Rejoice in Christ (Philippians 1:12-18)

When I first introduced Philippians a few weeks ago I said that we would come across four major “joy stealers” that often appear in our lives and that we would also see the proper response to those things that creep into our lives and rob us of the joy we should have. So today as, we look at Philippians 1:12-18, we’ll encounter what I know to be the two biggest “joy stealers” for me personally. The first is circumstances, and the second is people.

Circumstances

I think we’d all admit that it is much easier to be joyful when things are going “our way,” or when things are going “according to plan,” than it is when they seem out of control. But there is a big problem with only being joyful when things are going our way, and Isaiah 55:8, 9 addresses this where the LORD says:

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.

Often we have “our plans” and God (metaphorically speaking) is sitting in heaven laughing because He knows that it’s not His plan, and that it’s not going to happen. I bet all of us can look back and think of circumstances that changed our lives, and at the time we were upset, but now we see how God used them to bring us to where we are today. So it is important that our joy be in something above circumstances, because often, as we only see what’s happening now, circumstances drag us down; and it’s only looking back that we can see how God used them for His glory and for our good. So our joy must transcend circumstances.

People

Secondly, and I don’t know about you, but I’m sure that there are some people who were created just to drive me nuts. I mean, how often are you having a good day, and then you see that person coming, or that name pop up on the call display, and all you can think of are excuses and ways to get away? I’m sure we’ve all been there, because there are certain people that, for whatever reason, always rub us the wrong way. And a lot of times those same people have this strange ability to frustrate us, and completely rob us of our joy. On a more serious note, there can be people in our lives that we trusted, and that we rejoiced in, only to find out later that they betrayed us, or “stabbed us in the back.” And that can cause deep hurt, and seemingly deplete us of our ability to feel joy; which again, is why our joy must transcend circumstances, and people!

So if we’re not to have our joy founded in temporal things like people and circumstances, where should our joy be found? In Christ! In verse 21 Paul says: “For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” And that’s the model for us, to find joy in Christ! Which, in turn, will enable us to endure trying circumstances, and trying people without “losing our cool” or our joy.

Now as we look at Philippians 1:12-18 we’ll see how Paul, in a real life situation, found his joy in Christ, not circumstances or people. It says:

But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ: and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defence of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.

So Paul starts off by telling them that everything that had happened to him resulted in the gospel being proclaimed in ways that had been impossible up to that point; which is absolutely incredible, because when Paul says “the things which happened to me” I believe that he must be referring to all the events of Acts 21 right through to 28. And if you’re familiar with that story you know that none of those things seemed good, but here Paul begins telling how God worked them all together for His glory.

As a refresher, basically what happened in those last 8 chapters of Acts is this: Paul goes to Jerusalem, and while he is there, enters the temple to present himself as having been purified according to the law, to show that he was not an enemy of the Jews. And that was okay, because he himself was a Jew. But those who were in the temple accused him of bringing gentiles in, which was strictly against the law, and thereby defiling the temple. So they started to beat him, which caused the roman soldiers to come, who then thought that he was an Egyptian terrorist! So he was imprisoned, and for the next two years he was kept in the city of Caesarea, and had to appear before two Roman governors, Felix, and Festus, as well as a king named Agrippa. During that time he was the focus of both religious and political plots. So eventually, because his case seemed to be going nowhere, he appealed to Caesar, which meant that he would be sent to Rome and judged by Caesar himself; which was Paul’s right because he was a Roman citizen. While on his way to Rome he was shipwrecked and had to spend 3 months on the island of Malta, until finally he arrived in the city where he was placed under house arrest for several more years.

And that long experience is what Paul succinctly sums up by saying: “the things which happened to me.” And none of those things sounds like a good experience, or like it would possibly result in the furthering of the gospel, but nevertheless it did; because Paul chose to see God at work, even in a bad situation.

It is interesting to note that words translated as “furtherance of the gospel” literally mean that there was a “pioneer advance of the gospel.” Paul’s long, crazy, ordeal resulted in the gospel being preached in places it otherwise never would have been able to reach.

We know from Romans 1:13 that Paul had always desired to go to Rome and preach the gospel, but was never able to. Now, he had no choice but to go to Rome, only he was going as a prisoner, not a preacher. Definitely not the circumstances he would have envisioned, nevertheless, Paul saw that it was God’s plan, and so he chose to rejoice. And later, as he wrote to the Philippians, he had the big picture; he could see why God had brought him to Rome as a prisoner, instead of preacher. And he tells us God’s plan, as he saw it, in verses 13 and 14 where he says:

So that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ: and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

So we see two major, unforeseen, results of Paul’s imprisonment. First, the gospel reached into the prestigious Roman Praetorian Guard, and the Praetorium itself. And second, other believers were strengthened in their faith, and began proclaiming the gospel more boldly.

In verse 13 where it says; “that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ;” it is simply saying that it had become obvious to everyone that Paul was in prison for no other reason than for preaching the gospel. His chains were in Christ, not some wrong doing.

Where it says “the whole palace guard, and to all the rest” what’s literally there in the Greek is simply: “To the whole Praetorium, and to all the rest.” The word “Praetorium” refers to the judgement hall, or court of law, where they would have been examining Paul’s case. In this instance that would be the very courts of Nero, the Caesar in Rome at that time, whom Paul had appealed to. So because of Paul’s chains the gospel had made its way into the very courts of Caesar, and Nero nonetheless, which would have been highly improbable any other way; but in this case they would have been forced to hear the gospel as they examined Paul’s unique appeal. And we know that some were even saved because in chapter 4:22 he sends a greeting from the saints of Caesar’s household.

Having said all of that, when it says “Praetorium,” the palace guards are certainly included in the idea. The Praetorian Guard were an elite group of Roman soldiers that guarded Caesar’s palace, and also guarded “high profile” prisoners like Paul. We know from history that Paul always would have had one of these soldiers chained to his wrist, and that their shift changed every six hours, and in Paul’s case this went on for several years. This means that he would have had the opportunity to witness over and over to many of these men, and lead some of them to Christ! As I was thinking about this I realized that they would have been there to hear Paul dictate his letters to a scribe, so they would have heard the Scripture first hand, and they also would have been with him as he visited with fellow believers, like Epaphroditus from Philippi, and spoken with them about spiritual things. They also would have heard him, a man who prayed without ceasing, pour out his heart to God. And as I thought about this, I realized that it was a real privilege for them to be chained to this man. Indeed, it was almost as if they were his prisoner, his captive audience, for those six hours. And I find that absolutely incredible! But that is the way that God works, even in bad circumstances.

So the first unforeseen, and otherwise impossible, benefit of Paul’s imprisonment was the salvation of some in Caesar’s household. The second, in verse 14, was boldness on behalf of Paul’s fellow believers. It says:

“And most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”

Now, it’s hard to say why this is, but often persecution serves to strengthen true believers. It gives boldness to people who, before, may have been idle in their walk with the Lord. And I don’t have all the answers as to why this happens, but I would say this: Trials and persecutions, a “testing by fire,” reveals what you are truly made of. It’s in those moments of intense pressure that you’ve either got it, or you don’t. So in a lot of ways I think that persecution is good for the church. It purges her, and weeds out those who are in it for the bounty they were promised in Christ, or the ease they expected, and what it leaves are believers who are fully committed to the cause of Christ, and even willing to die for Him.

Persecution for the church is a lot like the process of refining gold; it is brought through intense heat so that the dross rises to the top and can be removed, then when it cools you are left with something pure and beautiful.

In Zechariah 13 verses 8 and 9 we are given a beautiful picture of persecution, and what it serves to accomplish. There it says:

“And it shall come to pass in all the land,” says Yahweh, “that two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but on-third shall be left in it: I will bring the one –third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘this is My people’; and each one will say, ‘Yahweh is my God.’”

In this passage we see intense persecution where two-thirds die, and the remaining third is brought through the fire; but in that, they are purified, and they are taught to pray. “They will call on My name, and I will answer them.” It says. Next to this verse in my Bible I’ve written a quote from Dr. John Piper. He says: “Put in the fire, for the sake of prayer.” And I have that there to remind myself that when hard times come I must call upon God before I can expect His deliverance. And it is in those times of calling upon God that He comes beside us, and strengthens us to do His will, no matter how difficult it might be.

I’m sure that’s what the believers that Paul speaks of in Philippians had experienced: the strengthening of God, in the midst of trials.

And I’m not some sick, twisted man, who likes trials and suffering, but there is a sense in which I pray that we would know what it means to suffer for the sake of Christ. And that the church would be purged of those uncommitted, and unwilling, people who call themselves “Christians.” And in their place would be true believers who know the words of Psalm 73 by experience where it says: "Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." I don’t enjoy suffering, but if it brings us closer to our saviour, we should embrace it.

Back to Philippians; we see that God used Paul’s less than ideal circumstances to strengthen those in the church, and to even see some from Nero’s own household come to faith in Christ. So Paul could have real joy, despite his circumstances, because he chose to see God working through his situation.

Now, as we look at verses 15-17, and then 18, we’ll see how Paul could have real joy, despite what some people were trying to do to him. 15-17 says:

Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill: The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains; but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defence of the gospel.

Paul’s chains definitely encouraged a preaching of the gospel, but with two very different motives. Some people began preaching the gospel because they genuinely loved Christ, and loved Paul, so they were speaking on his behalf, aiding his ministry while his liberty was restricted.

Others saw Paul in chains and began to preach the gospel simply to spite him, thinking that it would make his time as a prisoner worse. It is generally agreed upon that this was a group of people known as the “Judaizers.” The reason this is assumed is because they were like arch-enemies of Paul. All throughout his epistles we read that wherever he went, the Judaizers followed soon after, teaching a legalistic gospel.

They taught that, in order to be saved, you not only had to believe on Jesus Christ, but you also had to keep the Old Testament Law (i.e. be circumcised, stuff like that). So Paul often rebuked them, teaching salvation as we understand it, by grace alone, through faith. Because of that, they didn’t like Paul very much and would have been happy to see him in prison, and happy to make his suffering worse if they could by being the ones to preach the gospel instead of Him. We see in them (or whatever group this was) a classic example of doing the right thing, but with the completely wrong motives. It says that they preached Christ “from selfish ambition, not sincerely.” And assuming that this is referring to the Judaizers, they also would have begun adding Law to the gospel; not that the Law is bad, but it can’t save, so they were going about everything all wrong.

But Paul’s response to this, in verse 18, is truly awesome. He says:

“What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.”

Paul’s response was joy! I’m sure he thought it was unfortunate that some people were going about preaching the gospel all wrong, and doing it with the wrong attitude, but nevertheless he could rejoice in the fact that no matter what, people were still gaining some knowledge of Christ. And that is admirable.

Could you imagine if there were people going around, doing something you loved to do, simply to spite you? Those are the type of people that, if I’m not careful, can really bug me. It can be very hard to find joy when people are going out of their way to make you miserable, but Paul could do it because his joy was in Christ.

I think if Paul could have spoken English he would have like this:

Jesus First

Others Second

You Last!

This is a great way to remember how to have joy, even in adverse circumstances, and in the presence of trying people. And Paul exemplifies this mindset in our passage today. His first concern was that the gospel make a pioneer advance and that it be preached everywhere! His second concern was that people be reached by that gospel and that they come to know Christ. So it didn’t matter to him how this happened, because it tied in with his first goal. Christ was preached, and glorified, while others were reached with the truth. And his last concern was himself! Because his priorities were straight, he could have real joy, despite people, and despite circumstances.

In closing, remember that when circumstances aren’t going your way, they’re going God’s way, and that He has a bigger plan. So during those tough times, you must choose to find joy in Christ, His goodness, and your relationship to Him. And make sure you use those trying times to deepen your relationship with Christ, because it is then that we are most acutely aware of our need for Him, and of His presence as He wraps His arms around us to comfort us, and to deliver us. Also, don’t waste suffering! Always learn as much as you can of God during those times, and learn everything that He has to teach you, so you don’t have to do it again. Remember that God puts those people into our lives that rub us the wrong way, to mould us, and teach us, to be more like His Son. So learn to love them, and learn to forgive. In Christ you can do it!

Finally, in every situation, remember to put Jesus first, others second, and yourself last! Only then will you find true joy, no matter what.

Rejoice in Your Salvation (Philippians 1:1-7)

Our main text for today is Philippians chapter 1, verses 3-7, which is where Paul really begins his letter to the Philippians. But I would be remiss not to mention his introduction in verses 1 and 2, there he says:

Paul and Timothy, bondservants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is basically the same way that he opens every single one of his letters. Sometimes it has just his name, or sometimes it has someone else’s name, like Sosthenes in 1 Corinthians, instead of Timothy, and sometimes it’s a little longer, but basically they all have the same elements that we see here.

1. Paul’s position in Christ.

2. Who the letter is written to.

3. And his very common greeting: “grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

So to open this letter off we see Paul and Timothy, both servants of Christ, for the sake of Christ. And what we see in their lives is a great model of discipleship. When Paul wrote Philippians he was an older man, nearing the end of his life and ministry, whereas Timothy was much younger, and his ministry was just beginning to flourish. And we know a bit of the relationship they had from the books of 1^st and 2^nd Timothy, wherein Paul calls Timothy “a son in the faith.” This is because He was led to the Lord by Paul, and discipled, or taught, in the things of the Lord by Paul. And this was done largely, as we see in 2^nd Timothy chapter 3, simply by Paul’s lifestyle and the way that he modeled Christ before young Timothy. As we see from Paul’s example, discipleship is much more than simply imparting what we know; it’s demonstrating how what we know changes our life, and that was the substance of Paul’s relationship to Timothy; a life demonstrating Christ to another life. 2^nd Timothy 3:10, 11 says:

“But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions…”

In essence, Timothy’s life looked a lot like Paul’s life, and Paul’s life looked a lot like Christ, which is what qualified him to disciple young Timothy. If you don’t act like Christ, then you have no business discipling someone else. But the thing is, we should all be discipling someone, which means that we should all be living a life of integrity, which allows us to take someone under our wing, and teach, and show them, the things of God. So make sure that you are living your life in such a way that you are able to teach godliness, without being a hypocrite. Do this by being a “bondservant of Jesus Christ.” A word that literally means “slaves of Jesus Christ.” Or someone who is owned by, and lives for, Jesus Christ.

Ok, there’s the first-half of the first verse; the second-half tells us exactly who he wrote it to: The saints, or “believers,” in Philippi, as well as the church leadership which consisted of bishops, which just means “overseers,” like pastors or elders, and deacons, the ones who serve the church. He then greets them in verse 2 the way I think he greeted everybody; with a mixture of the traditional Greek and Hebrew greetings, while giving them an undertone of the gospel. First, the Greek word meaning “greeting,” slightly tweaked, becomes charis, meaning “grace.” While the traditional Jewish greeting, Shalom, is preserved, meaning peace. And the undercurrent of the gospel that I see in his greeting is this: “Grace to you” is the sum-total of God’s activity towards His children, “And peace” is the result of God’s activity towards His children, which is from God the Father, by the Lord Jesus Christ. And I’m fairly sure that he worked that into his greeting on purpose.

Now reading verses 3-7 it says:

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, 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; 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 defence and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.

In these five verses there are some very practical and very important things for us to understand, and in order to do that we need to be sure to keep them all in context. So to give us an overview, what Paul is saying here is that: Everything that the Philippians had done for him, especially their participation in furthering the gospel, and their belief in it, gave him cause to rejoice and thank God for them, as well as make supplication on their behalf; knowing, because of their attitude toward the gospel, that Christ would complete the good work that He had indeed begun in them: that being their salvation. And the more I read and thought about these verses, the more complicated they became; because they deal, not only with Paul’s prayer and rejoicing for the Philippians, but with his assurance of their salvation, which made him pray and gave him joy. Now the complication I face is this: how do I convey Paul’s joy over the Philippians and their proven, genuine, state of salvation, while at the same time hold up one of the “measuring rods” we’re given in Scripture that show us whether ours is a genuine state of salvation. As I thought about this I realized that I could adopt Paul’s joy and rejoice with you over your salvation, but the thing is, I don’t know that you’re saved, even if you think that you are. Now you might be reading this thinking “Joel, that’s harsh! Of course I’m saved!” But I say that because your salvation is between you and God, I only know what you say to me, and what I can see on your life; so if you tell me that you’re “saved” I’ll believe you, I will always work with people under the premise of trust, but I can’t know for sure! Only you and God can be absolutely assured of your salvation.

I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that I’m saved because I consistently measure my life against Scripture, and I ask you to believe me when I say that, and I trust that I show you evidence of my salvation by the way that I live, but you wouldn’t want to bet your life on the state of my salvation, because you can’t know for sure.

Recently my wife and I were over at the house of an old pastor-friend of ours and we were talking about something similar to this, and he looked up at me from across the table and said “Joel, I can’t even be sure that you’re saved. I trust that you are, but I wouldn’t bet my life’s earnings on it.” And he went on to tell me that one day, in the church where he pastored, someone came to him after the service and asked, “why do you always preach to us like we’re not saved?” So he responded by telling them basically the same thing he told me; that he trusts that they’re saved, but if not, it was his responsibility to make sure that they knew it. And that is the position that I’m in for the rest of my life, so please, don’t read this and feel all dejected, doubting whether you’re a child of the Lord. Instead, prove to yourself that you are His child by the way that you live your life.

I believe that it is clear from Scripture that the gospel and salvation are to be understood, not simply as a one-time event where Christ is accepted, but as the continuation of repentance, and saving from sinful habits, in every day life. That’s why I say I like to say that if your faith hasn’t changed you, it hasn’t saved. Not to make salvation by works, and not to make it more difficult, but to show that genuine salvation does result in a changed life.

Having said all that, I’m not saying that we should go around doubting everyone’s salvation, because for many people we can be confident that they are indeed saved as we observe their lives, all I’m saying is, we can’t know for sure. We can be pretty sure, but we can’t know.

And I say all that to say that the way I solved my problem is this: to the saved person, everything I say will be joyful to read, it will be refreshing to be measured according to God’s word. To the unsaved, it couldn’t possibly be.

So, please rejoice with me as we look at verses 3-5:

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.

Here Paul is saying that every time he remembers anything about the Philippians, he thanks God for them, and in every one of those thankful prayers, which is actually the word for supplication, he asks things of God for them.

Why this joyful, thankful, asking, prayer when he remembers them?

“For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.”

He rejoiced in the memory of them because of their commitment to him, and their commitment to the gospel. The word fellowship in verse 5 literally means “a joint participation in a common interest and activity.” So to be in fellowship with someone means that you have adopted their interests as your own, and together are pursuing the same goals; that is why we can not say that we have fellowship in the gospel, or fellowship with God, yet disobey Him. 1^st John makes this abundantly clear when it says:

“If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”

So Paul’s prayerful rejoicing was based on the Philippians fellowship with him in the gospel: On the fact that they had taken the gospel to heart by applying it to their lives, and committed to furthering it with Paul. Which we know from the last post, they did by continually supporting him, even when no one else would. And notice, at the end of verse 5, that their fellowship in the gospel was not just a one-time event; it was from “the first day until now.” It continued in their life, and on that basis Paul could say in verse 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.”

Paul’s confidence was not in a prayer they prayed, or a profession they made at some point in time, but it was in the continual working of Jesus Christ being evidenced in their life! On that basis he could have confidence that God had indeed begun a good work in them. And if God begins it, He will finish. It is consistent with the nature of God for Him to do what He says He will do, to finish what He starts, and to perfect what has been corrupted.

Our salvation isn’t ultimately realized until the day of Christ, until we’re in heaven, perfectly conformed to His image, and freed from this body of sin and death. But the power of God is working in us now, delivering us from evil.

Your salvation was not simply a point in time where you prayed and asked Jesus into your heart; that is not in the Bible. Rather, your salvation is a point in time that was preceded and followed by repentance! A turning from sin, towards God, that didn’t just happen once, but continues to happen today. If it only happened once, you need to question whether it happened at all. You see, God did not come only to save you from the penalty of your sin, but from the power of it. 1^st John 3:5-8 says:

And you know that He was manifest to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

This verse is not teaching sinless perfection, that you’ll never sin again once you’re saved, but it is teaching that sin will never again be a lifestyle once you’re saved. If you find yourself sinning as a child of God, you will be uncomfortable, you will be broken, and you will repent! That is a sign of a true believer, not just a one-time turning from sin, but a continual forsaking of sin, and a turning more fully towards God. And Paul saw that in the Philippians lives as they continued in the gospel; which gave him confidence that God had begun a good work in them. And since God had begun it, He would complete it.

In verse 7 Paul continues giving reasons for his confidence that God was working in their lives and that they were His children. He says:

Just as it is right for me to think this of you all (to think that God had started, and would complete, the good work in them), because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.

Here Paul further iterates why it is right for him to believe that God had started, and would complete, His good work in their lives. The first reason he gives is “because I have you in my heart,” which can just as properly be translated to say “because you have me in your heart.” And I like the way that fits the context better, however they both lead to interesting conclusions.

The way it’s translated in my Bible, “because I have you in my heart,” leads me to the conclusion that, because of the worshipful joy they brought to Paul’s heart, he concluded that they must belong to God. Their fellowship with him in the gospel, his holding them in his heart, convinced him that they were indeed his brothers in the Lord.

The second way of looking at it, “because you have me in your heart,” is also a very convincing proof of their salvation. It reminds me of 1^st John 3:14 which says:

“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.”

And the heart is a good place, in fact, it’s the only place, to hold someone you love. Do you love the brethren? Do you hold them in your heart? Do you know that you have passed from death to life because you love the brethren? Do you love to be with, and fellowship with fellow believers? These are important questions to ask yourself, and don’t underestimate the implications of your answer. It really is a matter of life or death.

So we’ve seen two reasons for Paul’s confidence that there’s was a genuine state of salvation. First, they continued in the gospel. 1^st John 2:19 says:

“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.”

Secondly, they showed that they were saved because they loved the brethren.

And third, it says in verse 7 that, “both in my chains, and in the defence, and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.” What this is saying is that they were willing to suffer persecution, and be affiliated with Paul, and with Christ, despite what it might cost them.

A true believer’s life is characterized by sacrifice for the sake of the gospel. Romans 12:1 says:

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

Because of what Christ has done for us, it is only reasonable that we sacrifice for Him. If He asks you to lay down your life for Him, He’s not asking too much. Just think of what He’s done for you, and what He’s saved you from… Nothing is too much for Him to ask.

This is the same God who, when He spoke, galaxies came forth, the earth was created, He said to the sea, “you will come this far and no further.” In the New Testament He rebukes the wind and the waves and they obey Him. Then He looks at us, and gently asks us to do His will, and we say NO! Not wanting to be uncomfortable, not wanting to give up the sin we love. Not wanting to be a living sacrifice, which is the one reasonable thing that we should do.

Are you saved? That’s the question you need to ask, and answer, for yourself. I’ve only given you the tools Paul presents here:

1. Are you continuing in the gospel?

2. Do you love for the brethren?

3. Are you living a life of sacrifice?

If you see those things in your life, then you can have assurance, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that God has begun a good work in you, and that He will complete it. But if not, or if you struggle with these things, repent. Confess your sin and turn to God. 1^st John 1:9 says:

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Just imagine the freedom in a life cleansed from ALL unrighteousness! That freedom is ours in Christ. And we can rejoice in the fact that we are saved. And we can rejoice with each other that our lives testify to the fact that we are saved. Basically, as saved people, we can be rejoicing all the time!

In conclusion, I want you to think of this: The worst mistake you could ever make is believing that you’re saved, when all the evidence says that you’re not. 2 Corinthians 13:5 says:

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? Unless indeed you do not stand the test.”

All that I’ve tried to do in these pages is give you tools from the book of Philippians that will allow you to asses yourself, so please, do that. And then, after measuring your life next to Scripture, act accordingly. If you need to repent and settle accounts with God, then do it! Or if you find that the life of Christ is indeed in you, that you are continuing in the gospel, that you do love the brethren, and that you are sacrificially obedient to Christ, REJOICE! Knowing that the good work which God has begun in you WILL be completed! NOTHING can stop the process once it’s been started, and that is GREAT cause for rejoicing! God is so good!