Philippians 1, “Who’s Your Partner?”, Dr. John B. Carpenter

Philippians chapter 1, I'll be reading the entire chapter, hear the word of the Lord. Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who were at Philippi with the overseers and deacons, grace to you and peace from God our

Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 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 and I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

It is right for me to feel this way about you all because I hold you in my heart for you are all partakers with me of grace both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel for God is my witness how

I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus and it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment so that you may improve what is excellent and so be pure and blameless it for the day of Christ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God I want you to know brothers that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel so that it has become known throughout the whole

Imperial Guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ and most of the brothers having become confident in the

Lord by my imprisonment are much more bold to speak the word without fear some indeed preach

Christ from envy and rivalry but others from goodwill the latter do it out of love knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel the former proclaimed

Christ out of rivalry not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment what then only that in every way whether in pretense or in truth

Christ is proclaimed and in that I rejoice yes and I will rejoice for I know that through your prayers and the help of the

Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed but that with full courage now as always

Christ will be honored in my body whether by life or by death for to me to live is

Christ and to die is gain if I am to live in the flesh that means fruitful labor for me yet which

I shall choose I cannot tell I am hard -pressed between the two my desires to depart and be with Christ for that is far better but to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account convinced of this

I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus because of my coming to you again only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ so that whether I come and I see you or am absent

I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel and not frightened in anything by your opponents this is a clear sign to them of their destruction but of your salvation and that from God for it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake engaged in the same conflict that you saw

I had and now here that I still have may the Lord had his blessings to the reading of his

Holy Word well some people think that success is the product of some lone genius or just a hard -working person bravely overcoming all the obstacles by himself kind of pulling himself up by his own bootstraps but most probably all really but successful people have partners and thank them for their help

Nick Saban tells the joke about how he took his wife Miss Terry back to their hometown in West Virginia and showed her the old gas station that he used to work at and seeing the attendant come out in his greasy clothes doing the work that Saban used to do boasted to his wife aren't you glad you married me the most successful college football coach instead of that guy and she said in the joke if I had married him he had be the most successful college football coach it's the kind of joke makes you smile not laugh but anyway

Howard Schultz the man who made Starbucks widespread and popular said success is best when it's shared a

Warren Buffett one of the richest men in the world said partnership is not a legal contract between two equal individuals it's an emotional alliance between two people who are committed to each other's success another very very well -known businessman so well known

I can guarantee you that you have heard of him said business is not about one's own success or failure but how successful we make our partners that man who said that is a former and perhaps future president partnership happens when we work together toward a shared goal

I took a lot of classes in my life sitting with a lot of fellow students I don't have an ongoing relationship with one of them not one not once did taking a class in Western civilization or Shakespeare or church history make me feel like a partnership with the other student but I am still in touch with many of my former teammates in my college track team we trained and we competed together cheered for each other and so became partners partnerships develop through some intense experiences something that forces us to rely on each other to work together as a team as a unit military veterans often stay in contact and meet each other occasionally from time to time to the

VFW or the American Legion those who went through combat together but in particular where they were under fire from the enemy was determined to kill them and so they had to rely on each other to stay alive to accomplish their mission they're often even more connected feel themselves to be intricately partnered with each other a band of brothers they'll call each other there's just something about being committed to a common mission working as a team to accomplish that mission to being partners that welds people together so who are your partners there are people you are thankful for you're glad you know them and you have high hopes for their future we see that here in Philippians 1 in three parts the thankfulness second the rejoicing and finally the high hopes well first there's the thankfulness in the first 11 verses this is a letter and so Paul begins it is a letter in their day was usually introduced giving is his name first acknowledging

Timothy his partner is with him and then who it the letter is to the recipients the

Saints that is the Holy Ones the church they're in Christ Jesus the people are set apart by being seen by God as as being in Christ Jesus otherwise

Christ's righteousness is attributed to them especially greets their overseers or their elders and their deacons the leaders of the church and he is thankful for them

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you every time he thinks about them he thanks

God now different people make us think or feel different things some people make us think of disappointment maybe some a betrayal a few may even repulse you a few people

I could think of a repulse me whenever I think of those people I feel disgusted and after a while you know

I get where I don't want to think of them I Paul was saying chapter 4 think on things that are true and lovely and pure and good so after a while you get

I don't want to even think about that person anymore and after a while I forget them I've had people who were were a regular and eventually turned out to be a painful part of my life and after a while though I have to ask you for one point in my life

I was obsessed with them and then after a while I have to ask you know what was the name of that guy who did such -and -such to me who is he

I forget and after a while I'll probably end up forgetting what they did I suspect part of what will make hell into hell for people who are in it is that we will forget them on a cheerier note flip it is what is a very cheery chapter should be cheerier on cheerier note there are other people that you think of with fondness appreciation with warmth every time you think of it you got a smile maybe they did something important for you they were there when you needed help they were good to you

I think of the bees like that for us we have a picture of a card in the refrigerator in the kitchen there and every time

I see it I'm thankful I feel good they were partners many of you the same way that's what

Paul felt about the Philippian Church they brought a smile to his face they were good folks and Paul didn't just thank them for being good to him he thanked

God and he did it in verse 3 and 4 in every prayer of mine think of that in every prayer of mine and Paul praying a lot you got a figure for you all he wasn't going to forget them it was a always bringing them to mind does it make him happy making my prayer with joy he's thankful them because of their partnership he says in the gospel partnership the word partnership in verse 5 is an important word in the

Bible Greek it's corn Ania which can be translated as fellowship now the word fellowship has been so watered down today that it's only a shadow of what it really means when we speak of fellowship today on sometimes at least we think of a happy maybe artificially happy kind of superficial happiness conversation around desserts but this means far more than that it means the sharing of something profound the sharing of the terror of combat and coming out of life the experience of your teammates cheering for you from the stands as you sprint as hard as you can so you can score for the team the bond of a common mission an intense personal connecting experience not only is it sharing of something but also sharing in something something greater the petty wants of any one of the people separately he was so thankful he continues in verse 5 that every prayer of his was for for them was joyful every time he thought of them he was happy not burdened not worried now why not just because they were they were placid peaceful church they were given many many trouble graveyard to quiet and peaceful but he was thankful and joyful about them because he remembered them as his partners not just as recipients listening to his preaching perhaps giving him a little money but never doing anything else no he it was more than that they weren't just his audience otherwise they would be like a students in a lecture nope not connected at all together they were they were bound to him through the common experience of having taken the good news of Jesus out to others to their families to their city and helping him then go onward helping him go to Corinth here

Paul tells us that what is bounded to the Philippians and what will bind any church together is the common experience of being partners in the gospel now if we're just a theology lecture that's what we're gathering together every

Sunday for to hear an exposition of a lecture on a passage of scripture on theology will be as connected as I was to my fellow students which is not at all but if we're on a common mission then we're partners like veterans at a war the

Philippian Christians serve close up arms locked together with Paul they did this they didn't just come for the weekly service when

Paul was preaching they hear him preach and they kind of liked him and then they go out the door not to be seen or heard from again until the next week now they partnered with him in a mission in that experience they they shared a planning the gospel in Philippi and their own families sometimes against opposition day after day praying together for the souls to be saved for specific people they know going to the lost sharing sharing the message about Jesus sometimes rejoicing together as they saw great fruit as people were born again and baptized and joined the church like that Philippian jailer remember him then becoming new partners and the gospel and going out to still more people that experience knit them together it made them partners and it made

Paul thankful but also sometimes being rejected together scoffed at scorned doors shut in their face and suffering together it was in Philippi remember where Paul and Silas first they got beaten and thrown in the dungeon in the jail and they sang hymns together until midnight imagine how close

Paul and Silas must have felt as partners how often they were called hey Silas remember that time that night in that jail in Philippi we sang

Psalm 106 together until the earthquake came suffering for a common mission makes us partners that's the reason we have

Jim Jr. and Jim a reason not the only reason but it's a reason we have Jim Jr. and Jim and other functions we can do it's not all for the people out there it is certainly part of partly for them but not all it's for us so that together we can drive a van to fix a sandwich or some kind of food teach a lesson play with the kids keep them in order hopefully not have to break up a fight share your work and your frustration with someone else and you'll have an experience together to be a partner partnership in a mission remember all those sandwiches we made remember the trips to Danville in the van maybe we didn't get to pick up anyone then that time we didn't get to pick up anyone remember that time we got so many kids the van was overfilled we were afraid we get pulled over by the police ah those were good times and even though we may be hard work hard week after week sometimes you prefer to stay home and watch

TV to do something else the kids sometimes seem not to be paying attention and you wonder if you're just wasting your time but at the very least the very least you experience that partnership that we're doing something together rather than doing nothing separately or it could be reaching out to your own family and involving other church members to share with them and one day you'll look back knowing that your labor for the

Lord is never in vain with a smile and be thankful upon all your remembrance of your partners so Paul feeling good about them his partners he says the verse 6 the sure of one thing he who began a good work in you will complete it sometimes people don't finish the jobs they start they'll start to paint a room then not do the trim right we'll mow the grass and then not do the hard part of the ditch in athletics

I saw two teammates begin the season then quit some people start studying for a degree and drop out here

Paul says God is not like that something to be thankful for what he's begun with our initial salvation and he began it when we first believed he will complete notice three truths about that promise in verse 6 the certainty of it the agent that is who and the time when when it's accomplished first well

I am sure of this it's not like I'm hoping this is the case I kind of think this is probably gonna be true no

I'm sure Paul preface in verse 6 this is certain it's not he might complete it if you're good it's not

I'm sure he'll complete it if you do your end of the bargain it all depends on whether you do the right religion and then and then he'll keep up his end of the deal no

I'm sure he says so it's certain like Jews kept remember you're kept you might think well

I got all this ordeal to go they're not gonna be kept I haven't been through it yet well you're kept it's as good as done we saw last week second who who's the agent who's doing the work he who began a good work he began the work of your salvation is

God's work and some people that well he began it but now it's my job to keep it up but no he doesn't begin it and leave it up to us to complete it like some people believe justification is

God's work and sanctification is all ours and so it depends on us to complete to complete it now if we apply ourselves enough with enough religion that we got to do our part to complete it it depends on us no he who began a good work in you he will bring it to completion he begins it and he completes it and third when when does he do this when is he completed it won't be completed now in this age despite what some people promise it's not completed with some great experience we have you know you get this experience entire sanctification the second work of grace or whatever they're selling you'll then be completed no not yet or some severe discipline you go through you flicked yourself or go 40 days fasting something that and you'll come out completed no it won't work whatever we put ourselves through it's incomplete until the day of Jesus Christ the day he raises the dead and saves even our bodies from sin the same day

Paul talked about member of the Thessalonians the righteous judgment of God but we can be so sure that it will be completed like again like in Jude we're kept we can be so sure that he'll complete what he's begun in the past he'll complete it in the future there were thankful for it in the present well

Paul gushes in verse 7 on a gushing in the chapter I hold you in my heart

I think most men today would be too embarrassed to write like this done other people I hold you in my heart we've seen

Paul be tough with the Corinthians very logical and deep with the Romans but with these people is gushing

Lee almost embarrassingly affectionate I hold you in my heart but why why is he so affectionate so bound to them in the middle of our 7 -4 that's because it's explaining why he holds them in his heart you are all partakers not a word we usually use

I mean sharers and against the word Cornelia your corn on ears it's not a word it's with the prefix together in Greek so it's like not just partners but co -partners almost a redundant

Co fellowshippers together with me of grace your sharers with me in grace they shared

God's grace together he knows that because at the end of our seven how does he know what's the sign of their having shared the grace just because they came to him and listen to him just because they may be like my confession they said the right words or they got better snow they were partners with him and his and his bonds his imprisonment when there wasn't much he could do for them

I use a prison why can Paul do for me but no they shared with him then and they shared with him in two things he says verse 7 in the defense and in the confirmation of the gospel that is they were helping him when he was in need he's in prison he can't do much you can write letters talk to guards that's about it they were helping him when he was in need she was chained up and they were they were now defending the gospel the gospel

Paul brought to them now they're defending it there were fit defense of the gospel other words from outside attacks whether from people saying oh it's it's too restrictive

I want to be free to live a however I want to live or from philosophers like this is whatever foolish they're attacking it from outside there these

Philippian Christians are defending the gospel in Paul's stead because now he's away he can't do it and the defense and the strengthening they were strengthening the believers in their faith the confirmation of the gospel so all this kind of thing that Paul was doing defending the faith confirming believers nurturing them now the

Philippian Christians were doing that for him they were his partners now who's your partner now for Paul he knows that they are his partners and so he gushes some more in verse 8

God is my witness I yearn for you with all the affection of Christ Jesus and if I got a letter like that from somebody

I'd be honest like this is a little too it's a little too much tone it down but this is why

Paul is right he's amazing man isn't he affectionate gushing and then with the

Galatians he's tough and pounding and almost angry with the Romans he's very intellectual very deep here he's affectionate imagine get a letter like that from I yearn for you with all the affection of Christ Jesus he loved him like Jesus loved him that's what that means and so he prays for them in verse nine that their love may abound to grow and flourish that they would know

God more and have more discernment so that they could protect themselves from false teachers and know who is know who and what is superior what's better so on the day of judgment on that day of Christ Jesus that righteous judgment of God that they may be unmixed with pollutions with sins the false doctrines and distraction and they may be blameless and so in verse 11 filled with the fruit of this righteousness that is the good things in your life that being right in a right relationship with God produce notice that phrase the the fruit fruit means like the produce what comes out of righteousness being righteous with God in a right relationship with God produces fruit

I was it shows in your life you are saved through faith alone but faith that saves is never alone it produces fruit you are in a right relationship with God because of what

Jesus has done now that relational fact that you're right with God fills your life so that you look more and more like Jesus that's the fruit of righteousness and you do it to the glory and praise of God people will praise

God more because your life is different second he overflows with rejoicing he's actually rejoiced some already it's gonna rejoice some more in verses 12 to 18 despite his own affliction now he's in prison you got to remember that doesn't sound like he's in prison does it doesn't sound like I'm miserable these people are horrible to me he's in prison you got to kind of remind yourself of that because he sounds so different than what you would expect a letter from someone being in prison would sound like he's in prison because he's been spreading the gospel he's now if I were him

I would be tempted to complain and wail please help me get out of here this is horrible believe how bad the food is but he rejoices likely he's been chained and guarded in Rome before his trial before Caesar and so some of the

Philippians were maybe some of them were a little upset concerned for him maybe a few were wondering you know this is the good news that we've been partnering together to spread to the world why is the world clamping down on him if this is the unconquerable gospel why is our great leader chained up where's the victory the victory

Paul says is going ahead anyway it's advancing sure

I'm in prison but the gospel is advancing even with him chained he tells them that what has happened that is his imprisonment is working to advance the gospel hey this imprisonment he's saying has opened up a whole new audience for me

I'm getting to people now I could never get to before now in their day they would chain a guard to a prisoner that would certainly keep the prisoners from escaping when it you can escape that way he wasn't like in some cell alone look at that picture like today a solitary confinement in some prison you're not isolated so we had these guards with him all the time usually one by one and so he had a captive audience they couldn't get away they were however long their shift was they had to be right there by Paul they had to listen to everything he said until their shift was over and then there was another guard that Paul could work on and the result was he said in verse 13 that the good news of Jesus had become known through the holy cause that the

Imperial ESV translates it the Imperial Guard and Latin is that it's the praetorium it's the elite soldiers who guarded the

Emperor and special prisoners like him in our day it'd be equivalent to the Secret Service so it be like now the whole

Secret Service has heard the gospel from one of the greatest evangelists of all time and Paul was going wow that's great not only that Paul was thinking

I could never have gotten to these people until this look what God's done and you could say well what about all the you know the opportunities you could have had out there

Paul in Philippi elsewhere and he's saying well other believers now are taking over from where you know from what

I can't do now out there not only that he says in verse 14 most of the brothers that's the other believers seeing that Paul has not been frightened into silence by being imprisoned they're now bolder to share now sometimes the great leader has to be out of the way before others are willing to step up and take up the task the first string quarterback has to be benched before others have a chance to shine here because Paul isn't available anymore to preach and to teach and to witness to defend the gospel to confirm the church and the faith now many others are taking his place and so the end result of Paul's imprisonment is that more of the gospel is going out than was before and so Paul says

I rejoice this is great this has really worked out well I wish

I had planned this but I didn't this is this is just terrific way this has worked out we should rejoice of whatever helps get the gospel out now with the money we spent to buy and refurbish this building we could have probably bought a traditional church building somewhere with pews stained glass feel very pious we come in but which helps gets the gospel out which is more effective for getting the gospel now a gym attracts kids we can use it in this culture you can just you know but you open a gym you have a gym kids come it's easy and you can use it to spread the gospel they come you make them stop for a while you share the gospel with them and the gym doesn't interfere with meeting for church does it right the basketball markings on the floor do not interfere with the preaching the word singing and worship at all now we might personally prefer a traditional church building just like I'm sure

Paul would have preferred to be out of prison he'd be much more comfortable out of prison but most of all his priority what he thought was most valuable he rejoiced and whatever helped him get the gospel out and so should we verses 15 to 18 he says some people preach

Christ for the wrong reason that's for out of envy because they want to make a big name for themselves and this culture is a man like to preach because they just want to be the center of attention they like to talk

Paul and Peter here and they're here they've been thinking Paul and Peter this they're big heroes it big followings a lot of people will come and hear them and people get men particularly they'll get envious and they wanted

I want to be like that I want to be able to speak and everyone listen to me they are competing for more heroes for an audience they're what

I called in the article play preachers and in Paul's day some of them were doing it intentionally to undermine

Paul assuming that he must be as obsessed by numbers of followers as they were and so he's as his way he's chained up they wooed his followers away to listen to them and when

Paul hears of it they think he's gonna be enraged he's gonna be jealous you know he's losing market share he's losing all this attention that he craves that's the way they're thinking but Paul's not thinking like that at all of course yeah for them for these rivals to woo the people away to get them to listen to them they still had to preach about Christ now they still had exposit the

Bible or talk about Jesus in some way and so Paul is glad Jesus is being proclaimed

I think it's kind of like this time of year and near Easter season even the culture itself at least used to still proclaims a little something about Jesus because of the season now reformed believers don't really believe in Easter because every

Lord's Day is a celebration of the resurrection of Christ in two weeks is Easter isn't it well what are we supposed to do different than we're doing now

I don't really know what are we supposed to do different we can sing resurrection songs sure that's fine so for us it's not really any different but the world like the people out there they think it's

Easter that's what they think and that they should pay more attention to Jesus saw a magazine cover in the supermarket picture it's supposed to be

Jesus you don't really know what he looks like and that's attracting people why do they do that why these magazines do that because they it sells that's the reason the only reason they're doing it to make money or maybe religious

TV shows this time of year because and the networks do that because they think people will watch it we should rejoice at the gospel we can protest okay they don't get this or that right and sometimes they're really bad which we can cringe at that and we should reject it sometimes at least they're getting something of the gospel out and we can rejoice at the gospel at least parts of it is getting out even if it's because of an unbiblical tradition like having a once -a -year

Easter or if it's a godless TV network that just wants ratings for their show that's all they care about they don't care about Jesus it's more ratings so they figure people will watch something about Jesus around Easter the network only cares about getting eyeballs on the

TV and so they can sell commercials which sell you stuff but Christ is being proclaimed even if imperfectly and so the media is for a season whether they know it or not for the wrong reason our temporary semi partners profit can make for strange partners can it who's your partner well this is why we don't condemn other churches around us who may be doing some things we think aren't fully biblical oh if they're completely unbiblical they're preaching just a false gospel like like the only way you can be saved by me baptized in our church like those

Church of Christ heretics I debated a few years ago or some of the cults around here if they're like that sure we denounce them but if the gospel is being proclaimed

Jesus is being declared Paul is glad even if they do a few things wrong

Paul is glad and so should we be third he has high hopes for the future and so should we versus 19 to 30

Paul looks at his future their future particularly his future and sees it's it's win -win

Paul's take a look at all the possibilities how this can turn out in prison here it's win -win there's no downside this is great talk about an optimist right the glasses are just half full

God was full and this would sound like a positive encouraging kind of superficially happy smile it makes your face look good kind of gospel if you didn't understand the dilemma

Paul was in here he says I will rejoice I have high hopes for my future because I know that through your prayers and the help of the

Spirit of Jesus this situation will turn out for my deliverance he says in verse 19 and a lot of immediately we began to think what a deliverance he means he's gonna be released and exonerated and you're gonna be you know go back to be the head honcho in Philippi and get make a lot of money and be comfortable no it's not what he means he means either one of two things will happen either option one which is win a win he gets his head cut off number option number two he goes to spread the gospel some more builds up the church some more it's win -win what could go wrong execution or ministry there's no lose in this situation it's win -win because either he gets to go be with Jesus or stay and build up the church so he says in verse 20 to me as we sang to me to live it's

Christ otherwise if I'm allowed to keep living I'll live for Christ by serving the church and to die get my head cut off that's the way this turns out if I'm killed it's gain

I'm delivered from this life and in the presence of Christ so he says if I'm to live in the flesh that is in the body just continue living that means fruitful labor for me

I'm gonna keep working you're not gonna retire it's gonna keep working I'll keep on working for the Lord to build up the church but if I'm killed well then it's

I'm with Jesus what could go wrong so he says which I shall choose I cannot tell like it's up to him to choose it's really not but but the way he's looking at if I had to choose it was left it to be it's a hard choice

I really don't know which one I got I got on one side I got beheading I got the other side

I got ministry it's just it's just two good options I don't know what to do I'm hard -pressed between the two my desire what

I long for is to depart and be with Christ with the help of a Roman axe for that is far better that's far better for me individually it's better for me to get my head cut off you can imagine when he got sentenced to death

I wish we had a picture of that imagine whatever the Emperor says beheading and Paul goes yeah that's good for me but to remain in the flesh that is to live in the body that's more necessary in your account

I'm just thinking about myself I'm opting for the for the axe if I'm thinking about you all okay

I'll stay around and notice the reason to stay it's not for himself it's not because you know

I've worked hard and I want to enjoy my retirement my old age I want to go back to Philippi there's great people and live there no his reason to stay is all about others it's about the church in other words if the choice is left up to me

I wouldn't know what to choose to be with Christ which is far better that's far not just a little better far better for myself only what makes the staying good is that I get to be with the church and build up the church stay and help you that's better for you he has high hopes for them so this is not like what

I heard one Christian young girl say that she's not really sure that she wants Jesus to come back yet she wants to get married first enjoy a family life and all that now her dilemma was you know the one hand should

I want Jesus to come back not as though it's up to her either or can I get that marriage and family I've always wanted her choices between Jesus or myself like a typical modern

American Christian Christ's body the church never enters into the equation here with Paul it's between what the church needs your account in verse 24 that's the only reason to stay on the one hand and on the other to be with Christ Paul says he desires to depart to die so that he can be with Christ if it's just left up to me what

I want just thinking of only of myself I'll go for that but the church needs him and so he's convinced he'll stay in verse 25 at least for a while longer convinced of this

I know that I will remain and continue with you all at least for a while longer has a few more letters to write that we still have the reason verse 26 is for the benefit of the church that in me

Paul says of the church you may have ample cause to glory let's put your the weight of your life in Christ Jesus now for us the yearning should be for the

Lord and the life here with the church to partner with it for its progress if your view of your

Christian life has been entirely individualistic it's just you and Jesus only two sets of footprints in the sand no church to partner with do you see now what you've missed you've missed a partnership with people who have high hopes for their future well who's your partner are you standing together in one spirit with one mind thinking the same way that is in verse 27 united by a common mission membership is to be a partnership side -by -side he says with the church even if it means suffering whether the regular work of coming for Jim jr.

Jim the kind of the routine suffering and make yourself come or you're doing the music coming an hour early and practicing that kind of stuff or if we're insulted or rejected for being what the world calls bigots or if we lose money because we choose church over money -making on Sundays and we get criticized for it don't be frightened by them by the critics or the persecutors are fearless declaration of the

Word of God it tells them about their coming destruction that's what some people don't like hearing about the gospel because it means they're being going to be judged the righteous judgment of God we saw in second

Thessalonians well it tells us we and the people were partners with about our coming salvation on the day of Jesus Christ not everyone is our partner someone be our enemy by their own choice and clouds of persecution may be gathering and when it comes it will separate the sincere believer from the pretender many

American Christians have bought into a Jesus who offends no one who demands nothing who never suffers or asked us to suffer they even assume that if something turns people away causes us to suffer well it's not from Jesus it must have been foolish it must have been ungodly and so when it is finally granted to them in verse 29 they have that language grant is over to the gift when

God gives them the gift to suffer to be rejected to be insulted to be made unpopular they will assume it's not from God they won't partner with us in suffering they'll partner with the world in self -indulgence but for us it's granted it's a grace gift that we suffer it's still high hopes for our future if we do it together your true partners will suffer with you

Paul says in that last verse that his partners engaged in the same conflict that he had

God had given them an ordeal together they weren't just fellow students in a theology class they weren't just fellowshipping around ice cream or Chinese food they were fellowshipping around a mission fellowshipping around rejection and being insulted and being beaten in jailed and losing money losing their material losing their goods that was

God's gift to them suffering but suffering together and it made them partners so who's your partner what's those who have faith how did they get that faith now free will people just assume that we're gonna muster up faith on our own if you can argue someone into it you can break them into it or you persuade them they can use their will to choose to have faith and that's how faith comes about and so our partners are those who mustered up their own faith and we're united then only by a common decision to believe the same facts the same claims and we're ultimately responsible for that decision that makes us partners with those who've also got it like we're the decision to take the same

Western Civ class for verse 29 but verse 29 says it has been granted that you should believe in him we believe because it was granted because it was given it's a grace gift to believe faith in Jesus is given to those who believe that's why we believe not because we free willed ourselves to overcome our sinfulness and therefore we made ourselves make the right decision no we got this magnificent gift by grace called faith and that faith makes us partners with everyone else who believes everyone else whom

God has also given that gift to I've given this gift so have you we're partners in that together that's why now to live here is for Christ by working with his body our partners others who've gotten this gift of faith and to die is gain so partners do you see that the gift of faith that makes you a partner with others who were also given it do you see that's what connects you together

I'm not asking you here at the conclusion to gin up faith by an act of your will to make yourself produce faith to try to squeeze it out of a dead heart you can't

I'm asking you that if God has begun that work in you begun it by giving you faith faith that makes you a partner with others who share it has he done that for you faith that makes you cry out more love