WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:01.679 Philippians chapter 1. 00:00:04.559 --> 00:00:05.679 Go ahead and turn there. 00:00:05.759 --> 00:00:09.439 We're continuing on this study through Philippians. 00:00:12.880 --> 00:00:14.320 Verses 9 to 11. 00:00:14.400 --> 00:00:15.359 That's the text for tonight. 00:00:15.519 --> 00:00:17.519 Philippians 1, 9 to 11. 00:00:18.480 --> 00:00:20.719 This is what God's word says. 00:00:21.359 --> 00:00:42.240 And I pray this that your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, so that you may approve the things that are superior, and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. 00:00:42.719 --> 00:00:44.000 Let's pray. 00:00:44.399 --> 00:01:00.240 Lord, what better prayer could we offer than to pray that our love would keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, that we would approve the things that are superior, that we would be pure, that we'd be blameless in the day of Jesus Christ. 00:01:00.399 --> 00:01:03.280 Oh God, fill us up with the fruit of righteousness. 00:01:03.520 --> 00:01:06.560 It's a fruit we know and acknowledge that comes through Jesus Christ. 00:01:06.640 --> 00:01:10.799 And we pray that we would do this all to your glory in Jesus' name. 00:01:11.040 --> 00:01:11.680 Amen. 00:01:12.959 --> 00:01:26.640 Robert Murray McShane was a Scottish minister in the 1800s, and he famously said, If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. 00:01:27.439 --> 00:01:29.920 Yet the distance makes no difference. 00:01:30.239 --> 00:01:31.920 He is praying for me. 00:01:32.799 --> 00:01:37.359 If you could hear Christ praying, that would bring encouragement to you. 00:01:37.599 --> 00:01:41.280 And the knowledge that he is praying for us should bring encouragement to us. 00:01:41.760 --> 00:01:43.760 It would bring instruction to. 00:01:44.560 --> 00:01:49.920 Even the disciples come to Jesus and they say, Lord, teach us to pray. 00:01:50.159 --> 00:01:53.040 And he gives them a pattern for prayer, the Lord's prayer. 00:01:54.239 --> 00:01:58.079 Well, we don't have an audio recording of the words of Jesus. 00:01:58.239 --> 00:02:05.120 We don't have an audio recording of the apostles' prayers as interesting as those would be. 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:09.919 The apostles, too, can teach us much about prayer. 00:02:10.719 --> 00:02:15.280 We do have written down prayers that they prayed. 00:02:15.360 --> 00:02:18.639 And we have one such prayer right here in Philippians chapter one. 00:02:18.879 --> 00:02:23.840 It's a prayer that Paul himself prays for the Philippian church. 00:02:24.159 --> 00:02:27.439 And we can learn a lot from this particular prayer. 00:02:27.759 --> 00:02:33.280 The title for the message tonight is Lessons from Paul's School of Prayer. 00:02:33.520 --> 00:02:36.159 I'm going to limit myself to five lessons. 00:02:36.400 --> 00:02:38.560 You can take more than that. 00:02:38.960 --> 00:02:44.479 And there's actually a number of Paul's prayers that are recorded throughout scripture, especially in the letters. 00:02:44.800 --> 00:02:52.240 My title is similar to a chapter in a book by someone who looks at a larger number of Paul's prayers. 00:02:52.400 --> 00:03:00.000 We're going to focus just on this prayer tonight from Philippians chapter 1, five lessons from Paul's prayer. 00:03:01.439 --> 00:03:03.439 Here's the first lesson. 00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:10.319 Three verses. 00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:17.439 I'm sure at times Paul said more than just these specific words for the Philippians. 00:03:17.759 --> 00:03:22.240 Perhaps he's summarizing some of the things he's prayed for them here. 00:03:22.960 --> 00:03:24.400 But those are speculations. 00:03:24.479 --> 00:03:27.360 The bottom line is Paul says, Hey, I've prayed for you. 00:03:27.520 --> 00:03:28.960 Here's what I've prayed. 00:03:29.360 --> 00:03:31.120 And it's pretty short. 00:03:32.159 --> 00:03:38.479 That's similar to Jesus' pattern Our Father in heaven, hallowed by thy name, and it goes on. 00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:41.599 It's a relatively short prayer. 00:03:43.919 --> 00:03:48.960 But Micah, what about pray without ceasing? 00:03:50.400 --> 00:03:53.439 I'm not saying that we should rarely ever pray. 00:03:53.680 --> 00:04:01.599 I'm saying when we pray for any particular group or person, it doesn't necessarily have to be a long prayer. 00:04:01.759 --> 00:04:04.479 We should have a spirit of prayerfulness about us throughout the day. 00:04:04.560 --> 00:04:06.319 We should want and desire that. 00:04:06.560 --> 00:04:16.560 But we shouldn't feel discouraged if we're not praying 15 minutes straight for New Hyde Park Baptist Church or the Cooney families as missionaries. 00:04:18.240 --> 00:04:23.040 But Micah what about when Jesus went and spent all night in prayer? 00:04:23.439 --> 00:04:25.040 It's a wonderful thing. 00:04:25.279 --> 00:04:27.120 That wasn't every night. 00:04:27.519 --> 00:04:31.199 So there's wonderful occasions when we can spend greater seasons in prayer. 00:04:31.279 --> 00:04:40.879 I'm not saying overlook those or minimize those, but don't minimize short, simple, scriptural prayers. 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:43.439 Matthew 6, 7, and 8. 00:04:43.600 --> 00:04:52.480 When you pray, don't babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they'll be heard for their many words. 00:04:53.439 --> 00:04:59.040 Don't be like them, because your father knows the things you need before you ask him. 00:05:00.639 --> 00:05:04.160 We're not trying to get God's attention or inform him. 00:05:04.639 --> 00:05:05.600 He knows. 00:05:13.279 --> 00:05:14.240 Nothing happens. 00:05:14.480 --> 00:05:24.720 And Elijah gets up and prays, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known today that you're God in Israel, and I am your servant, and that your word I've done all these things. 00:05:24.879 --> 00:05:30.879 Answer me, Lord, answer so that the people will know that you're God and you've turned their hearts back. 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:33.839 And then fire falls down from heaven. 00:05:35.759 --> 00:05:38.399 It's the power of the person we're praying to. 00:05:38.480 --> 00:05:41.839 It's not the length of our own prayers. 00:05:42.160 --> 00:05:54.480 Some of you might be a little hesitant about praying on Sunday night or Wednesday night or even to come on Wednesday night because, well, I just can't pray a long, eloquent prayer. 00:05:54.800 --> 00:05:55.360 Don't. 00:05:55.600 --> 00:05:57.439 Pray a short, heartfelt prayer. 00:05:58.160 --> 00:06:04.160 Lesson number two, we should pray for churches and not merely for individuals. 00:06:04.399 --> 00:06:06.879 Who is Paul praying for here in these verses? 00:06:07.199 --> 00:06:15.920 Verse 9, he speaks of your love and that in verse 10, you may approve what is superior. 00:06:16.480 --> 00:06:21.120 It's not a letter for the saints, uh, for Timothy as an individual. 00:06:21.279 --> 00:06:27.600 It's for the saints at Philippi, verse 1, together with the overseers and deacons. 00:06:27.680 --> 00:06:30.079 He's praying for the church. 00:06:31.040 --> 00:06:38.319 When Allie was back visiting with us from Texas, she came into Audrey's house and she said, Hey, y'all. 00:06:38.879 --> 00:06:41.600 And we said, Boy, Texas has got a hold of you. 00:06:41.839 --> 00:06:43.279 She said, Oh, oh, sorry. 00:06:43.519 --> 00:06:45.120 Hey, you guys. 00:06:47.120 --> 00:06:49.360 Paul is praying for y'all. 00:06:49.600 --> 00:06:53.600 Paul is praying for you guys here in this passage. 00:06:54.480 --> 00:07:03.199 So, how often do you find yourself praying for groups of Christians, especially for churches? 00:07:04.560 --> 00:07:10.399 We live in a very, very individualistic society that has some benefits. 00:07:11.439 --> 00:07:14.720 Why are food courts and diners so popular? 00:07:15.199 --> 00:07:19.759 In part because you can go and people can get whatever they want. 00:07:20.639 --> 00:07:22.879 Doesn't work that way at the family dinner table. 00:07:23.040 --> 00:07:25.120 At least it didn't used to work that way. 00:07:26.959 --> 00:07:36.959 One of the challenges of the society we live in is that we're not as used to caring for groups of people and praying for groups of people. 00:07:37.199 --> 00:07:48.399 I go to a pastor's fellowship, and one of the great things about that fellowship is usually at some point we kind of go around the room and ask the question, how can we pray for your church? 00:07:48.800 --> 00:07:50.560 I love that question. 00:07:50.879 --> 00:07:59.920 It's not uncommon for me to get an email or a text message from an administrator or another pastor here in the area. 00:08:00.160 --> 00:08:04.079 Hey, how can we pray for your church this coming Sunday? 00:08:04.639 --> 00:08:07.279 Other churches are praying for our church. 00:08:07.439 --> 00:08:08.319 That's incredible. 00:08:08.480 --> 00:08:09.759 What a blessing. 00:08:10.560 --> 00:08:17.120 So when we think about missionaries, yes, let's pray for individual families like the Coonis or the Wissies. 00:08:17.439 --> 00:08:26.319 But let's also pray that the Sola Fide Home Fellowship that the Coonis are working with would blossom into a multiplying church. 00:08:26.480 --> 00:08:38.000 Let's pray for the Whisies that wherever God lands them, they'd be able to help build up or establish a healthy church for the glory of God by God's grace. 00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:41.360 Our prayers don't have to be long. 00:08:41.679 --> 00:08:44.320 We should pray for churches and not merely individuals. 00:08:44.480 --> 00:08:46.000 Lesson number three. 00:08:46.480 --> 00:08:50.240 We should pray that Christian love would keep growing. 00:08:51.279 --> 00:08:53.919 That's how Paul starts the prayer in verse number nine. 00:08:54.000 --> 00:08:55.279 You can look there again. 00:08:55.519 --> 00:09:02.960 I pray this, that your love will keep on growing. 00:09:04.960 --> 00:09:07.279 That sounds like kind of a, well, duh. 00:09:07.759 --> 00:09:10.240 I mean, love is pretty important by this. 00:09:10.320 --> 00:09:13.919 All people will know that you're my disciples by the way that you love one another. 00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:21.039 Isn't that kind of obvious that we should pray that Christians would love each other and that that love would grow in in churches? 00:09:22.000 --> 00:09:24.480 It's obvious, but it's always needed. 00:09:25.759 --> 00:09:28.799 Look around our world. 00:09:29.840 --> 00:09:31.840 Even look within churches. 00:09:32.639 --> 00:09:35.759 The world could use more Christian love. 00:09:36.799 --> 00:09:38.879 Churches could use more Christian love. 00:09:38.960 --> 00:09:40.960 There's never enough of that. 00:09:41.120 --> 00:09:43.840 So we want to keep praying that it would grow. 00:09:44.080 --> 00:09:53.840 Now, as we pray for this growing love, there's two very important guideposts that Paul puts on this particular prayer. 00:09:54.000 --> 00:09:56.799 You can see those at the end of verse number nine. 00:09:58.000 --> 00:10:07.120 That your love will keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment. 00:10:08.720 --> 00:10:12.960 Love that's untethered to God's truth is not really love. 00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:28.320 Carson puts it this way: without the constraints of knowledge and insight, love very easily degenerates into mockish sentimentality or into the kind of mushy pluralism the world often confuses with love. 00:10:29.360 --> 00:10:32.080 These constraints do not stifle love. 00:10:32.320 --> 00:10:36.559 Far from it, they ensure its purity and value. 00:10:38.080 --> 00:10:54.240 So we're not just praying for a vague, more positive feeling, although we want our whole mind, heart, soul, and strength to be engaged in loving others, but we're praying particularly that love would grow, that it'd be a growing love in knowledge. 00:10:55.600 --> 00:10:58.879 Sometimes those two things are pitted against each other. 00:11:00.399 --> 00:11:02.639 Well, we don't really need more knowledge. 00:11:02.720 --> 00:11:03.679 We just need more love. 00:11:03.919 --> 00:11:06.240 No, that's not what Paul says here. 00:11:06.559 --> 00:11:10.960 He says we need a love that's a growing love in knowledge. 00:11:11.120 --> 00:11:21.919 We need a love that understands and embraces from a personal way and from our hearts who the Lord is, that we know him, and all the truth of his word that he's given us. 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:28.879 It's all good, it's all glorious, and all that knowledge is fuel that will help our love grow more for him and for others. 00:11:31.440 --> 00:11:40.559 When's the last time you heard someone pray for New Hyde Park Baptist Church that our love would keep growing in knowledge? 00:11:44.320 --> 00:11:49.360 Is it because we could be tempted to think, well, we we pretty much have all the knowledge we need. 00:11:49.600 --> 00:11:52.480 We could use a little more, but we we've got that covered. 00:11:53.279 --> 00:12:02.879 If that's the case, let's confess our pride and pray for humility and then pray that our love would grow more and more in knowledge. 00:12:04.080 --> 00:12:14.480 The other guidepost that Paul puts out here for increasing love is that it would be a love not only that's growing in knowledge, but also a love in discernment. 00:12:15.120 --> 00:12:21.759 You might be looking at a Bible tonight that says depth of insight there at the end of verse 9, that second guidepost. 00:12:22.320 --> 00:12:23.919 A discerning love. 00:12:24.799 --> 00:12:31.440 Sometimes online you'll see different ministries that label themselves discernment ministries. 00:12:31.679 --> 00:12:33.200 You ever run into that online? 00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:38.879 Generally speaking, you should avoid them because they're not very discerning. 00:12:39.600 --> 00:12:41.759 Just as an FYI. 00:12:43.440 --> 00:12:54.159 Usually what they're doing is they're they're gonna want to convince you that every public Christian you know is secretly a wolf in sheep's clothing, or every notable church is just actually a den of iniquity. 00:12:55.039 --> 00:13:00.320 And it's at best, it's kind of it can be nitpicking. 00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:02.799 At worst, it can be actually slanderous. 00:13:02.960 --> 00:13:12.559 You're jumping to conclusions about motives or behaviors or associations without that much information, without that much knowledge. 00:13:13.679 --> 00:13:21.440 And is the goal love, or is the goal just to kind of be the Christian alternative of a world's cancel culture? 00:13:21.919 --> 00:13:23.120 The goal is love. 00:13:24.559 --> 00:13:32.159 And another note: if you run into a Christian individual that says, God's really given me the gift of discernment, they probably don't have it. 00:13:32.559 --> 00:13:41.840 Um but you can help them, be kind to them, uh, be patient with them, and hopefully you can help them see and know scripture even better. 00:13:43.200 --> 00:13:51.840 A growing love is a discerning love, so it doesn't rush to believe everything that calls itself discerning, but we do need discernment. 00:13:52.240 --> 00:13:53.679 It says so right here. 00:13:53.919 --> 00:14:01.039 We need a love that clearly and carefully distinguishes right from wrong. 00:14:01.600 --> 00:14:06.960 A similar word to the word that's used here in verse 9 is used in Hebrews 5.14. 00:14:07.120 --> 00:14:16.879 That passage reads, solid food is for the mature, for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil. 00:14:17.919 --> 00:14:23.600 That's a lot broader than just this novel has some bad words in it. 00:14:23.679 --> 00:14:25.840 I need discernment whether I should read it or not. 00:14:26.320 --> 00:14:28.240 It's much broader than that. 00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:31.440 It's all-encompassing all of life. 00:14:31.679 --> 00:14:46.480 Lord, I want to know what's right and wrong in your eyes, and I want to love and celebrate those things and avoid whatever's not good and righteous and lovely and all those words in your eyes. 00:14:48.960 --> 00:14:50.480 Pray for a growing love. 00:14:51.039 --> 00:14:52.000 Fourth lesson. 00:14:52.159 --> 00:14:52.960 Four out of five. 00:14:53.120 --> 00:14:54.399 So that we do five lessons. 00:14:54.480 --> 00:14:55.600 Here's the fourth one. 00:14:57.600 --> 00:15:02.480 We should pray with the end in view. 00:15:03.679 --> 00:15:05.120 Let me say that again. 00:15:05.360 --> 00:15:08.960 We should pray with the end in view. 00:15:10.320 --> 00:15:11.600 Verse 10. 00:15:13.519 --> 00:15:28.399 So that praying for this growing love, so that you may approve the things that are superior and may be pure and blameless in the day of Christ. 00:15:30.240 --> 00:15:33.440 The day of Christ there refers to the second coming of the Lord Jesus. 00:15:33.519 --> 00:15:35.279 That's a common theme in the Bible. 00:15:35.519 --> 00:15:37.440 Live with the end in view. 00:15:37.600 --> 00:15:38.960 1 Corinthians 1 8. 00:15:39.039 --> 00:15:44.799 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 00:15:44.960 --> 00:15:51.519 1 Thessalonians 5.2, you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 00:15:51.840 --> 00:15:55.200 Let us stay awake and be self-controlled. 00:15:56.799 --> 00:16:15.519 So if we're praying with the end in view, the end of history, the final wrapping up of all of God's purposes, to bring in the sermon from this morning, this day of the Lord that has come, and that yet in another sense will come climactically and finally. 00:16:15.759 --> 00:16:25.759 If we've got the end in view, we're gonna want to pray for churches to approve things that are superior, as verse 10 says. 00:16:25.919 --> 00:16:28.559 That's that's the Christian Standard Bible, the Pew Bible. 00:16:28.720 --> 00:16:33.840 Yours might say to approve what is best or to approve what is excellent. 00:16:36.320 --> 00:16:44.960 If you know eternity is rushing in on you, don't you want to live for what's the best thing you could live for? 00:16:45.440 --> 00:16:53.519 Again, it's a very sensible prayer, but it needs to be lived out and prayed out in light of what's coming. 00:16:54.639 --> 00:16:58.399 So, how can we pray to approve what is superior? 00:16:59.440 --> 00:17:01.039 What does that look like? 00:17:02.080 --> 00:17:09.200 Lord, help Crossbridge to understand that Chick-fil-A chicken sandwiches are better than McDonald's chicken sandwiches. 00:17:09.519 --> 00:17:10.720 They're far superior. 00:17:10.960 --> 00:17:12.000 No, that's obvious. 00:17:12.079 --> 00:17:13.119 You don't have to pray for that. 00:17:13.440 --> 00:17:15.279 Pray for more important things. 00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:23.039 There's an example of the kind of thing that Paul is talking about right here in this very letter. 00:17:23.119 --> 00:17:25.279 So flip over to Philippians 3. 00:17:27.440 --> 00:17:31.039 Not gonna do a sermon on this passage, it's coming later. 00:17:31.200 --> 00:17:40.240 But I do want you to see this because Paul's gonna elaborate on the excellent things, superior things, the what is best kind of things. 00:17:40.559 --> 00:17:42.720 Verse 7 of chapter 3. 00:17:44.559 --> 00:17:51.279 Everything that was a gain to me, I have considered to be a loss because of Christ. 00:17:53.200 --> 00:18:06.400 More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. 00:18:07.599 --> 00:18:13.759 There's one thing of surpassing value, you can always pray that they would know Christ more. 00:18:14.160 --> 00:18:30.960 Paul goes on, because of him I've suffered the loss of all things, and consider them as dung, that I might gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 00:18:31.440 --> 00:18:43.839 My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead. 00:18:44.160 --> 00:18:52.160 There's the end in view, the resurrection from among the dead, and all the while he's got the surpassing value knowing Christ more. 00:18:53.759 --> 00:18:59.440 So we can pray for other churches and for our own church and for Christian organizations. 00:19:00.079 --> 00:19:06.079 Help us to have this grasp of the surpassing value of Christ and who he is. 00:19:08.079 --> 00:19:16.240 Paul suffered and he found Christ to be of inestimable value amidst his suffering. 00:19:17.440 --> 00:19:28.000 We're not praying for people to suffer more, but we're praying for them to have a kind of experience and mindset in their suffering. 00:19:28.720 --> 00:19:36.880 So think about how we pray for suffering churches, and even we could say this applies to individual prayers. 00:19:37.039 --> 00:19:39.519 How do you pray for suffering individuals? 00:19:41.119 --> 00:19:48.799 It's fine, it's kind, it's right to pray that they would be healed. 00:19:50.000 --> 00:20:04.799 But if 95 plus percent of our prayers are merely, Lord, heal this person who's gotten a bad diagnosis, heal this person in the hospital, Lord, this church is going through some hard times, you know, bind them up, heal them. 00:20:05.759 --> 00:20:11.039 If that's all that we're praying, we're not capturing Paul's full heart of prayer. 00:20:12.240 --> 00:20:18.720 We pray that they'd be able to say, amidst their suffering, I know something about fellowship with Christ. 00:20:18.960 --> 00:20:28.640 And I have a resurrection power that's at work in me, that's sustaining me, and I have a vision of Christ and a relationship with him that's carrying me through this. 00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:35.759 That's what we want to grow and flourish, along with whatever physical healing the Lord may bring into their lives. 00:20:37.599 --> 00:20:40.319 Let me switch to a different arena of application. 00:20:40.640 --> 00:20:45.359 Jesus says, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 00:21:09.680 --> 00:21:19.119 The verse here additionally speaks of being pure and being blameless in the day of Christ. 00:21:19.599 --> 00:21:28.079 Again, that there's the goal in mind, but what's beautiful here in part is that Paul's not demanding perfection right now. 00:21:29.359 --> 00:21:40.079 That's not to say he's excusing sin at all, but he's praying with the end in view and wanting Christians to progress towards that end. 00:21:41.039 --> 00:21:43.359 Pray with the end in view. 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:48.960 2 Peter 3 The day of the Lord will come like a thief. 00:21:49.599 --> 00:21:59.599 On that day, the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed. 00:22:01.359 --> 00:22:08.640 Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of people should you be in holy conduct and godliness as you wait for the day of God? 00:22:08.880 --> 00:22:14.880 Based on his promise, we wait for a new heavens and a new earth where righteousness dwells. 00:22:16.240 --> 00:22:19.119 That brings us right into the final lesson. 00:22:19.359 --> 00:22:22.559 Lesson number five from Paul's School of Prayer. 00:22:22.880 --> 00:22:28.319 We should pray that righteous lives will bring glory to God through Christ. 00:22:28.559 --> 00:22:36.000 Right from verse number 11, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. 00:22:37.839 --> 00:22:39.519 Pray for our church. 00:22:39.839 --> 00:22:42.559 Pray for North Shore Baptist Church. 00:22:42.799 --> 00:22:44.799 Pray for Beacon Church. 00:22:44.960 --> 00:22:46.960 Pray for West Hills Baptist Church. 00:22:47.039 --> 00:22:52.960 Pray for other churches that they would be filled with the fruit of righteousness. 00:22:53.519 --> 00:22:57.119 Does that sound kind of pious or overly self-righteous? 00:22:57.200 --> 00:22:58.640 It's Paul's prayer. 00:22:59.039 --> 00:23:02.720 Can't be wrong, provided it comes from a good heart. 00:23:05.359 --> 00:23:08.160 How often do you get a letter from a Christian organization? 00:23:09.039 --> 00:23:14.400 And it says, pray for us coming up in 2026. 00:23:14.880 --> 00:23:16.960 We'd love to have a larger influence. 00:23:17.039 --> 00:23:18.880 We want our ministry to expand. 00:23:19.200 --> 00:23:22.160 Pray for us as we're making staffing decisions. 00:23:22.400 --> 00:23:27.680 Pray for us as we try to hit our goal of$2.3 million by the year 2030. 00:23:28.559 --> 00:23:30.799 Those aren't wrong prayers. 00:23:31.039 --> 00:23:41.440 But you ever get a letter from an organization, missions organization, camp, Christian camp, and they say, pray for us that this year we'd be filled with the fruit of righteousness. 00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:43.920 Would that be a letdown? 00:23:44.240 --> 00:23:45.119 I hope not. 00:23:45.279 --> 00:24:02.160 It's the kind of thing that desperately is needed in prayer and in churches and organizations everywhere, the fruit of righteousness, lives that are more and more and hearts aligning with God and his purposes, his heart, our heart, his mind, our mind. 00:24:02.319 --> 00:24:08.000 We want those things lined up in these morally beautiful and compelling ways. 00:24:10.160 --> 00:24:15.440 There's one other place in the Bible that mentions the fruit of righteousness. 00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:17.680 You don't have to turn there, but I'll read it for you. 00:24:17.839 --> 00:24:21.519 James 3, verses 17 and 18. 00:24:22.160 --> 00:24:34.000 The wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense. 00:24:34.720 --> 00:24:43.680 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace. 00:24:45.119 --> 00:24:45.920 Pray that. 00:24:46.720 --> 00:24:47.359 Pray that. 00:24:47.599 --> 00:24:49.279 Pray that for one another. 00:24:51.039 --> 00:24:56.319 The ultimate reason that God's doing this is that he would receive glory. 00:24:57.920 --> 00:25:04.240 The works of the flesh contrast with the fruit of the spirit. 00:25:04.720 --> 00:25:08.240 It's supernaturally produced by God. 00:25:09.759 --> 00:25:17.359 And so if it's supernaturally produced by God, where else can we go but to God to ask Him to do it? 00:25:20.319 --> 00:25:25.759 The ultimate test, one writer says, is the test of our motives. 00:25:27.920 --> 00:25:42.960 Our prayers reveal more and more whether the grand central hub of our lives is ourselves, or whether it's God. 00:25:44.559 --> 00:25:57.200 So we pray that God's glory would increase, that his fame would increase in this church, in that church, and the churches that everywhere name the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:25:57.519 --> 00:26:03.039 And that's where this prayer of Paul actually comes full circle with the Lord's Prayer. 00:26:03.359 --> 00:26:14.079 When the disciples say, Teach us to pray, Jesus begins, our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 00:26:14.640 --> 00:26:17.920 May your name be set apart as holy. 00:26:19.119 --> 00:26:24.400 The devotion of your glory, would that be the first thing that headlines our prayers? 00:26:24.480 --> 00:26:27.599 This is how Paul ends this particular prayer. 00:26:27.920 --> 00:26:33.599 It's coming through Jesus Christ, but it's multiplying to the glory of God. 00:26:36.079 --> 00:26:49.839 That love that we have for others, part of the prayer, growing love, it's going to be growing horizontally to the extent that it grows vertically to God. 00:26:50.640 --> 00:26:53.839 That's the source and supply of the love. 00:26:54.319 --> 00:27:02.240 And it goes back to him that he might receive glory, that others might be compelled to say, I want that love for the Lord. 00:27:02.400 --> 00:27:04.880 I want that kind of a growing love for his people. 00:27:05.440 --> 00:27:07.920 And we love him because he first loved us. 00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:17.519 When we gather on Sunday, we don't want to be a Tower of Babel church. 00:27:17.839 --> 00:27:19.039 You know what I mean by that? 00:27:19.200 --> 00:27:22.160 They wanted to make a name for themselves. 00:27:22.960 --> 00:27:25.359 It can happen in kind of subtle ways. 00:27:25.599 --> 00:27:26.960 Hey, welcome to our church. 00:27:27.039 --> 00:27:28.240 Hopefully you met our great ushers. 00:27:28.400 --> 00:27:31.599 You're about to hear from our great band, then you're going to hear from our great pastor. 00:27:32.240 --> 00:27:41.599 Yes, I mean, we're we're thankful for all those things, but we're gathering because we want people to hear about our great God. 00:27:42.720 --> 00:27:57.599 We want him to have the spotlight because he's the one that satisfies far more than any one other thing, individual idea, plan, or purpose or program in a church. 00:27:59.519 --> 00:28:01.359 So that's what we pray about. 00:28:02.000 --> 00:28:08.960 I'm going to close us once again with this prayer from Philippians chapter one for our church. 00:28:09.119 --> 00:28:11.680 I'd invite you in your own hearts, pray along. 00:28:11.839 --> 00:28:16.720 Hopefully, you can say amen to this short and beautiful prayer. 00:28:23.759 --> 00:28:25.680 Lord, how we thank you. 00:28:26.400 --> 00:28:54.000 And we're praying this that our love as a church would keep on growing in knowledge and every kind of discernment, that we would approve things that are superior, that we would be blameless and pure in the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to your glory and praise. 00:28:54.799 --> 00:28:55.440 Amen.