Paul’s Thanksgiving for the Philippians
Introduction:
Note what Paul is most thankful for in this lesson.
Philippians 1:3-8 NLT
Paul’s Thanksgiving for the Philippians
3 Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. 4 Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, 5 for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. 6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
7 So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News. 8 God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus.
Examine the scriptures:
Philippians 1:3-8 NLT
Paul’s Thanksgiving for the Philippians
3 Every time I think of you,
About 10 years had passed since Paul first worked with the Philippians.
Paul was now in Roman chains 800 miles away.
I give thanks to my God.
Paul expresses his sincere gratitude to God for his friends in Philippi.
Paul is constantly praying for the people in his life. In fact, he tells the Philippians that he prays for them every time he thinks about them.
- Paul is constantly praying for the people in his life.
Ephesians 6:18 NLT
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
- Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
Notice what Paul is most thankful for in the following verses.
Romans 1:8 NLT
8 Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world.
1 Corinthians 1:4 NLT
4 I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus.
Colossians 1:3-4 NLT
3 We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people,
1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 NLT
2 We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. 3 As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Thessalonians 1:3
3 Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing.
2 Timothy 1:3-5 NLT
3 Timothy, I thank God for you …Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 … 5 I remember your genuine faith, …
Philemon 1:4-5 NLT
4 I always thank my God when I pray for you, Philemon, 5 because I keep hearing about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people.
- Paul is thankful for people’s …
Paul is thankful for people’s faith in the Lord Jesus and their love for all of God’s people.
4 Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy,
When Paul prays for the Philippians, he does so with joy.
5 for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.
The Philippians readily (“from the first time you heard it”) received the Gospel and became partners with Paul in spreading the Gospel.
Paul introduced and summarized the main theme of Philippians, namely, partnership in the gospel.
Paul’s imprisonment limited his ministry to the Philippian church, but he still prayed for his brethren in Philippi. His prayers were full of joy as he petitioned God for the saints there.
This partnership includes financial support and their concern for Paul, including now while he is in prison.
6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
These are powerful words of encouragement.
- It is God who initiates our salvation.
- It is God who transforms us (believers) into the likeness of His son Jesus.
- It is God who will one day take us (believers) to be with Him in heaven.
- God will be with us, as believers, until the day we die or until Jesus’ return and then we will be with Him for all of eternity.
God began a good work within us.
It is God who initiates our salvation.
Romans 8:29 NLT
29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.
Ephesians 1:3-8 NLT
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
God will continue his work in us until it is finished.
It is God who transforms us (believers) into the likeness of His son Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 NLT
23 Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
Hebrews 10:10 & 14 NLT
10 For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.
14 For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.
Ephesians 4:11-15 NLT
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.
It is God who will one day take us (believers) to be with Him in heaven.
1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 NLT
9 For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. 10 Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever. 11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.
Ephesians 1:13 NLT
13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.
Verse six is loaded. (Read the following from Dr. Constable’s Notes on Philippians.)
In the New Testament God has revealed that salvation is a process. It involves justification, which takes place when a sinner trusts Jesus Christ as his or her Savior. It also includes progressive sanctification, which occurs continuously from the time of justification until the Christian’s death or the Rapture. And it culminates in glorification, when the redeemed sinner finally sees Jesus Christ and experiences transformation into His image. (From Dr. Constable’s Notes on Philippians)
Ephesians 2:10 NLT
10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
In this life here on earth, none of us are perfect.
Many of us are not always doing the good things that God planned for us to do.
Christians can and do resist, oppose, and limit God’s sanctifying work in them (Eph. 4:30; 1 Thess. 5:19).
Ephesians 4:30 NLT
30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 NLT
19 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.
- Christians can and do resist, oppose, and limit God’s sanctifying work in them (Eph. 4:30; 1 Thess. 5:19).
Reread:
3 Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. 4 Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, 5 for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. 6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
7 So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart.
You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News.
Imprisonment would have been a source of shame in the culture of that time. In spite of that, the Philippines willingly identified themselves with Paul with their continued support.
8 God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus.
- Paul’s love for the Philippians originated from Christ’s love for Paul.
John 13:34 NLT
34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.
