Sunday, November 21, 1999   

1. In verse 3, Paul gives thanksgiving to God for the members of the church at Philippi and for the memories he has of them.

2. In verse 4, he tells them that he is persistent in prayer for them and that his prayers are lifted heavenward with joy.

As we look closely at verses 9-11, there are two requests that stand out to me:

1. In verse 9, Paul prays that the Philippian church may have abundance of love. Out of love comes wisdom knowledge, judgment, joy, gratitude, etc, Many folks pray for abundance of material possessions. Paul prays for abundance of spiritual blessings.

2. In verse 11, the Apostle prays that they, the church, might be "filled with the fruits of the righteousness." Paul wants their cornucopia or horn of plenty to be filled and overflowing with the fruits of righteousness.

I. Verse 9, A PRAYER FOR ABUNDANCE OF LOVE

     A. In this verse, we have:

           1. A prayer for love "as boundless as the sea" (Shakespeare). "And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more......

           2. A prayer for love within bounds, a love with limits, "....in knowledge and in all judgment."

     B. Love without boundary-- "...that your love may abound yet more and more."

           1. Love tops the list of all Christian characteristics; and because of this, Paul makes love first in his desires for the Philippians.

                 a. When in Galatians 5:22, Paul sets out before us. "The fruit of the Spirit," love comes first. If love is first, if love is in its proper place, then all else will fall into place.

                 b. Believers are instructed to abound in love one for another (Galatians 5:13; II Corinthians 2:4).

           2. "Abound"-- this word means "overflow." This same idea is found in Malachi 3:10 concerning giving.

                 a. In John 7:38, Jesus said: "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."

                        1) In John 7:37, we have the inflow.

                        2) John 4:14 is the upflow -- the artesian well.

                        3) Then in John 7:38, we see the overflow.

                 b. "'That your love may abound, etc. Love to God; love to one another; love to absent Christians; love to the world. This is an appropriate subject of prayer. We cannot wish and pray for a better thing for our Christian friends, than that they may abound in love ... we had better pray for this, than that they may obtain abundant riches, and share the honors and pleasures of the world" (Barnes 186).

     C. Love with bounds, love within limits-- "in knowledge and in all judgment."

            1. "In knowledge."

                 a. Love begets knowledge. Real love for someone produces insight and understanding of them. If we love God we will know what His Word says and will be intelligent in love. The more we love Jesus, the more we love the truth.

                 b. Love without knowledge is dangerous because:

      Lo                  1) Love may go astray.

                       2) Love with knowledge keeps us within limits. It keeps us from getting out of the banks.

                       3) How often have the words been spoken? "If you love me you'll do anything I ask, even if it is wrong." No, love with limits, love with knowledge says no to evil.

           2. "In all judgment." "Judgment" means "to have discernment, or insight, a quick, sensitive perception such as would prevent love from doing, saying, or thinking the wrong thing, a spiritual sense of smell." Christians need a spiritual sense of smell.

                 a. Barnabas possessed spiritual insight to a great degree. He had a spiritual sense of smell.

                        1) He detected that Saul of Tarsus was truly saved when others doubted (Acts 9:26-27).

                        2) He was sent to Antioch to see if the Gentiles were truly being saved (Acts 11:22-24).

                        3) He detected good in John mark although he had deserted Paul (Acts 15:37-39).

                 b. Barnabas had a sense for good; he could see it in folks. There are others who have a nose for sniffing out evil:

                       1) They detect false teachers and false doctrine. They can sniff out heresy. The Bible tells us to "try the spirits" and some do this better than others.

                        2) In I Corinthians 12:14-18, Paul says that the church at Corinth had members who were feet, hands, ears, eyes, and yes noses for sniffing out evil (Vs 17).

                       3) We need folks with spiritual discernment in this day of everything goes. Titus 2:1 says: "But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine."

II. Verse 1Oa, A PRAYER FOR A MIND THAT DISCRIMINATES

     A. "That ye may approve things that are excellent."

           1. The word "approve" means to discriminate, to test, to set the seal of approval on one thing rather than another.

           2. To discriminate means to distinguish between:

                 a. Good and not good,

                 b. Good and better.

     B. To be able to have this kind of discrimination, we need to have the mind of Christ. The practical aspect of this touches upon our choice of:

           1. Friends,

           2. Television programs,

     3. Amusements,

           4. Employments

           5. Music.

     C. The greatest test of discrimination is this:

           1. What would best please and honor God.

           2. What would displease and grieve him. ILLUSTRATION: Once a group of boys were set on doing wrong and when one objected the others made fun of him saying: "You're afraid that if your father knew he'd hurt you!" He answered by saying, "No, I am afraid that if he found out I would hurt him."

           3. As a child of God, we are to distinguish between what would hurt and what would please our heavenly Father and act accordingly (I Corinthians 10:31).

III. Verse 10b, A PRAYER FOR A LIFE WITH GODLY CHARACTER

     A. "That ye may be sincere and without offences till the day of Christ."

     B. "Sincere" means "tested by sunlight."

           1. Dr. F. B. Meyer said: "The man who lives in love does not mind meeting the searching rays of God's truth, which show that he is no hypocrite" (King 27).

           2. 1 Peter 2:2, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word...."

                 a. The child of God as the Word of God is to be entirely wholesome, true, pure, and 'Unmixed with wrong ingredients.

                 b. We cannot be pure if we are mixing the world into our lives.

     C. "Without offense."

           1. The sincere Christian who is right with God, does not cause others to stumble.

                 a. We are to leave no stumbling blocks in the paths of others (Hebrews 12:13).

                        1) Be mindful of others.

                        2) Watch your step, watch your testimony.

                 b. Love attracts folks to the Savior. Love that is with knowledge will keep you from causing folks to stumble.

           2. "Till the day of Christ."

                 a. Stay right until Jesus comes back to take us home.

                 b. Be ready for the judgment seat and help others to be ready. Be leading them on the right path.

IV. Verse 11, A PRAYER FOR AN ABUNDANT LIFE

     A. God wants His children to be filled and fruitful.

           1. God desires spiritual fruit from believers. "He is not interested simply in 'church activities,' but in the kind of spiritual fruit that is produced when we are in fellowship with Christ" (Wiersbe 27).

           2. Isaiah 61:3 says that God's children are to bear spiritual fruit because he as planted them. Let's compare Isaiah 61:3 with Philippians 1:11.

Isaiah 61:3	Philippians 1:11
"That they might be called the true righteousness. The planting of the Lord. That he might be glorified.	Being filled with the fruits of righteousness. Which are by Jesus Christ Unto the glory and praise of God

     B. In verse 1, we see that believers are "in Christ." Our roots are right.

            1. The "fruits of righteousness" are "in" and "by" Jesus Christ.

                 a. He plants the tree and prunes the tree that it might bring forth "fruit..... more fruit...... much fruit" (John 15:2, 8).

                 b. The Father is glorified when we bring forth fruit.

      C. II Thessalonians 1:10 tells us that Christ is coming back to be glorified in His saints.

           1. Let Him be glorified in us now as we bear "the fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22).

           2. Live such a life that the glory and praise God deserves and desires is given to us.

CONCLUSION: Paul's prayer is for the Philippians to abound in love and produce fruit. Christian goodness is not to bring praise to man but to God.