This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Philippians” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, April 14, 1991.
About this sermon
Thanksgiving is a real remedy, and praise to God answers addiction. The Philippians shared in Paul’s gospel work, and they also struggled with envy and selfishness, and Paul does not pretend otherwise. Measured against the Old Testament’s prayers, Paul’s show thanksgiving working in a new way.
Sermon transcript
Here are the words of God. Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ, and all who stay in Christ Jesus, which are fillified with the bishops and deacons. Praise be unto you in peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God upon every remembrance of me, always in every prayer of mine for you all, making a request with joy for your fellowship. In the Gospel, from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. Even as it is neat for me to think this of you all because I have you in my heart. In as much as both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of my grace. For God is my record. How greatly I long for you all in the affections of Jesus Christ.
This I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment. that ye may approve things that are excellent, that ye may be conceived without offense of the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are thine, O Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.”
Now, we spent some time on Paul’s last year. A few words at this point may be helpful, as we move into the request, the prayer proper, if you will, verses 9 through 11. I think it should be a paraphrase to our level that thanksgiving is not something that can easily be overlooked. It is joined into prayer and supplication in that fourth chapter, the sixth verse, and you would have to say that there is something here much more than a simple connection, a superficial connection. We can say that what is given is an indispensable part of prayer. In other words, where there is prayer, we should expect there to be thanksgiving. We should expect there to be that kind of coming request. We might even go further.
As with prayer, so is life. The Christian life is one that is cast in the mode of thanksgiving. The Christian life is one that has thanksgiving woven into true conscience. And as prayer does not be devoid of thanksgiving, neither is the Christian life devoid of thanksgiving.
Our prayer, being reflective of our life, being of a peaceful living, as we move from life to prayer, they’re being met with symptoms. You may be at the stress of your own prayers. too much of an incongruent. Your prayers take on a certain shape and have a certain character. But your life isn’t consistent with your prayers. What we’re aiming at is that consistency. As with our prayers, so with our lives. Thanksgiving in life, so with thanksgiving in prayer. Vice versa. From prayer to life.
I’m struck by this because of my exegesis of Genesis chapter 9. Some of you have heard that exegesis in former messages. Genesis 9, the latter part of it, is the passage the preachers often turn to in fact. It’s not uncommon to have preachers, if they are preaching through the early chapters of Genesis, skip right over the last part of the ninth chapter, and you get on a drift and you recall what’s taking place in that ninth chapter. It’s the story of Noah. It’s the story of Noah’s drunkenness. It’s sort of an embarrassing story. It’s not the kind of story that people like to have read, in fact.
But, see, one of the things displayed in that text is that you have here a harvest situation. No one has planted vineyards. Harvest is thought. One is apparently absent. What is conspicuous in its absence, as you have this harvest theme presented to you, what is conspicuous in its absence is thanksgiving. There’s absolutely no thanksgiving. You have a harvest, and there’s no thanksgiving of presents. We know what happens. are the same soon degenerate into a scene of brokenness. Where there is no thanksgiving, there is supply.
I wish I could get this point across to people who are having trouble. People who are having trouble with self-discipline services. People are having trouble with it all. I shared this message with a number of folks who have been struggling with that issue. Struggle to communicate it to them.
The fact that if Thanksgiving is part and parcel of their life, there will be no room left for the problem at play. A thankful knower is not a drunk knower. A thankful Christian is not a man or a woman who is given over to those kinds of tendencies. As with prayer, so with life.
Let’s take the alcohol. We all realize the affliction of the will, the problem that the individual is having. What if that individual were just praying with thanksgiving as he’s faced with his difficulties? How difficult would it be for him then to proceed to do what he contemplates doing? And if that prayer is but part of his life, a life that’s filled with thanksgiving to God, then increasingly, more and more, there’s less and less room for his problems and his dependence.
You see, I think that Paul has clearly that story in Genesis 9 in mind when he writes Ephesians 5. You remember how it goes in Ephesians 5, verse 18, powerful text? It’s almost as if you can hear statements arising out of Genesis 9 as Paul pens these words. He says in verse 18 of that fifth chapter of Ephesians, Do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.” It’s one or the other, he says. You have two courses laid out in front of you, there it is. Be filled with the Spirit.
Then he goes on, verse 19, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Why does he say that? I know how that passage is ordinarily interpreted. It’s interpreted as being pertinent to a worship context, not so. Paul here is talking about life. This is the kind of conversation you have.
This is what we aim at, conversation that is overflowing with praise, praise that is expressed in terms of psalms, hymns, spiritual psalms. Yes, a true biblical effervescence. I’m not talking about the mindless escort. Singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord.
That characterizes your life. But notice now verse 20. How powerful this is. All things giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God you will love. There it is. There is a remedy. There is a remedy. Thanksgiving. Indispensable to proper Christian living. Indispensable to proper Christian prayer. If you’re going to open your mouth, constrain yourself. If you’re going to voice prayer, constrain yourself with respect to Thanksgiving. learned lessons from the man he’s in charge of in prison, who has every reason to grumble and to complain, but instead his heart is overflowing in thanksgiving.
Well, that’s a bit of a sad life, I know. back on course here with respect to the thanksgiving of Paul specifically, as he directs his thanksgiving toward the Philippians. He is thankful to God, he tells us in verse 3, that’s predictable enough, we know, to whom Paul is thankful. He says, I thank my God At verse five, he tells us why he is thankful. For what reasons? He is thankful because of the participation or the fellowship, or the poinonea—that’s some Greek word.
The participation, the fellowship of these Philippians in the gospel from the first day until now— we’ve written something about that, statemented it pretty well in our previous messages. The thing to keep in mind is what Paul is doing as he expresses this thanksgiving. It is a thanksgiving that brings the Philippians into view as they are looked upon by him as participants in his ministry.
This means exaltation for them. They are actually participating in his ministry and service. He looks at them that way. Now, you ask the question, why? Why does he express himself in these words, in this manner? He expresses himself in these words, in this manner, because his objective is to involve these Philistines with a sense of their own participation in his ministry, and thus demonstrate his own magnanimity, his own generosity with respect to them. He is so open-hearted that he is not selfishly holding on to his claims, his variety, his office, saying, I’m very careful, I’m the apostle, I hope they understand that, I hope they’ll recognize that, I hope they’ll give me my due in having this office. Not at all. He looks upon them addressably. as those who are participating directly in his ministry. Exaltation for them. This participation, this fellowship, is spelled out even more.
Verse 7 talks about how he has them in his heart. to toss about their participation with him in the grace that he has experienced during his imprisonment, during the defense and confirmation of the gospel which he has set forth before the Romans. There is a fellowship now, this union that exists between Paul and the Philippians, which he is spelling out. And not only so, as it is with regard to Paul, he has confidence with regard to what lies ahead of him, namely, the Lord himself speaks similarly with regard to the Philippians. I am confident of the very thing that he was together with working you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ, verse 6. So, as it is with the impartial soul of the Philippians, they in union with him, they share him in the very things that are true of respect to him.
Now, it all builds, it’s all conspiracy. Paul is using deliberate language here. He has a method in the whole thing. He has an objective. Such thanksgiving as he is expressing for these people precludes all selfishness, all jealousy, all envy, all murmuring, and all grumbling. The man is willing to share any benefit that comes to him with them. He isn’t saying, it’s mine, it’s not yours, you don’t have any part in it. Your place is to serve me, don’t you forget it. I’m the most important one here, isn’t it obvious?
So he’s thankful, he’s thankful. to God for these Philippians in such a way that the union that exists between him and them is made clear. The Philippians are having problems. They turn to the second chapter, the fourteenth verse, Paul has to chide them. He says, do all things without grumblings and disputings.
Why did he say that? Because there are grumblings and disputings, that’s why. People are at each other’s throats. Why? Because some think they’re better. Some aren’t willing to share. Some are very selfish. And when they don’t get what they want, or when they think that their life has been trespassed upon, what do they do? They grumble and they complain. It ain’t fair.
Turn to chapter four, verse two. I urge you, O Nebuchadnezzar, and I urge Siddiqui to live in harmony with the Lord. Obviously, they’re not giving you along. You might go further. It might be so bad that they can’t stand each other. You know, things do get like that in the church.
Well, we all know the answer to that problem in this day and age is to leave the church, don’t you? One of those events we go, right? Pack your bags, out the door. It’s awesome, isn’t it? I’m not leaving this. You’re not leaving me, are you? Why should you be leaving one of us? God’s not leaving you. He’s begun a good work in you. He’s going to complete it until the day of Christ. You’re not leaving God, are you? Then why would you be parting from one another over matters like jealousy, envy, This is one of those points where you want to say, great stuff. Great lessons. Great lessons. The depths of this man’s Thanksgiving.
You want early on, verses 9 through 11, don’t you? Well, maybe, maybe not. When we get there, verses 9 through 11, we’re face to face with a few surprises. I mean, if we pass over Paul’s salutations, They’re so perfunctory anyway, aren’t they? They all read the same, not much there. We get to one of his threads, and wait a minute. All this sounds like is a bunch of language with an overload of piety. The whole APSK series wanted me to pray for something significant. Sounds like a bunch of religious language heaping up here. passing in front of us to prove once more how religious he is.
First of all, note that, as we pointed out this morning, Paul’s prayer at this point is pointed, it is directed on behalf of us. He’s not praying for himself. Now, that is not to say that Paul doesn’t pray for himself. He does. But here at the forefront, in this prayer, as he gives expression, is his prayer for others.
In his prayer, he is being molded and shaped by Jesus Christ, who gives himself for others. You know how he puts it, verse 3 of chapter 2, do nothing from selfishness or empty discontentment, verse 3 rather of chapter 2, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this mind in you, which was also the Christ Jesus.
So he goes on. We know what follows. Paul is Christ-like in his prayers. Even in his prayers he is being conformed to the image of Christ. If you wish for help in your prayers, consider Jesus. He makes intercession now for you from heaven. Even now He is praying for us. Your prayers are in His hands.
But this prayer control has a limited purpose. And he started examining the content of her. He says, “‘And if I pray,’ verse 9, “‘that your loves may abound still more and more.’” He may be a bit put off by that. You might come up short with regard to it, with respect to it. You may ask the question, why can’t Paul pray about more practical matters?
I mean, I know how I pray. Even when I pray for others, I pray that they might get a job, they might go to a well-known school, they might work out. I pray that the economic matters may be resolved for them. They might have better health, they might be healed of diseases. That’s how I pray. When I pray for the Church, I pray in terms of numerics. You pray like that, God, give us a bigger Church, give us more people.
I don’t pray for increased love, I pray for increased amendment. But I know more matters means more money. And more money means I get paid better. And the better I’m paid, the better I feel. I feel like I did a success. I’ve achieved something. I’ve made it.
Come on, Paul, let’s get practical here. Let’s pray for some important things. We’re wasting away in jail there. Aren’t there some more practical things you can pray for in this particular situation? How about a release? Why doesn’t Paul’s prayer have done more work? However, this is to say that Paul isn’t concerned about the economic well-being of Philippians. But he’s not concerned about their health. He’s especially concerned about one Philippian’s health. You might recall Aphrodite’s.
It’s a driven guilt. If you come to visit Paul, you can read about it in the second chapter, the twenty-seventh verse. It says, “…for indeed, Epaphroditus was sick to the point of death, that God had mercy on him only, but also on me.” I think Paul was praying for Epaphroditus’ health, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. So yes, Paul concerns. about these common matters, these matters that concern us so much. But you might say even further, well, why doesn’t Paul pray like a number of those fellows, those figures in the Old Testament?
Want to hear a few of those prayers? to Deuteronomy, Chapter 1. Here you have, in verse 11, a prayer uttered. By Moses, may the Lord, the God of your father, entreat you a thousandfold more than you are and bless you just as he has promised you.” Get the drift of that prayer? Understand what Moses has in mind?
More Jews, more money. More wealth, more outward prosperity. Turn over to Psalm 115, the psalm we read this morning, or we sang at least. We sang the psalm this morning, Psalm 115. There’s language about bounding there. You want to hear what the psalmist wants to go down more and more in. Psalm 115. Verses 14 and 15.
May the Lord give you and increase you and your children. May you be blessed with the Lord, Maker of heaven and earth. What’s in line there for the psalmist? Is it not prosperity and plenty and abundance in this creation? Turn over to Psalm 144. verses 12 through 15.
Let our sons in their youth be as grown-up plants and our daughters as cornfields and sashings as poor cows. Let our gardens be full, furnishing every type of produce. Our crops bring forth thousands and tens of thousands in our fields. Let our cattle bear without mishap and without loss. Let there be no outcry at our streets. How blessed are the people who are so situated. How blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.”
Why doesn’t Paul pray like that? Well, the prayer is relative to the imperative. Want to know about the imperative? Look at verse 20 of chapter 3. Our citizenship is inherent of all things, from which also we eagerly wait a Savior. Lord Jesus Christ. Check what he says in verse 19 of chapter 4 in Philippians. And may God supply, and my God shall supply all your need according to the riches, to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Inform the Apostle Paul in his prayer.
If that transitions, as in you, when Jesus speaks, as He does in Matthew chapter 6, no one’s a traitor to the earth. Do you understand what it means for Jesus to say that to a bunch of Jews? Do not lay up to yourselves, traitors upon earth. Pardon, brothers, the hopes for Israel were traitors upon earth. That’s what it was all about, the land. Prosperity and plenty in the land. Jesus says, don’t lay up for yourselves treasures on earth. Lay up for yourselves treasures in hell. And in light of this inheritance that is in view now, that which the inheritance in the Old Testament could merely form.
Paul is no longer interested in success in the earth, but sanctification and service for the sake of heaven. He is no longer interested in success in the earth. He’s no longer interested in being a rich man. and having plenty of property, having his estate well guarded in a corner of the Mediterranean world.
What he is interested in is the sanctification and service for the saints of heaven. Paul’s primary concern, therefore, is as God’s primary concern. that we found decent fear and blameless in the day of promise, fitted for an eternal invitation, a dwelling place of the Father.” Paul requests that love may abound more and more. is in the interests of sanctification and service to the saint of heaven, the kingdom of heaven. And it has special force as it comes to have its impact upon these politicals. Because, you see, love is diminishing. It’s not abounding. It’s diminishing. It’s declining, not ascending. Oh, as we look out upon the Church and as we look to each other, may there be a priority in our prayers for the sanctification of all the saints, of which we are a part, that in us, as in Philippians, love may power more and more. Amen.
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