To The Finish Line - Philippians 1:3–6
Well, I know that, like me, many of you have been doing all sorts of home projects during the quarantine. You may have a long list that you’ve been working on, and you’re getting lots of things done. But do you ever feel as though no matter how much you accomplish, the list never ends? There’s so much more still to do.
Much of life is that way, isn’t it. The work is never done. The whole world is this way. You can read the news on any given day and think, “We have a long way to go.” And in many ways, you likely feel that way about yourself. You have the same nagging struggles, the same frustrating ways. You wish you could be done with fear, or worry, or impatience or anger, or with pride or doubt or lust or envy or comparing yourself to others, but there is still so much work to be done in you. Maybe this is one reason why we’re so pleased when we actually finish something.
Tonight, we cross a “finish life” of sorts, as we ordain and install our first elders and deacons, install our pastors, and organize as a Particular Church, to no longer be a “mission church,” or “church plant.” And yet, it’s not the end. In many ways, it’s only the beginning. There’s much work left to do.
There is an “incompleteness” to life that makes us frustrated, or depressed, or even angry. So much of life is “in progress.” And it can cause us to feel anxious, defeated or even apathetic. However, there is hope and peace to be found in the “incompleteness” of it all. The saving work of Jesus is a finished work; it is complete. His people can rest in His work as God continues to work in us and in our church and the world. God appears to be comfortable with the unfinished nature of our lives, doesn’t he? He does, and we should be also.
But how? How do you experience hope and peace during this always incomplete journey to the finish line? Two ways that you can see as Paul begins the body of his letter to the church in Philippi. They are listed on page 6 in the WG. Rejoice and give thanks for God’s past work as you petition Him with the needs of this day, but also, anticipate and take heart in God’s future work as you trust Him with the coming of That Day, the day of Jesus’ return.
Now, as I said last week, the apostle Paul wrote this letter to a church in need. The Philippians wanted him to send his protege Timothy to shepherd them and assist the church because false teaching continued to swirl around their congregation. They faced outside opposition for their faith. There was unresolved conflict within the church. And they had financial needs. Times were tough. There was a lot of work to be done!
So, Paul sought to encourage them. But his writings reveal that while he was in prison in the city of Rome, composing this letter, most everyone had abandoned him, and he needed Timothy’s help. He knew they would be disappointed when Epaphroditus returned with a letter and no Timothy.
Isn’t this often the case: we have a clear resolution in mind, but God has different plans? The Philippians had to accept that Timothy was not walking through that door. Their homegrown leaders were going to have to step up to preach and teach the Word, and shepherd and serve the people. But those leaders, empowered by God’s Word and Spirit, would be enough.
Notice verse [3], Paul writes, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, [4] always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, [5] because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. Paul was thankful for how they had partnered with him in his gospel mission.
I said last week that they had sent support and encouragement to him multiple times even when they didn’t have an abundance to give. They were genuine teammates, so to speak. You know, the Greek word translated here as “partnership” may be familiar to you. It’s often translated “fellowship” in the Scriptures.
Have you ever heard of “koinonia?” If not, that’s ok. It refers to this unique, intimate bond between Christians, a bond shared by believers who possess the same mind and heart. That’s why many folks have heard that Greek word before. It’s so important to the church. The book of Acts describes the early church this way: “they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
They gave themselves wholeheartedly to this unique partnership, this special bond they shared in Christ. The apostle Paul sits in jail thanking God for this. He continually mentions them in his prayers. “Always in every prayer of mine” he says. Paul communicates here with intense emotion. He isn’t starting this letter like the typical 21st century email. “Hello, I hope you’re doing well.” He says in “all my remembrance,” “always”, “in every prayer”, praying for “you all.” He’s trying to verbalize the joy it brings him to know what God has done in their lives.
He makes his prayers - He petitions God - for them and himself. He takes his needs and their needs to God. And remembering all God has done makes him glad. It brings him peace. It fills him with hope. It makes him strong. It helps him keep going. In a jail cell. Wouldn’t the weight of this “unfinished” nature of life hit you in prison?
Do you ever feel bound or trapped in the difficulties of your life? Without a doubt, Paul felt the weight where he was; the Philippians felt it where they were. We feel it here and now. Look around in the week ahead: people feel it and they deal with it in a host of ways.
Paul had his times when he sat there in jail for preaching the gospel and wondered, “Have I been effective?” “Have I made a difference?” And God showed, “Yes you have. The Philippians are proof.” Thank you God for your past work at the church in Philippi. Paul rejoiced and gave thanks for God’s past work as he petitioned God with the needs of the day, and we must do the same.
When we do this, we find our bearings in this mad world. We find equilibrium, so to speak. We find balance. Not that everything is fixed; not that all the work is complete, but we find peace beyond understanding when we approach God in this way. We shouldn’t live in the past, but we should look back at what the Lord has done. Repeatedly in the Psalms of the OT we read phrases like, “The LORD has done great things,” and “Come and see what the LORD has done.”
Do you consistently look back and take comfort in what God has done for you? You must reflect on what God has completed as you struggle against all is has yet to be done. We look to the past, but also, we look to the end.
Notice verse [6], Paul tells them, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. Does Paul say this for the Philippians or himself? Yes. Both. It encourages him, and it should encourage them also. He wants them to take heart and find courage and strength to endure knowing that God will finish what he started with them. Even though things were difficult; even though the enemy seemed to have the upper hand. Even though the way seemed unclear, God had begun this “good work.”
What kind of work? I’ve mentioned this multiple times in recent weeks. The work of God is a restoration. It’s a renovation. In our house, we like a TV show called, “Love it or List it.” It’s a home makeover-type show. There’s a couple, with a house, and they need or want something different. So two people come in. One person takes their ideas and requests and renovates the house. The other person takes the couple to look at new homes.
At the end of the show, the couple looks at their newly-renovated house and decides whether they will “love it” and stay, or “list it” on the market and buy a new home. Always - always - I am amazed at these home renovations. In fact, they show a room before and then after renovation, and I always think, “How is that the same room? How is this the same house?”
The Scriptures describe a radical transformation within someone who is born again. God begins a “good work” that causes us to say, at some point, how is that the same person? Paul writes in Ephesians 2 that, “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, [5] even when we were dead in our (sins), made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—[6] and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
See, when you are born again in Christ, God makes you suitable for his holy presence. Immediately, your position with God changes such that you are fit for heaven. Your status with God changes such that you belong at the side of the King.
Now, practically, through the course of your life, God is working in you and gradually changing you, but positionally, in God’s eyes, you are as righteous as Jesus Christ himself, because you are “in Christ.” Why did God do this? Listen to the rest of Paul’s words in Ephesians. He says, [7] so that in the coming ages (God) might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. [8] For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast. [10] For we are his workmanship.” It’s not just that God will complete what he started - he is completing it.
You are changing. Maybe right now, you’re learning about how weak you are, so that you might worship Him with awe and reverence for how strong He is. Perhaps you’re learning why you need to seek him diligently each day like he commands. Maybe you’re learning that, in reality, you don’t look for rest in Him; you seek it in things of this world.
But if God made you alive in Christ, He is working in you. And to be content in the process of God’s unfolding plans, you need to anticipate and take heart in His future work as you trust Him with the coming of That Day. Often in the Scriptures the second coming of Jesus Christ is called the Last Day or That Day. Paul says, “there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” In other words, all who anticipate his return.
The present can feel very incomplete. But God has completed things in the past, and he will finish it in the future. So there is hope and comfort for us in the present. Sadly, the Summer Olympics had to be postponed this year. You’re probably familiar with the Olympic torch ceremony. The torch is always lit in Olympia, Greece, and then relayed, either by foot (or some other means if necessary) by many people until it reaches the games’ destination. When it arrives, to start that year’s games, the Olympic cauldron is lit, and it remains lit until the games conclude.
The torch ceremony has an interesting origin though, not in the ancient Olympics, but in what were known as the Panathenaic Games, held at a religious festival exclusively for the people of ancient Athens. Every four years they held these games, which were not as important as the Olympics, but which had a unique competition. It was a torch relay, in which the goal was not only to finish first, but to finish with your torch still lit.
Sadly, the winning torch would then light a pagan religious sacrifice. But I found that thought-provoking. The life of a believer is something like that ancient torch relay, but with a key difference. You see, when God draws someone to himself, when a person sees his or her need for the saving work of Jesus, and when the person turns from sin and places faith in him, God lights a flame within the person and he or she must run a race. And the flame must remain lit until the end. But, as the disciple of Jesus runs the race, it is not him or her who keeps the flame lit; it is God. In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul writes, “may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [24] He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”
Though your flame may grow dim as you struggle against sin, he will not let it be quenched, and on That Day, on the Last Day, when we finish the race, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.” So receive, repent, and rest!
Please bow with me in prayer.