Philippians 1:9-11 – And it is my prayer 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 the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. A. The Life of…
Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
Pleasing God, Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
Jim Sole
We continue our journey through the Apostle Peter’s first letter landing on his second command given to the exiled Christians in Asia Minor – “Love one another earnestly.” Christians love other Christians. A mark of obeying Peter’s first command “Be holy as I am holy” is a growth in the practice of obeying his second – loving other Christians; a love that is an outflow of one’s personal experience of God’s love.
In this message we enter into our second study of the Apostle Paul’s prayer for the Philippian believers. As we do, our focus has been on the man praying. What made Paul the prayer warrior he was? What moves his heart and shapes his life? Last message, we saw a man who was Christ-centered, Christ-controlled, and Christ-consumed. We will now look into the heart of Paul in his love for the Philippian believers; a love that always leads to praying for others effectively and affectionately.
In this message we will conclude our study on beholding the Lord Jesus Christ, the model of our holiness, by seeking to gaze upon Him in His exalted state. Seeing Jesus spiritually in heaven is the foundation for holy living and holy worship. The chief aim in the life of a Christian is to glorify God by conforming more and more into His image and that of being holy. And our holiness is not measured by conduct foremost but by looking to our God who is holy, holy, holy.
This message continues our journey through the prison prayers of the Apostle Paul by beginning an exploration of Paul’s prayer for the Philippian believers. This prayer is actually an application of knowing Christ’s love from the prayer of Ephesians 3:14-19. In addition, this prayer shows us the mark of genuine love for others; interceding for them with clear purpose and affection. Paul is instructing the Philippian believers and us to put into greater action the love of Christ they are already experiencing.
In this message we continue looking at the Lord Jesus Christ as the model of our holiness and specifically, beholding Him in His death on the cross. The cross is central to our faith, not only theologically, but it has personal application toward a life of Christ-conforming holiness. This is the fourth part of a multi-part message on how Jesus models holiness. The chief aim in the life of a Christian is to glorify God by conforming more and more into His image and that of being holy. And our holiness is not measured by conduct foremost but by looking to our God who is holy, holy, holy.