Philippians 1:3–11 (NKJV)
3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,
4 always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy,
5 for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now,
6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
7 just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.
8 For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,
10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,
11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Overview of Philippians:
The Main Point of the Book of Philippians:
It’s to encourage believers to live together in unity and joy, trusting in God’s grace in all situations.
The Main Point of Philippians Chapter 1:
It’s about Paul expressing his gratitude for the Philippians’ partnership in the gospel and his confidence that God will finish the work He started in them.
The Main Point of Philippians 1:3-11:
Paul is joyful about their involvement in the gospel from the very beginning and prays that their love and knowledge will continue to grow. This way, they can figure out what’s best and live blamelessly until the day of Christ.
The Exhortation of Philippians 1:3-11
“Give thanks to God for your brethren and always pray for their growth in love and understanding, so they can discern what’s best and remain pure and blameless until the day of Christ.”
Outline:
1. To Express Thanksgiving and Christian Affection (verses 3-4)
A. Sustained
What is evidence of your sustained gratitude? Eph. 1:16
What contributes to your sustained gratitude? 2 Tim. 1:3
B. A Prayer Full of
What’s the result of a joyful prayer? Rom. 12:12 / 2 Thess. 1:2
2. To Fellowship in the Gospel (verses 5-8)
A. Fellowship in the Gospel as the
What is one benefit of your gospel fellowship? Acts 2:42 / 2 Thess. 1:3
B. Complete
Why should you trust in God’s work? 1 Thess. 5:24 / 2 Tim. 1:12
C. A Deep
What is evidence of your deep affection for Christ Jesus? Rom. 12:15 / 1 Thess. 2:17
3. To Pray for Love and Discernment (verses 9-11)
A. Abundant
What is one of the results of your abundant love? 1 Cor. 13:1-2 / Col. 1:9-10
B. Biblical
What is the evidence of your biblical discernment? Heb. 5:14 / Eph. 5:8-10
C. Filled with the Fruit of
What are the implications of your fruits of righteousness? Jn. 15:4-5 / Mt. 5:16
The Exhortation of Philippians 1:3-11
“Give thanks to God for your brethren and always pray for their growth in love and understanding, so they can discern what’s best and remain pure and blameless until the day of Christ.”