WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:04.400 Let's get our Bibles open to Philippians chapter 1. 00:00:04.799 --> 00:00:08.800 We're gonna be looking at uh verses 3 to 6 today. 00:00:08.880 --> 00:00:16.399 And uh as you get kind of flipped over there and situated and phones open to those apps and you know, paper Bible if you've got that. 00:00:16.559 --> 00:00:26.879 Uh one of my uh kids' uh favorite pastimes is to uh ruthlessly make fun of uh the old dad bud. 00:00:27.760 --> 00:00:28.000 Right? 00:00:28.239 --> 00:00:36.320 My kids love doing that, and uh it's not very often, obviously, uh, that I get downstairs to do like a home workout, hence the dad bod, right? 00:00:36.479 --> 00:00:48.479 But uh whenever I would do that, my kids would sometimes come downstairs and uh they would come and they would watch, and you would think, well, maybe it's to like you know inspire and cheer on their dad and you know encourage me and all of that. 00:00:48.640 --> 00:00:50.240 But but no, right? 00:00:50.320 --> 00:01:01.520 It's to watch and point and laugh and to look at all the things kind of you know, jiggling in place and the soft marshmallowness uh that's been there uh to move. 00:01:01.600 --> 00:01:04.000 I mean, it was even just like this weight, uh just this week. 00:01:04.159 --> 00:01:08.159 We had some friends over and uh I was sitting on the couch, and it was, you know, it's been a hot week, sort of, right? 00:01:08.239 --> 00:01:19.359 So I was wearing shorts, and my uh my son was sitting beside me playing with like an incredible Hulk like action figure, and he was using like my thigh as like a springy, mushy launch pad to jump. 00:01:19.439 --> 00:01:21.760 And I'm sitting there talking, I'm like, unbelievable. 00:01:21.920 --> 00:01:23.840 Like, what do you gotta do to earn some respect, right? 00:01:23.920 --> 00:01:24.400 You feel that? 00:01:24.480 --> 00:01:30.879 I know some some dad's gotta be feeling that for sure and agreeing with me that that is probably your life as well. 00:01:31.040 --> 00:01:32.959 Now, kids, right? 00:01:33.120 --> 00:01:35.359 Kids can be phenomenal motivators. 00:01:35.519 --> 00:01:39.439 All right, they can encourage you to get on an exercise program through stuff like that. 00:01:39.599 --> 00:01:43.920 You know, they can encourage you to lay off the chips after 10 p.m. 00:01:44.239 --> 00:01:51.760 Okay, but something, maybe one area where they are sorely lacking is in the area of encouragement. 00:01:51.920 --> 00:01:52.159 Right? 00:01:52.319 --> 00:01:53.120 Encouragement. 00:01:53.359 --> 00:02:06.000 Now, any and all humorous side, uh, don't you, or maybe you have sensed before at church, hopefully not here, but maybe you have sensed, you know, in your experience in church life, uh, that church can be a lot like that. 00:02:06.239 --> 00:02:06.480 Right? 00:02:06.640 --> 00:02:11.759 It can be a place where you know encouragement is in some ways uh kind of lacking. 00:02:11.919 --> 00:02:36.960 You know, we we can become a community very easily where instead of encouragement reigning, we're not encouraging one another in the Lord, instead, we know we lean towards nitpicking each other, you know, and kind of you know, poking at each other, dragging each other down and getting downright uh critical, which uh of course ends up creating a culture that no one wants to be a part of. 00:02:37.120 --> 00:02:46.319 You know, it's not a culture that's sweet, it's not a culture that's in any way enjoyable, and it's certainly not a culture uh that would in any way please the Lord. 00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:46.879 Right? 00:02:47.039 --> 00:02:49.759 But what if what if the church was different? 00:02:49.919 --> 00:02:50.240 Right? 00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:52.000 What if we what if we came to church? 00:02:52.159 --> 00:03:14.800 What if we were a church, or what if a church existed where that kind of thing wasn't happening, where where discouraged and and downcast and dejected people came and found the the hope, the support, the the inspiration that they that they and we so so crave in our souls. 00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:25.680 Now, what if there was a place where truly godly and and and and biblical encouragement was was offered and then received mutually, right? 00:03:25.840 --> 00:03:30.960 Where we were we were offering that to others and then receiving that, and it was kind of going both ways. 00:03:31.199 --> 00:03:34.560 I mean, can you imagine what the relationships would be like if we all bought into that? 00:03:34.719 --> 00:03:44.639 We were all going after that and encouraging one another well, if that if that permeated the culture and just became part of like who we are and how we operate it, I mean it'd be unreal. 00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:46.400 It'd be incredible. 00:03:46.800 --> 00:03:50.800 Well, it's exactly the kind of thing that the Lord wants to build in his church. 00:03:51.039 --> 00:03:53.280 It's exactly what the scriptures talk about. 00:03:53.360 --> 00:04:00.960 It's all part of the uncommon community that we've been talking about over the last you know five or six weeks or so uh in our series. 00:04:01.039 --> 00:04:06.240 It's the kind of thing that the Lord is working to create here among uh all of us. 00:04:06.639 --> 00:04:06.960 Right? 00:04:07.039 --> 00:04:08.400 It's pretty, pretty key. 00:04:08.560 --> 00:04:20.160 Now, the apostle Paul he he wrote to his churches that he had a big part in you know planting and and seeing them get off the ground, and he wrote them and he encouraged them to be encouraging to each other. 00:04:20.399 --> 00:04:23.519 And so we're gonna look at one of those passages today, and we're gonna see how he does this. 00:04:23.680 --> 00:04:26.079 Hopefully, you guys are in Philippians chapter one. 00:04:26.399 --> 00:04:28.639 We're gonna look at verses three to six. 00:04:28.879 --> 00:04:29.839 Follow along with me. 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:30.480 He says this. 00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:42.319 He says, I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all, making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 00:04:42.720 --> 00:04:51.360 And I am sure of this that he who began a work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 00:04:51.759 --> 00:04:52.639 Let's pray. 00:04:55.519 --> 00:05:10.560 Lord, we I think on some level of our hearts, whether we can maybe verbalize it or or even understand it, long for uh long to be a part of a community where we would come and be encouraged. 00:05:10.879 --> 00:05:18.879 Lord, would people where people would rally around us and spur us on to greater faith, greater maturity in Christ Jesus? 00:05:19.120 --> 00:05:24.560 Lord, I pray that you would build that, you would develop that, you would grow that here at Harvest. 00:05:24.720 --> 00:05:28.480 Lord, would you start with each one of us here as individuals? 00:05:29.120 --> 00:05:31.600 Lord, would you bring conviction where we maybe need it? 00:05:31.759 --> 00:05:35.680 Would you just would you encourage us to be encouragers, Lord? 00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:38.160 Lord, I pray that our relationships would grow. 00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:53.040 I pray that we would grow in transparency and vulnerability with each other and talk about the things that are really on our hearts, the thing that are the things that are really challenging to us, and I pray that we would find hope through you, Lord, but you use the people of God to bring hope. 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:56.399 And so I pray, Lord, that you would do that through this church. 00:05:56.560 --> 00:05:59.360 Lord, I'm so so grateful for each person here, Lord. 00:05:59.439 --> 00:06:01.759 I love that you were already building this, you were already doing this. 00:06:01.839 --> 00:06:03.920 We're not, I don't think we're starting at ground zero here. 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:07.839 You have already been um developing this and growing this in us. 00:06:07.920 --> 00:06:09.439 So, Lord, would you continue to do it, Lord? 00:06:09.519 --> 00:06:10.240 That's what we want to see. 00:06:10.319 --> 00:06:14.959 We want to see you do far more, far more than we could ever think, we could ever ask, we've ever seen. 00:06:15.120 --> 00:06:16.000 Lord, do it here. 00:06:16.079 --> 00:06:16.800 Would you do that, Lord? 00:06:16.879 --> 00:06:18.959 It's by your mercy and by your grace. 00:06:19.199 --> 00:06:21.600 We pray all this in Jesus' name. 00:06:21.920 --> 00:06:22.560 Amen. 00:06:23.199 --> 00:06:23.600 Amen. 00:06:23.759 --> 00:06:26.000 Well, it's definitely true, I think you'd probably agree with me. 00:06:26.079 --> 00:06:33.199 It's definitely true that that some people, you know, um, you know, probably need more encouragement than others. 00:06:33.360 --> 00:06:42.399 Maybe that has to do with, you know, just you're maybe new in the faith and you're trying to figure a lot of things out and it feels kind of overwhelming at times, or you know, you're going through really challenging times. 00:06:42.480 --> 00:06:48.480 It's like a severe trial or difficulty that you're kind of experiencing right now, and you're like, I need more encouragement. 00:06:48.639 --> 00:06:49.920 You know, and that's that's true. 00:06:50.079 --> 00:06:51.439 Some people definitely need more of it. 00:06:51.519 --> 00:07:00.720 And you know, on the other side of it, it's probably true that some of us are maybe you know more gifted or it comes more naturally to us to be encouragers, right? 00:07:00.800 --> 00:07:11.199 And we kind of naturally encourage people as we you know kind of get to know them and find out where they are, and we find that you know we're able to give them that that boost uh that they need. 00:07:11.600 --> 00:07:22.399 Okay, but regardless, regardless whether some are you know more needy or some are able to give that or not give that as much, um the reality is that we're we're all to be encouragers. 00:07:22.560 --> 00:07:22.720 Right? 00:07:22.879 --> 00:07:26.160 That's what the body of Christ does, that's what the church is. 00:07:26.319 --> 00:07:40.240 We we mutually encourage one another as we again pro uh proceed through our relationship with Jesus Christ in a you know in a broken and and hurting and dying uh world. 00:07:40.560 --> 00:07:40.720 Right? 00:07:40.879 --> 00:07:42.879 And so that's what that's what we're supposed to be. 00:07:42.959 --> 00:07:45.360 None of us are off the hook about any of this. 00:07:45.439 --> 00:07:55.839 So it's not it's not okay to say, well, you know, I'm I'm not naturally much of a people person, or you know, this doesn't come very easily to me, and it comes really easy for that person or the person beside me or whatever. 00:07:55.920 --> 00:08:01.759 So I'm gonna let them do all the encouraging, and you know, I'll be the one who you know points out all the things that need to be fixed. 00:08:01.920 --> 00:08:02.240 Right? 00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:17.519 And and some people kind of, you know, they love that and they'll take that instead of being the encourager, I feel like you know, they feel like maybe it's their job to be like the voice of the Holy Spirit, and you know, let's let's whip some people into shape here, and you know, that's that's not, we don't want to go too heavy with all of that, right? 00:08:17.759 --> 00:08:20.480 We need to be we need to be encouragers here. 00:08:20.720 --> 00:08:22.079 We're all supposed to do it. 00:08:22.160 --> 00:08:34.080 And and in fact, you'll notice here as we we work through these four verses uh just this morning, you'll notice as as Paul writes this, he he he both he both encourages the church, right? 00:08:34.159 --> 00:08:36.720 And he talks about how they have encouraged him. 00:08:36.960 --> 00:08:37.840 They've encouraged him. 00:08:37.919 --> 00:08:41.600 And so you see it going back and forth uh there. 00:08:41.679 --> 00:08:43.200 It's all very mutual. 00:08:43.360 --> 00:08:46.960 All right, so I can encourage in profound ways. 00:08:47.120 --> 00:08:48.639 That's what we're talking about here this morning. 00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:49.600 Do you believe that? 00:08:49.759 --> 00:08:51.200 Do you believe that that can be you? 00:08:51.440 --> 00:09:04.720 You can encourage people, you can you can be the hope, you can provide hope from the Lord uh for a person as they are struggling, as they are in need, you can be an agent of their growth in him. 00:09:05.200 --> 00:09:06.639 Do you realize that you can do this? 00:09:06.879 --> 00:09:08.399 Profound, profound ways. 00:09:08.639 --> 00:09:10.320 Okay, so here's the first thing. 00:09:10.559 --> 00:09:13.679 I can do that when I'm genuinely thankful for the people here. 00:09:13.840 --> 00:09:14.879 I'm genuinely thankful. 00:09:14.960 --> 00:09:16.080 I mean, take a look at verse 3. 00:09:16.159 --> 00:09:17.519 You see it come out pretty clearly here. 00:09:17.679 --> 00:09:21.519 He says this is I thank my God in all my remembrance of you. 00:09:21.840 --> 00:09:26.559 Okay, so gratitude, that is a theme that we see all throughout Paul's epistles. 00:09:26.720 --> 00:09:26.960 Right? 00:09:27.039 --> 00:09:31.279 All throughout, as he's right, you look at uh Thessalonians, for example, a great example. 00:09:31.360 --> 00:09:33.919 He's constantly reminding the people to be thankful, right? 00:09:34.000 --> 00:09:37.759 And he himself uh is filled with gratitude. 00:09:38.080 --> 00:09:44.639 He's filled with gratitude for the people themselves, these people that he has labored with uh in ministry. 00:09:44.799 --> 00:09:49.200 He he is and he sees himself, and they would have seen him as like a spiritual father to them. 00:09:49.360 --> 00:09:55.440 He has he has helped them, you know, so much, you know, as they got this church started. 00:09:55.519 --> 00:09:59.200 And and you know, he was probably, you know, it says that that he was remembering them. 00:09:59.360 --> 00:10:06.720 And so he was thinking back on all the experiences that they had had together and the different individuals that he would have known. 00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:10.240 Now he probably would have been thinking about a woman named Lydia. 00:10:10.480 --> 00:10:11.600 Is that name ring a bell? 00:10:11.679 --> 00:10:13.120 Lydia of Thyatira. 00:10:13.279 --> 00:10:18.000 We hear we hear about her in Acts chapter 16, and this is yeah, she was in Philippi. 00:10:18.080 --> 00:10:22.000 Now she was one of the very first converts in the church, right? 00:10:22.080 --> 00:10:37.679 And she was she was part of a group of women that knew the Lord, and Paul led her to the Lord to have saving faith in Jesus Christ, and she was uh it says she was a seller of purple goods, which means that she was like a businesswoman and she was, you know, she was probably very wealthy. 00:10:37.919 --> 00:10:51.120 And so she, you know, she provided hospitality for Paul and and Silas as they traveled through the city, and and and she probably you know housed them at her you know swanky downtown loft. 00:10:51.279 --> 00:10:53.279 You know, that's kind of how I picture it, anyways. 00:10:53.519 --> 00:11:01.279 Right, she was hospitable, and so he's thinking about her and so grateful for her and the love and the care that she showed for him and for Silas in that time. 00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:05.200 You know, he's always also probably thinking about you know the demon-possessed girl. 00:11:05.279 --> 00:11:06.879 Again, we see this in Acts chapter 16. 00:11:06.960 --> 00:11:07.679 Do you remember her? 00:11:07.840 --> 00:11:08.080 Right? 00:11:08.240 --> 00:11:13.039 She was the one who was bringing her her owner's great gain through fortune telling. 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:14.080 You remember that whole story? 00:11:14.159 --> 00:11:23.200 Right, and she was and Paul and Silas, they were going around um doing ministry, and she was kind of following along, and she was saying, These are, you know, these are men of the most high God. 00:11:23.360 --> 00:11:26.480 Right, and she was saying it though in a really irritating and annoying and loud way. 00:11:26.559 --> 00:11:30.639 And so Paul finally said, one of one of the favorite my favorite verses ever, he's like, being greatly annoyed. 00:11:30.879 --> 00:11:33.519 Like, doesn't it kind of feel good that Paul got annoyed too? 00:11:33.759 --> 00:11:34.000 Right? 00:11:34.080 --> 00:11:35.840 That really helps me, I think, a little bit. 00:11:36.000 --> 00:11:36.159 Right? 00:11:36.240 --> 00:11:37.440 But he was like, he was greatly annoyed. 00:11:37.519 --> 00:11:38.720 He finally he kind of shut her down. 00:11:38.799 --> 00:11:43.440 It wasn't so much her, but she was demon-possessed, and so he cast the demon out of her. 00:11:43.759 --> 00:11:44.000 Right? 00:11:44.080 --> 00:11:46.399 And of course, that didn't go so well with her owners, right? 00:11:46.480 --> 00:11:52.080 They realized their their means, their their means of gain and fortune was was uh was gone. 00:11:52.240 --> 00:11:57.360 Now it doesn't say specifically in the text, but it's not too hard to imagine that she probably would have joined the church, right? 00:11:57.440 --> 00:12:06.879 She would have been a part of this community, and so he's thinking back on all of these things, like wow, the Lord is is so good, and he's so good, he's been so good to me, he's been so good to you, right? 00:12:06.960 --> 00:12:12.399 And he and he's looking back on all of this and and and he's encouraging them. 00:12:12.720 --> 00:12:15.919 And he's showing that that he's encouraged. 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:21.279 I mean, he's seeing this church that he had a major hand in planting, you know, over the years now. 00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:25.200 They have developed and grown and become healthy and become strong. 00:12:25.279 --> 00:12:29.120 And the Philippian church there, you know, he wrote a lot of letters to a bunch of different churches, right? 00:12:29.200 --> 00:12:33.440 We see that in the New Testament, and so many times those churches had like major issues going on. 00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:37.279 So he was he was calling, he was writing to address those and help them. 00:12:37.440 --> 00:12:39.679 In this church, he's mostly he's encouraging them. 00:12:39.759 --> 00:12:41.360 He's like, You guys are doing great, keep going. 00:12:41.440 --> 00:12:45.679 And so there's an encouragement tone kind of all through uh this letter. 00:12:46.639 --> 00:12:57.039 And so again, he's he's kind of going back through his experience and and he's showing that he's he's genuinely, truly, really thankful for these people. 00:12:58.080 --> 00:13:07.600 And again, you see that, of course, he's encouraged, and then you know, his gratitude, it it launches, it launches him into encouraging them, right? 00:13:07.679 --> 00:13:11.279 Which is a pretty amazing thing, because if you think about it, you know where Paul was writing this from, right? 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:13.679 He was writing this from prison. 00:13:14.799 --> 00:13:20.720 He was chained between two guards at this point, and and when he was writing, he didn't know if he was ever gonna get out. 00:13:20.960 --> 00:13:22.799 He thought that maybe he would die there. 00:13:23.120 --> 00:13:36.000 And so it's pretty amazing to think through how the Lord and realize how the Lord was was so working in his heart, and he was encouraged in that time the church was encouraging him, and he wanted to just pour all that back to them. 00:13:36.639 --> 00:13:40.799 So, hey, question for you are you thankful for our church? 00:13:41.279 --> 00:13:41.600 Right? 00:13:41.679 --> 00:13:42.720 Have you thought about that? 00:13:42.960 --> 00:13:45.200 Have you spent some time kind of thinking about that? 00:13:45.519 --> 00:13:50.720 How how you're you're encouraged, you're you're you're thankful for the people, the individuals here? 00:13:51.279 --> 00:14:06.080 You know, it's funny, I was just at a pastor's retreat earlier this week, and you know, as kind of the the new guy, the rookie uh, you know, in the club, I had uh, you know, I had an opportunity to kind of stand up and share a little bit about uh kind of what's going on in the church, and a couple of other guys who are sort of new as well got to share. 00:14:06.159 --> 00:14:12.799 And you know, many guys were going through some really challenging and really kind of difficult and uh hard kind of personal things uh in their life. 00:14:12.879 --> 00:14:17.200 And I got up and I was more like, and I've been just I honestly I'm just so thankful for my church. 00:14:17.360 --> 00:14:18.960 I'm so grateful for them. 00:14:19.120 --> 00:14:23.840 And and a big part of that has been that I've been reading through the book of Jeremiah. 00:14:24.080 --> 00:14:29.679 Now, if you're familiar with Jeremiah at all, you know that his ministry was like, I don't know, the worst. 00:14:29.919 --> 00:14:30.159 Right? 00:14:30.799 --> 00:14:40.080 It was so hard, it was so challenging, and he was a prophet who who was who was used by God to try and call the people out of sin and into a place of rebellion. 00:14:40.159 --> 00:14:46.480 And so the Lord would put a word in his heart and in his mind, and he would go and he would share that, and the people were like, don't want to hear it. 00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:52.320 You know, even at one point in Jeremiah, they were like, you know, tell us what is what does the Lord have for us here today? 00:14:52.480 --> 00:14:53.840 We want to hear what he has to say. 00:14:53.919 --> 00:14:56.240 So he shared it, and they were like, nope, we're not gonna listen to you. 00:14:56.480 --> 00:14:58.320 We're gonna do what we want to do. 00:14:58.720 --> 00:15:03.039 And it kind of has got me thinking as I've been going through that in my own personal time with the Lord. 00:15:03.200 --> 00:15:11.759 It's like, man, I'm so grateful for you guys and for how we have a church here who, you know, I think generally speaking, large in part, we got people who just, you know, they want to hear the word of God. 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:12.240 Right? 00:15:12.320 --> 00:15:15.600 They want to hear the, see the Bible just opened up and just taught it. 00:15:15.679 --> 00:15:19.679 It's it's not my thoughts, it's not, you know, popular opinion. 00:15:19.759 --> 00:15:21.919 It's like, what does God have to say? 00:15:22.159 --> 00:15:22.399 Right? 00:15:22.480 --> 00:15:26.480 And so many times some of you will come up to me afterwards, you're like, man, the Lord is just working. 00:15:26.559 --> 00:15:30.159 I was so that was so convicting to me, and I've got a lot of things I need to work through. 00:15:30.240 --> 00:15:33.440 And there's like, you know, the Lord will provoke a crisis through the preaching of God's word. 00:15:33.759 --> 00:15:36.879 But then you would come up to me and be like, Thank you for delivering it like that. 00:15:37.120 --> 00:15:37.360 Right? 00:15:37.440 --> 00:15:39.440 That to me, that that's that's God at work. 00:15:39.600 --> 00:15:40.960 That's God moving in our church. 00:15:41.039 --> 00:15:44.559 It's something that I personally am just so, so thankful for. 00:15:45.039 --> 00:15:46.879 You need to hear that from me. 00:15:47.360 --> 00:16:03.360 Now, hopefully, as you know, you're coming here and you know you're you're committing into the life of our church, and you're starting to get immersed into the culture here, and you know, starting to get to know people, and you know, maybe you're in a small group, and maybe you've started serving and you're kind of on a you know on a team here, you're starting to see yourself, you know, resonate with Paul's words here, right? 00:16:03.519 --> 00:16:06.799 You're like, man, I and I I can't wait to come to church. 00:16:06.960 --> 00:16:07.279 Right? 00:16:07.360 --> 00:16:16.720 I love the opportunity to you know come to small group and you know and and and help and allow them to you know bear my burdens that I can't handle by myself, and I get to in turn do that with them as well. 00:16:16.879 --> 00:16:23.840 We get to you know come before the Lord and and and be stretched before God's word and and and pray for each other and support each other. 00:16:24.000 --> 00:16:26.399 And you know, I I I love that. 00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:32.960 I love what God's doing in that person or in or in that family, and I I love how they've been able to encourage me in all of that. 00:16:33.600 --> 00:16:49.039 Listen, you will be able to encourage each other in like profound ways, not not surfacey stuff, we'll get into more of that later, but like in in in real, like life-giving, meaningful, deep ways when you are actually thankful for people. 00:16:49.360 --> 00:16:49.679 Right? 00:16:50.240 --> 00:16:54.000 If you're thankful for them, then you're probably gonna want to encourage them. 00:16:54.559 --> 00:16:54.879 Right? 00:16:55.039 --> 00:16:58.399 Because being thankful shows that you actually care, right? 00:16:58.480 --> 00:17:00.639 That may be kind of obvious, okay. 00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:08.960 But genuine encouragement to a person is inseparably linked to genuine gratitude for that person. 00:17:09.440 --> 00:17:10.480 Do you realize that? 00:17:10.960 --> 00:17:21.839 Okay, so if you don't truly love the person, all right, and you aren't really thankful for that person, any attempt to encourage them, it's gonna it's gonna be hollow. 00:17:23.039 --> 00:17:29.200 You may be you know saying all the right words, you may know just what verse to point to. 00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:39.839 You may be really smooth in your talk, or you may spend time with that, but if you don't, if you're not thankful for them and you don't you don't love them, all of it, if you think about it, it's really just a mirage. 00:17:40.960 --> 00:17:42.880 It's just it's just empty words. 00:17:43.359 --> 00:17:48.319 Again, it's surfacing, and it's not what biblical encouragement is. 00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:50.000 That's not what it is. 00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:57.920 Okay, so so ask yourself genuinely here, honestly, do I do I really, do I actually love the people in our church? 00:17:58.319 --> 00:18:00.799 Am I thankful for people here? 00:18:01.839 --> 00:18:06.640 Okay, if not, okay, if you're noticing that, like yeah, no, I'm I'm I'm not really all that thankful. 00:18:06.720 --> 00:18:08.720 Again, I love brutal honesty, right? 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:10.079 We need to be like that with each other. 00:18:10.240 --> 00:18:12.079 That's the only way where we're gonna really get to growth. 00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:18.079 If we're not brutally honest, you know, we're we're just gonna continue going on limping, thinking that we're okay when we're really not. 00:18:18.319 --> 00:18:22.480 Okay, so maybe you're noticing here that you're that you're not all that thankful. 00:18:22.880 --> 00:18:35.599 And if that's true, it might mean that you just you know you have the you know the tendency to to kind of use people or or treat people as consumable commodities, right? 00:18:35.759 --> 00:18:40.400 It's uh to kind of suit your own, you know, selfish desires and and and selfish plans. 00:18:40.480 --> 00:18:48.960 And I'm trying to get from people, and I'm again, it's it's it's all using, and it's not it's not anything that the Lord is is looking for. 00:18:49.839 --> 00:18:53.200 Okay, so if that's you, okay, be grieved by it. 00:18:53.599 --> 00:18:55.599 It's a good thing to be grieved by our sin. 00:18:55.839 --> 00:18:58.000 It's a really good thing to be grieved by that. 00:18:58.240 --> 00:19:00.480 And and I would say, confess it to the Lord. 00:19:00.799 --> 00:19:01.440 Confess it. 00:19:01.519 --> 00:19:04.799 He he wants to forgive you, he wants to offer that to you. 00:19:05.119 --> 00:19:14.319 Invite him into that kind of messy area of your heart where you're like, yeah, I don't I don't feel like I need people, and I don't feel like I'm really thankful, and I'm kind of a bit of a lone soldier, and you know, I don't need people, I can do it myself. 00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:16.319 Invite the Lord into that whole thing. 00:19:16.480 --> 00:19:34.480 Ask him to change you and to sanctify you and and to grow you, and and then maybe you know invite another person into that struggle, you know, where you would be sharing that with them and and confessing, hey, I I I want to love people more, I want to grow in more gratitude, I want to be a better encourager uh to people here in our church. 00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:39.039 You know, I think if you do that, what you're gonna find is that people are generally forgiving. 00:19:39.279 --> 00:19:39.599 Right? 00:19:39.920 --> 00:19:41.359 They're gonna be gracious. 00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:44.079 They're not gonna be like, I can't believe you did that. 00:19:44.240 --> 00:19:45.759 I would never do that. 00:19:46.400 --> 00:19:47.039 Probably not. 00:19:47.119 --> 00:19:50.640 They're gonna they're gonna be like, wow, I I just appreciate that you would share that with me. 00:19:50.720 --> 00:19:55.759 And you know, let's pray together and you know, let's go to the Lord, and let's come up with a with a game plan here. 00:19:55.839 --> 00:19:58.160 And you know, I don't think you're gonna find condemnation here. 00:19:58.319 --> 00:19:59.440 The Lord certainly won't bring it. 00:19:59.519 --> 00:20:01.359 We're all growing in all of this, right? 00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:11.039 And all of that, as you see people be gracious to you and and extend forgiveness and bring that encouragement into your soul that you so need. 00:20:11.200 --> 00:20:12.319 What is that gonna do? 00:20:12.640 --> 00:20:16.400 That's gonna cause you to be encouraged and want to do it to other people, right? 00:20:16.559 --> 00:20:19.279 And then we're all doing it together. 00:20:20.000 --> 00:20:22.799 All right, I can encourage in profound ways. 00:20:23.119 --> 00:20:26.640 Here's a second thing through a fully engaged prayer life. 00:20:26.960 --> 00:20:28.240 Fully engaged prayer life. 00:20:28.480 --> 00:20:29.920 Verse 4, take a peek. 00:20:30.240 --> 00:20:35.279 He says this always in every prayer of mine for you all, making my prayer with joy. 00:20:35.519 --> 00:20:36.960 Okay, so two things here. 00:20:37.200 --> 00:20:44.640 Okay, first of all, okay, Paul expresses his gratitude for the people in the church, uh, you know, in Philippi, through thankful prayer to God. 00:20:44.799 --> 00:20:45.039 Right? 00:20:45.119 --> 00:20:47.920 He's like, Thank you, Lord, for this church, thank you for these people. 00:20:48.319 --> 00:20:49.920 Okay, but then secondly, what does it say there? 00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:52.640 It says, in every prayer of mine for you. 00:20:52.960 --> 00:21:02.720 Okay, so he's not just you know prayerfully thankful to the Lord, to God for the people, but he's but he's actually praying for the church, which again is amazing when you think about he's the one in chains. 00:21:02.960 --> 00:21:03.279 Right? 00:21:03.359 --> 00:21:08.559 He he's the one, you know, really suffering here, but he's he's just praying for them. 00:21:08.880 --> 00:21:16.079 Now, if you jump down to verse 9 for a second, you see some of the details here of uh of how he was praying, the specific things that he was praying. 00:21:16.240 --> 00:21:35.680 Take a look, it says, and it is my prayer, there it is, that your love may abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. 00:21:36.319 --> 00:21:48.319 Okay, what comes across real clearly here as you read, I mean, even just these couple of verses, but as again, as you as you get more familiar with the New Testament and Paul's writings, you realize that he has just he just has like an on fire, robust prayer life, doesn't he? 00:21:48.559 --> 00:21:53.519 He says this guy like it was his joy, he he he was fully engaged in that discipline, right? 00:21:53.680 --> 00:21:56.960 I I I want to pray and it's I I I love to do it. 00:21:58.160 --> 00:21:59.759 Now, you ever experienced that? 00:22:00.559 --> 00:22:04.000 That profound encouragement that we're talking about when someone prays for you. 00:22:04.319 --> 00:22:05.359 You ever had that? 00:22:05.680 --> 00:22:10.799 You ever had someone, you know, tell you that, hey, listen, I've been praying for you this week. 00:22:11.039 --> 00:22:13.680 You know, maybe it comes like in the form of a text. 00:22:13.920 --> 00:22:14.160 Right? 00:22:14.240 --> 00:22:15.119 That's kind of cool, right? 00:22:15.200 --> 00:22:21.599 When someone sends you a text like that, or or or maybe it's a phone call, just kind of calling you up out of the blue and just saying, hey, can I pray for you? 00:22:21.680 --> 00:22:23.039 The Lord kind of laid you on my heart. 00:22:23.119 --> 00:22:27.680 Or maybe it's an email, and sometimes people will like write out the actual prayer for the person. 00:22:27.839 --> 00:22:28.720 Man, love that. 00:22:28.960 --> 00:22:30.400 I love when that happens. 00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:32.559 Big time encouragement that happens there. 00:22:32.640 --> 00:22:34.559 And sometimes it's just the timing of it, right? 00:22:34.720 --> 00:22:36.880 And you realize, wow, the Lord's at work here, right? 00:22:37.119 --> 00:22:40.160 Happened at the time that I need it. 00:22:40.880 --> 00:22:41.680 I've had that before. 00:22:41.759 --> 00:22:50.480 I've had people send me a text and send me a verse and just say, hey, like, you know, sometimes it's like in the middle of the night, like someone's woken up and they're like, man, like the pastor's on my mind. 00:22:50.559 --> 00:22:53.279 I just need to pray for uh for him or for his family. 00:22:53.359 --> 00:22:54.880 And so they send that text. 00:22:54.960 --> 00:22:57.680 Don't worry, my ringer's on low, you know, in the middle of the night. 00:22:57.920 --> 00:23:05.839 Right, but I get that text in the morning, or you know, it's early in the morning, and I realize it's because they've spent time in the word, and you know, and the Lord has kind of brought me to mind. 00:23:05.920 --> 00:23:08.000 And so they've, again, it's so encouraging, right? 00:23:08.079 --> 00:23:08.960 When they let me know that. 00:23:09.039 --> 00:23:11.279 You're like, wow, the Lord's at work. 00:23:11.519 --> 00:23:11.839 Right? 00:23:11.920 --> 00:23:22.079 He he's he's doing things, he's he's reminding us and reminding this person, or or just bringing a person to mind and saying that person needs to be prayed for. 00:23:22.240 --> 00:23:25.440 That's what the Lord does uh in his church. 00:23:26.400 --> 00:23:34.559 Listen, so many of us love to give encouragement and we love to receive encouragement, you know, in the form of wise words. 00:23:34.799 --> 00:23:35.039 Right? 00:23:35.119 --> 00:23:36.240 We've been encouraged by that before. 00:23:36.319 --> 00:23:40.400 When someone says just the right thing, just the right way, at the right time, we love that. 00:23:40.640 --> 00:23:43.839 We love being encouraged through time spent with people. 00:23:44.079 --> 00:23:49.920 When people take time out of their busy schedule to grab a coffee with us, or you know, when someone someone serves us, right? 00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:56.079 Like an act of service, we we find encouragement there, or it's some some blessing, maybe it's a physical blessing that they give us. 00:23:56.480 --> 00:23:57.920 Some kind of gift, maybe. 00:23:58.079 --> 00:24:02.000 You know, all of those are incredible and then they're good and they're they're necessary. 00:24:02.079 --> 00:24:04.799 And again, they're encouraging to each of us here. 00:24:05.200 --> 00:24:13.119 Okay, but sometimes we forget or or neglect the reality that prayer is the most powerful encourager of them all. 00:24:13.440 --> 00:24:13.759 Right? 00:24:13.839 --> 00:24:14.720 It really is. 00:24:15.359 --> 00:24:16.960 Because what does it do? 00:24:17.279 --> 00:24:21.359 It engages the Lord to work on behalf of the person. 00:24:22.079 --> 00:24:22.400 Right? 00:24:22.559 --> 00:24:29.039 We're we're coming before the Lord and and and pleading with him to work in this person's life. 00:24:29.359 --> 00:24:29.680 Right? 00:24:29.839 --> 00:24:31.279 Prayer is unique. 00:24:31.519 --> 00:24:35.039 Prayer is awesome and it's and it's powerful. 00:24:36.319 --> 00:24:37.599 Now, you guys probably know this, right? 00:24:37.680 --> 00:24:40.400 We've talked about our four pillars here at our church before. 00:24:40.559 --> 00:24:43.920 Now, um, you know what our what our third pillar is, right? 00:24:44.240 --> 00:24:51.359 Thought about doing like a pop quiz or something like that, and you know, getting someone to stand and recite the third pillar, and right now everyone's like sweating bullets, right? 00:24:51.440 --> 00:24:52.559 So I won't do that to you. 00:24:52.720 --> 00:24:54.240 That probably wouldn't be very encouraging. 00:24:54.319 --> 00:24:56.079 Uh but the third pillar, you remember this? 00:24:56.240 --> 00:25:00.079 Believing firmly in the power of prayer, right? 00:25:00.240 --> 00:25:01.599 Believing firmly in the power of prayer. 00:25:01.680 --> 00:25:03.920 If you want to shorten that, I like short forms. 00:25:04.240 --> 00:25:05.680 Unceasing prayer, right? 00:25:05.839 --> 00:25:08.960 That's something we could we could remember, we can memorize for sure. 00:25:09.119 --> 00:25:15.359 Okay, but if listen, if we don't actually engage in prayer for one another, then guess what? 00:25:15.839 --> 00:25:19.839 It means that we that we don't believe firmly in the power of prayer. 00:25:20.160 --> 00:25:20.480 Right? 00:25:20.880 --> 00:25:28.720 If we don't actually do this, then what what what is the what are those words, unceasing prayer, believing firmly in the power of prayer? 00:25:28.880 --> 00:25:34.720 They're just they're just empty words on a banner out in the atrium or some words on a website. 00:25:35.680 --> 00:25:38.079 Right now, listen, I trust me, I get it. 00:25:38.240 --> 00:25:39.839 Prayer is the hardest thing we do. 00:25:40.079 --> 00:25:40.319 Right? 00:25:40.480 --> 00:25:41.119 Would you agree with that? 00:25:41.200 --> 00:25:43.200 I I like that phrase because I think it's so true. 00:25:43.359 --> 00:25:48.319 Prayer is difficult, it's like so easy to feel guilty and terrible and lousy about your prayer life. 00:25:48.559 --> 00:25:48.799 Right? 00:25:48.960 --> 00:25:49.519 I feel it. 00:25:49.599 --> 00:25:53.359 And none of us probably feel like, yeah, you know what, I've actually probably been praying too much. 00:25:53.519 --> 00:25:53.839 Right? 00:25:54.000 --> 00:25:56.240 Probably we've never experienced that feeling. 00:25:56.400 --> 00:25:56.640 Right? 00:25:56.799 --> 00:26:00.160 It's no, we we feel lacking in all of that. 00:26:00.640 --> 00:26:06.640 But listen, we don't get stronger in prayer by not doing it. 00:26:07.279 --> 00:26:07.680 Right? 00:26:07.759 --> 00:26:10.240 So many of us, we we don't quite realize that. 00:26:10.319 --> 00:26:11.920 It's so simple yet so profound. 00:26:12.079 --> 00:26:12.240 Right? 00:26:12.480 --> 00:26:16.720 Like, well, prayer's difficult, so therefore I won't do it. 00:26:16.960 --> 00:26:19.039 You know, I won't pray pray for my church. 00:26:19.119 --> 00:26:22.480 I, you know, I won't come to the the opportunities, the prayer nights that we might have. 00:26:22.559 --> 00:26:24.559 I don't, you know, I don't pray for my family. 00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:26.240 I don't I don't pray at small groups. 00:26:26.319 --> 00:26:28.480 I'm you know, it's it's awkward and uncomfortable for me. 00:26:28.559 --> 00:26:29.279 And again, I get it. 00:26:29.359 --> 00:26:31.440 I try I I get it. 00:26:31.839 --> 00:26:36.400 But listen, getting stronger at it requires that you do it. 00:26:36.640 --> 00:26:36.960 Right? 00:26:37.119 --> 00:26:38.799 You gotta step out of your comfort zone. 00:26:38.960 --> 00:26:43.759 You gotta take take a step of faith there and and put yourself out there. 00:26:44.480 --> 00:26:44.799 Right? 00:26:45.039 --> 00:26:49.279 I would say I just encourage you, you know, text that buddy that you know is struggling that's weak. 00:26:49.519 --> 00:26:51.839 Text them, just say, hey man, I've I've been praying for you. 00:26:52.000 --> 00:27:00.880 You know, someone shares something with you at church or at small group or you know, you're emailing with them or whatever, just say, hey, can I call you up right now and just and and pray for you? 00:27:01.119 --> 00:27:04.160 You know, do it like you know, after the service, before the service. 00:27:04.240 --> 00:27:08.880 Again, it's it's awesome to see people do that, kind of huddled in prayer at a non-structured time. 00:27:09.039 --> 00:27:09.200 Right? 00:27:09.359 --> 00:27:11.359 There's there's there's power in that. 00:27:12.079 --> 00:27:14.400 Fully engage your your prayer life. 00:27:14.480 --> 00:27:16.319 That's a way that we can encourage. 00:27:16.480 --> 00:27:21.759 It's a really important way that we can encourage the person and encourage the church, the body that God has given us here. 00:27:21.920 --> 00:27:22.240 Okay? 00:27:22.640 --> 00:27:24.880 You'd be encouraged if they did that for you. 00:27:25.839 --> 00:27:28.000 All right, I can encourage in profound ways. 00:27:28.160 --> 00:27:28.960 Third thing. 00:27:29.200 --> 00:27:31.920 As I partner with others in God's mission. 00:27:32.640 --> 00:27:34.160 Okay, verse five. 00:27:34.480 --> 00:27:41.440 Verse five says, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 00:27:41.920 --> 00:27:43.440 Okay, so here, Paul, what is he doing? 00:27:43.519 --> 00:27:45.039 He's sharing the why, right? 00:27:45.119 --> 00:27:48.880 He's sharing why he's been encouraged by the church at Philippi. 00:27:49.039 --> 00:27:49.200 Right? 00:27:49.279 --> 00:27:50.160 He's sharing the why. 00:27:50.240 --> 00:27:56.559 And it's because they've been so great at partnering with him and and partnering with each other in real kingdom work, right? 00:27:56.640 --> 00:27:58.720 In in gospel ministry. 00:27:58.880 --> 00:27:59.599