God's Faithfulness

Sermon
God's Faithfulness
May 19-20, 2001
Pastor Leighton Sheley

I get real excited about the that Paul said that he had learned that no matter what circumstances might be, he learned to be content. Now if Paul can learn how to be content then I can learn how to be content. And Paul doesn't want to keep that a secret from us he provides an outline on that in the book. The first chapter carries with it the theme of having a single mind; a mind, a paradigm, a worldview, a thought process, a perspective that looks at circumstances not from an earthly point of view, but from a heavenly point of view. The theme of chapter 2 is a submissive mind. That is a mind, a paradigm, a worldview, a thought process, a perspective that puts the welfare and interests of others before ourselves. The theme of chapter 3 was a spiritual mind. That is a mind, a paradigm, a worldview, a thought process, a perspective that puts no confidence in the flesh -- its strength, and wisdom, and knowledge, and accomplishments, and so forth. The fourth chapter carried with it a theme of a secure mind, a mind that is confident that God is in complete control, a mind that is filled with rejoicing and not fear, a mind that in everything gives thanks to God and is constantly filled with that which is true and noble and right and pure and lovely and admirable and excellent and praiseworthy.

And now having swept over the book and seen this, let us now turn our attention to chapter 1 and look at it in greater detail. Philippians chapter 1 -- it's on page 790 if you're using the pew Bible. Paul and Timothy, servants of Jesus Christ, or slaves of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons. Now we refer to Philippians as a book. In actuality it was originally a letter written by Paul to his congregation in Philippi giving them news and thanksgiving for their continuing support. This introduction actually sets the tone for the whole letter, and it gives us insights as to Paul's relationship with this wonderful church. In this letter and the letter to the Thessalonians and the letter to Philemon, Paul does not seem to be required to declare himself to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, but to the other churches that was part of his greeting. And perhaps that's because Paul was unique among all of the apostles as it was he alone who was met by the risen Christ on the road to Damascus and called to preach the gospel that he had up until that very moment been wholly disposed to crush and silence.

Now in this letter Paul evidently feels that there is no need to declare himself to be an apostle, and that's probably because the church at Philippi was one of his most supportive churches. Now Paul does lay claim to one title, he claims to be a slave of Jesus Christ. Some translations may interpret the original language, doulos, with the use of the word servant, but slave actually closer to the original meaning. You see, a servant is free to come and go, but a slave is the possession of his master forever. Now as a slave of Jesus Christ Paul communicates, first - that he is the absolute possession of Jesus Christ, that Christ has loved him, has bought him with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20), and that he can belong to no one else. Then Paul also communicates secondly that he owes absolute allegiance and obedience to Jesus Christ. A slave has no agenda of his own. His only purpose each and every day when he gets up is to fulfill his part of the owner's agenda.

Now how distinct this paradigm is for many modern Christians. Many modern Christians do not perceive themselves to be a slave of Jesus Christ nor even a servant of Jesus Christ, but rather something of an employee of Jesus Christ. Now you might say now what do you mean by that Pastor? Well, and employee trades their time and their skills and their energy for some form of compensation and benefits. Now some Christians put in what they believed to be a reasonable amount of time and energy according to whatever standard they might be applying, and they consider whatever is left over is theirs. If someone, like the pastor, or the Lord, asked them to do something that's on what they consider to be their time, they expect overtime in compensation. They say, okay Lord, I'll teach that Sunday school class or I'll sing in the choir if You'll do whatever it might be.

Now in addition to overtime an employee expects to get days off, and how many among us have gotten up on a given morning and said, I don't feel like being a Christian today. Pretty commonplace, isn't it? Now in addition to overtime and days off, an employee expects to get vacation and retirement benefits. And some Christians have been known to say in terms of being a Christian, the pay is lousy but the retirement plan is out of this world. It might be delayed, but it's still a compensation plan. You know, some Christians, as employees, even go on strike. You know, God, I'm not doing anything else until we can renegotiate this deal. And so, many Christians today perceive themselves to be an employee of Jesus Christ not a servant or a slave of Jesus Christ as did Paul. No wonder Paul had a single mind. He wasn't daily trying to balance and compromise between the agenda of Christ and his own personal agenda. He didn't have a personal agenda.

Now this letter is addressed to the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons. Many of Paul's letters were written to saints, and that word has come by some to mean something different over the centuries. It has come to mean to some a reference to those who have died and were considered particularly holy. Now usually that title is not bestowed upon an individual until they've been dead for over a hundred years, because they're waiting for everybody who knew that person to die so that there would be no complaints about them being proposed as a candidate for being considered holy you see. But that's not actually what Paul was referencing. What would be the purpose, I ask you, of Paul writing dead people? That wasn't his purpose at all, was it? Paul was writing living people, living Christians, in the church at Philippi.

Saints is a reference to living Christians. The original word, hagios, meant something or someone set apart. The word was used to describe Israel's priesthood in Leviticus 21:6 -- they shall be holy to their God. It was used to describe the whole nation of Israel in Leviticus 20:26 -- You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own. It was also used to describe the tithe in Leviticus 27:30 and 32 -- A tithe, or tenth, of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. The entire tithe of the herd and flock-every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd's rod-will be holy to the Lord. Hagios, or holy, is used throughout the Scriptures to describe a people or things that are set apart to the Lord. The redeemed in Christ have been set apart from this world. The redeemed in Christ are saints. If you are redeemed in Christ you are a saint.

Now, verse 2, Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This second verse is a Pauline adaptation of a traditional Greek and Hebrew greeting. Verse 3, I thank my God every time I remember you. Now in Acts 16:12 and following we have recorded for us Paul's introduction to this church at Philippi. And I'll read it for you. Acts 16:12 and following: From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me to be a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us.

Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I commend you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her. When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice." The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in an inter cell and fastened their feet in stocks.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and all of the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved-you and your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in the house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God--he and his whole family.

Isn't that wonderful? And the story goes on in the next chapter. Now these three converts that are referenced here represent three strata of society. You see Lydia was a dealer in purple, which was one of the most costly substances in the ancient world, and so she would've been the equivalent of a merchant prince or princess. The girl was a slave and as such, in the eyes of the law, wasn't even a person and had no rights at all. And then the Roman guard, the jailer, was a Roman citizen of the middle class. Now not only was there are all three strata in economic represented, but also each of them was from a different ethnic background. Lydia was probably Asiatic, the slave girl Greek, and the jailer Roman. And so in these three people, the top, bottom, and middle classes of society were represented as well as the multicultural appeal of the church at Philippi.

Verse 4, In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. The church at Philippi may have been the only church to continue and support Paul in his evangelistic efforts, and no doubt it was the church at Philippi who also inherited the animosity that had been originally directed to Paul. Verse 6, 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. You know this is one verse that's one of the gems that's found in Philippians. Many people misunderstand becoming a Christian to be a single decision point, something like maybe signing a fire insurance policy or something like that. It's just a singular event and that's all there is to Christianity, and they totally misunderstand that being a Christian is not just the decision process of deciding to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, but there's also a process of transformation that takes place in us by the work of the Holy Spirit within us. In the redeemed God has started and is doing a work in our lives that will not be completed until, as this verse says, the day of Christ Jesus.

1 John 3:2 says, now dear friends, we are now children of God, but what we will be has not yet been made known. We're going to become something else, but we don't know what that is. But we know that when He appears we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is. You know how often we get impatient with ourselves, and with others, because we don't perceive ourselves and others as a work in progress. So I want to invite you to do something right now. I'd like you to turn to your neighbors on both sides of you and I'd like you to make this statement: I'd like you to say, God is not finished with me yet. Would you do that? Turn to your neighbor on either side. God is not finished with me yet. God's not finished with you yet. He's not finished with me. He's not finished with your neighbor. We are all works in progress. Paul in writing to the Romans commands us to be transformed daily. Romans 12:2, Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed daily by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Now some wonder if salvation is entirely the work of God alone or if there might be some aspect of it that requires human contribution. And, if, the next question would be, if there is human contribution, does that mean that salvation can be lost by human failure? Now if someone were to look at this verse alone they might conclude that salvation is entirely and solely the work of a sovereign God and we had absolutely no part in the process. And yet if you look at chapter 2 at verse 12 you'll find this, Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed-not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence-continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling. And if somebody were to look at just that verse they would say that salvation is entirely dependent on us and our work. All right? Now this brings up the issue of these questions that I've already referenced to you, and I have to say there are no easy answers, and theologians have disagreed sometimes on the minutiae of it, but let's look at the Scriptures that we have and asked the Holy Spirit to talk with us this day-- each of us individually.

Now the first thing that we notice about salvation is that salvation is always initiated by God and never by man. You see God is the author and finisher of our faith. What is the author? That is someone that brings something into existence. It's God who brings into existence and finishes our faith. In Romans 8:29 and 30, which we referenced earlier in communion, For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified. Now what does this Scripture tell us? It tells us that those who are saved were saved before they even existed. God knew before hand and predestined those.

Now the salvation process could not be initiated by man because man is totally unaware of his situation, of his spiritual need. The word found in Ephesians is dead. You know something that is dead is identified because it fails to respond to stimulus, right? If something is dead you can stick it, you can poke it with a stick and it's not going to respond. It might be hot. It doesn't care. It might be cold. It doesn't care. It's dead. It is non-responsive to its situation. It is unaware of its situation. It is unaware of its need.

Ephesians 2:1-10 says, As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedience. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ. It was God who made us alive so that we could be aware of; oh, I have a need here. Made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in our transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. And God has raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--this not from yourselves, it too is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Now salvation is not acquired by works, but rather, good works result from salvation. In fact, good works always result from salvation according to James who writes: faith without works is dead. In other words, if you've got faith it's going to produce. If nothing is produced you really don't have faith. Jesus said in John 6:38-40, For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. And so Jesus here says that everyone who believes on him will have eternal life, and will be raised up on the last day. And verse 39 declares that it's the Father's will that no one be lost. Have you ever lost something in the bottom of your closet or your dresser? Okay, you just kind of forgot about it and you might come across it six months later or a year later, whatever the case might be. We're not going to be lost. The Father's will is that we not be lost, we not be forgotten. And furthermore, beyond not been lost or forgotten, we can't be stolen away from God either.

Jesus said in John 10:27-29, My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never parish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. So we can't be lost. We can't be forgotten and we can't be stolen from God. Isn't that great? Oh, praise the Lord. God is faithful, always.

The apostle Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:3-5, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never parish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. Peter says that we are shielded by God's power through our God-given faith. We are shielded through faith. Jesus said in Matthew 10:22, All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. Now that brings up another question, is our salvation conditional? Is there some if, something that we must do to participate or not participate or so forth?

Now let's look at what Jesus said in John 8:31-32, To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." There's a conditional there, if; if you hold to my teaching. Paul writes to the church at Colosse, Colossians 1:22-23, But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation--if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. Another conditional, if, if you continue in your faith. The writer to Hebrews writes in 3:14, We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly until the end the confidence we had at first. If we hold firmly until the end.

Now some Scriptures suggest that those who fall away from the faith, or appear to fall away from the faith, were never really saved in the first place. The apostle John writes in 1 John 2:19, They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belong to us, they would have remained with us; but they're going showed that none of them belong to us. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 4:10, Demas, because he has loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Now Demas was one of the leaders of the church, an associate of Paul and his ministry, and had worked with him side-by-side. How could someone that had gained such a position of trust actually turn out to be unsaved? You know, it can happen. When Jesus declared in that upper room to his disciples that one among them was a traitor, not one of those disciples turned to Judas and said, you're the one. Now those men had been together for over three years day and night, but Judas who was in their very midst, and Jesus had selected him knowing who he was from the very beginning, had so mixed in and so sounded like and so looked like every other disciple that there was nothing to identify him as being the traitor. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21-23, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of the Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive that demons and perform any miracles?' And then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

Now were talking about leaders here. We're talking about people who prophesy and who drive out demons. And you'll notice that Jesus doesn't said, well I knew you at one time, but you slipped away. He doesn't say that. He says I never knew you, I never knew you. Now that brings up the next question. Is it possible that someone who is not saved can be self deceived into thinking they are saved? Jeremiah 17:9 says, The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? Our heart and our mind is so deceitful it possible for us to deceive ourselves. The most obvious example of such capability is the pathological liar who lives in such a world of self-deceit that he or she is no longer capable of telling the truth, let alone identifying the truth. Now since we cannot trust our own heart or mind to confirm our salvation, is there another source, perhaps an external source of evidence? And the answer to that is yes.

Ephesians 1:13-14, And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are in God's possession--to the praise of his glory. The promised Holy Spirit who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. Now the Greek word translated guaranteeing in this passage is the legal and commercial term that means first installment, deposit, down payment, pledge, and it represents a payment which obligates the contracting party to make further payments. You see all who have the Holy Spirit are sealed or guaranteed salvation.

Which brings up the next logical question. How do we know that we have the Holy Spirit? And the answer to that is the Holy Spirit bears fruit. Galatians 5:19-25, The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who continue to live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. If we are bearing fruit, that is the fruit of the Spirit, in our lives that gives evidence that the Holy Spirit is living within us, and the Holy Spirit living within us is the seal of our salvation. Amen?

Now, there's a great danger in not bearing fruit, because Jesus said in John 15:1-2, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he pruned so that it will be even more fruitful. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit. You know as a pastor I have concerns. One of the concerns I have is for members of our congregation, and I'm sure that it's true in churches across the nation, who are mature in their faith. They have been attending church for many years, but over the years they have failed to keep the fire of the Holy Spirit burning brightly within them. And they, can I say it this way, it appears that they have confused being alive in Christ with being petrified in Christ. Does not speak in a word picture to you? They have confused being alive in Christ with being petrified in Christ. If you look at a petrified forest from a distance it looks great, and then you get close to it and you find it's cold and it's hard and it's lifeless. And I'm afraid that some who are mature in our midst have allowed themselves to become cold and hard and lifeless. They've lost that passion, that first love. They've lost the excitement of coming to church so that they can hear what the Holy Spirit's going to teach them that day.

You know, it doesn't matter what the preacher preaches. It's the Holy Spirit that teaches us. They just come out of habit or they come because their friends, whatever it might be. And they've lost the pursuit of holiness. You know the issue is not perfection. That issue is solved and settled. None of us are perfect. None of us can be perfect. That's not the issue. Perfection is not the issue. Direction is the issue. Now when I say this there might be some who hear these words this day who are pricked in their conscience. They know they're not as fruitful as they should be, and so they're going to make every effort now to be fruitful and do it instantaneously. They're going to run out and find some ministry that they can throw themselves into. I'm going to work with City Team in San Francisco feeding the homeless. I'm going to go to the jail ministries. I'm going to teach Sunday school or the nursery or whatever the case might be. And I want to warn you or give you this insight, you have to be careful which end of your branch you're putting emphasis on in your effort to produce fruit. Let me say it this way, if your branch is unfruitful you don't need to try and produce fruit, rather, you need to press into the vine. If your branch is not fruitful or not as fruitful as it should be, you shouldn't just be totally preoccupied with the end of the branch that produces the fruit you should press into the vine, because when you press into the vine you're going to bear fruit. That's what Jesus says, John 15:5, I am the vine. You are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him he will bear much fruit, apart from me you can do nothing. And so the secret to bearing much fruit is not being busy in church work, it's pressing into the vine--into Jesus. If you press into Jesus you will bear much fruit.

So this summarizes our part in the participation of salvation process. We didn't initiate it and we didn't finish it. We're actually not even doing the work. It's the Holy Spirit that's doing the work in us. Our part is in obedience to press into the Savior, press into the vine, and not pull away, and preserve to the end. Not allow ourselves to be distracted away from the vine. This is why Paul writes in Philippians chapter 2:12-13, Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed-not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence-continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Isn't that wonderful? It's God that's working in us. And is God faithful? Always, always.

Romans 8:35 and following that we read in communion - Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all of these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen? Jesus said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. God is faithful. We've just got to keep pressing into the vine. And so being confident of this that he who began a good work in you will carry on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ. In our hymn selections, our worship selections, this day we selected those on the theme of God's faithfulness. And some of them were selected that were Scriptures that were put to song. One of our favorite songs here at the church is this particular passage in Philippians 1:6 that has been put to music. And sometimes when Scripture is put to music we sing it and we carry it with us. God's Spirit prompts us to start singing a song and what we're really doing is we're singing God's Scriptures. I'm going to invite you, if you would, to join with me right now as we conclude our time together and we're going to sing.

(Singing)

He who began a good work in you.
He who began a good work in you.
Will be faithful to complete it.
He'll be faithful to complete it.
He who started the work will be faithful to complete it in you.

He who began a good work in you.
He who began a good work in you.
Will be faithful to complete it.
He'll be faithful to complete it.
He who started the work will be faithful to complete it in you.
He who started the work will be faithful to complete it in you.

Lord thank you for Your faithfulness to us, even though so often we are unfaithful to you, but Your mercies are new every morning, Your forgiveness is from everlasting to everlasting, Your graciousness. Lord that's--we can't do anything but stand in awe of You, and worship and praise You, and thank you, and thank you. And Lord as Your wonderful love and provision for us is revealed from eternity to eternity, our hearts will ever swell with expressions of thanksgiving and adoration to You who is so deserving. Thank you Lord for Your faithfulness to us, in Jesus' name we pray, and together we say amen. God bless you.