returns he will 'be glorified by his saints' 2 Thess 1:10. Christ's glory depends on us being completed. Will God let this project fail? If we are incomplete, Christ will be seen as incomplete. Do not allow yourself to be sold short regarding your glorious future. Do you realise why God is working in you - to bring eternal glory to Jesus Christ.

3. Christians are perfected through learning
That your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight (v9)
By love we glorify Jesus Christ. Love means being of benefit to someone else without any thought of reward for ourselves. This is the heart - the inner life - that God gives to a Christian. We reach this level of living by being a student. Knowledge means a mental grasp of the knowledge of God. This is the basis of a focused fruitful Christian life, knowing the theory, the facts, what God is like and likes. We grow in proportion to the amount we know. How can we love Jesus if we do not know him? Truth is an essential ingredient in Christian growth. Ignorance is the root cause of stunted growth This mental growth must be matched by growth in character. Truth must be applied to life. We must move from knowledge to obedience. Full insight (aesthesis - only used here) is perception or discrimination. It is this which enables us to make a good moral decision. It enables us to make decisions that have good results. Do not allow yourself to be sold short in your growth as a person. Are you a student, learning in your head and heart?

Our lives are worthwhile when by learning we change our hearts to glorify Jesus.

 

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