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. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making a 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.
God does miracles today, in fact, some more dramatic miracles than in the Old Testament. The problem is, when we think of miracles, we have an “immediate gratification” mindset. We want miracles to be instantly visible and dramatic, like thunder and lightning, right here, right now. But most of God’s glorious, permanent miracles aren’t like that. They’re slow and not easily visible to the eye. When you look at me now and what I was as an unbeliever 25 years ago, you’d say these are two distinctly different people with very little in common. What happened? A miracle happened, and a miraculous process has been going on for 25 years. It’s nothing short of a glorious miracle!
In fact, that is the greatest miracle in the universe. God has created a whole new person inside. What God has done in my life is more miraculous than if He had grown a new arm or leg, or even raised my own dead body to life. Physically, I may be the same, but to raise and change a totally depraved person dead in sins, and give him new likes and dislikes, making him hate sin which he loved and love purity which he hated—that’s an amazing work of God in our lives.
That’s not visible to most folks, and it wasn’t in the twinkling of an eye. But it is a big, permanent, and spectacular miracle! And you know something wonderful about this miracle? It isn’t over yet! That miraculous power is still working in my heart, transforming me and making me like Christ! Sometime ago, if someone said something wrong about me, I would be very hurt and wouldn’t sleep. But last week, someone repeatedly said insulting things before others, and I was surprised at myself. I was not at all affected and was happy why it didn’t affect me like it used to. It is the work of God in our hearts. When we realize the work of God in our lives, what joy fills our hearts!
We are studying the Epistle of Joy. As we open this Epistle of Joy, we are learning the true secrets of joy from a man who is in the saddest situation at a worldly level—in a Roman jail, chained between soldiers, lonely, and in a dangerous, dark place. His enemies outside are destroying his work and telling lies about him, saying that God is punishing him because of his wrong preaching and that he is a false apostle. In this situation, any man would naturally be depressed. Even John the Baptist, who was filled with the Holy Spirit in the womb, was depressed when Herod put him in jail. Naturally, any person would have doubts, asking God, “Where are you?” “Why am I in this situation?” “Why aren’t you doing anything?” Moaning and groaning. But we see Paul is filled with joy. He is going beyond his circumstances. His mind flies like an eagle to the highest heaven, thinking great truths, and his heart bursts like a dam with overflowing divine joy, which spills over all that place, and even to us today. This is the work of the Holy Spirit, the fruit of the Holy Spirit is joy. He is experiencing Holy Spirit-produced joy.
This is a great miracle of God in a Roman jail. We, in our imagination, go to that jail to see this miracle, as if secretly standing behind the curtain and watching Paul pray. This man’s face is full of Holy Spirit-produced joy; he’s kind of dancing in joy. We are learning the secrets of joy from his overwhelming joy.
We already saw four secrets of joy. Let me remind you of the first secret: Thanksgiving. It is cultivating a heart to be thankful for what we have. Unless you learn to be thankful, you can never have true happiness with whatever you have in life. We have to realize grumbling is a sin and that we don’t deserve anything from God. We should see everything as His mercy and learn to be thankful for everything we have. That is why Paul, even from Jail, could start his letter with “I thank.” From verses three through eight, all of it is thanksgiving and joy. His requests only come in verse nine.
The Secrets of Joy
Second, realize that whatever situation you may be in, whatever you may lose, your true wealth is not worldly relations, facilities, or health, but God’s presence is your only wealth. Nothing can take Him away. Paul realized his eternal portion and true wealth was his God. He joyfully says, “I thank my God,” and no matter what the situation, he learned to be close to God with a good conscience. He was so near to God that he was full of joy. Circumstances aren’t a factor. It is your nearness to God, and it is the presence of God we experience, that determines the level of your joy. Psalm 16:11 says, “In Thy presence is the fullness of joy.”
The third secret of joy is good memories of people. As verse three says, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you.” Most of the time, we aren’t happy thinking of people. A real key is to learn to look beyond the weaknesses and faults of people, and to capture and store the good things about people in our minds. We need to forgive and delete all wrong memories. We always do the opposite, finding it very easy to keep thinking of the bad things people have done to us. But you see, when we keep thinking wrong things about others, nothing happens to them, but we end up spoiling our own happiness. Such memories will only make us sad, bitter, and grieve the Holy Spirit. If we want Holy Spirit-produced joy like Paul’s joy, with a heart of love, we must store only the best things and forget the rest.
Lastly, there is the Joy of interceding for others with Christ’s love. This is another secret of Holy Spirit-produced joy. When the Spirit of God is in control of a life, we will be giving thanks for everything, we will remember other people’s goodness, and the greatest ministry we can do for others is to intercede for them. That exercise will fill us with divine joy like nothing else. See what Paul says in verse four: “always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy.” Holy Spirit-produced divine joy greatly comes to the person who is involved in intercession for others, not just for “my life” or “my family,” but knowing others and their needs and praying. This is a joy multiplier. The more people we pray for from our hearts, the more God hears our prayers and blesses them, and our joy grows. There are very few Christians who know the true joy that the Holy Spirit gives.
More Secrets of Joy
Now, we have seen the four secrets of joy: Thanksgiving, God’s presence, good memories of people, and praying for people. Let us continue to learn more secrets of joy. This is part two of the message on the secrets of joy. We continue to ask Paul what makes him so joyful in jail, with such overwhelming joy.
The fifth element of Paul’s joy is the joy of fellowship; he rejoices in the fellowship. Notice verses three through five: “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making a request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.” The Greek word for “fellowship” is koinōnia. It means that you become so close to someone, in such a close relationship and close unity, with the same thinking, same desires, and same goals that it leads them to become partners. It leads them to participate, support, and help one another in something. You are partners.
Paul rejoiced over their partnership, their participation, and their fellowship. There can be many kinds of fellowship, such as family fellowship or business fellowship. What kind of fellowship was this? He says this is fellowship through the gospel. This is a fellowship that continues with the desire and goal of spreading the gospel. Paul is filled with joy in the gospel fellowship of the Philippians. What was it that brought Paul and these people into any kind of contact? It is the gospel that brought them together. There is nothing humanly to explain this bond of love between this Asian Jew and European Gentiles who were formerly worldly pagans and idolaters. They were brought into fellowship by the gospel despite their different backgrounds.
The Philippians had fellowship and participated with Paul in the gospel. First, by believing it and being saved, then by devoting themselves to it and supporting Paul’s gospel ministry in every way possible for them. How long did they participate? Paul says, “From the first day.” From the day God opened Lydia’s heart by the riverside, she became a partner. She invited Paul into her house and supported their ministry in every way. From the first day God saved the jailer, he invited Paul and cleaned his wounds. And from that day until now, you are partners. You know, from that day until now, ten years had passed.
Paul says in verse five, “for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.” From the first day until this day, they continuously supported him in the fellowship of the gospel. They weren’t like some who are initially very eager for a while because everything is new, and then they disappear. Then they hear one sermon after a year and become very eager again and disappear six months later. There are people who are very eager initially because it is all new, and everyone gets excited. But after ten years, when all the newness had worn away and all the initial enthusiasm and excitement had died down, there was no waning in their commitment to fellowship in the gospel from the first day they heard the gospel from Paul until this day, right to the present hour. They had just sent Epaphroditus with a gift. They continuously participated and had fellowship with Paul in the gospel.
Yes, they regularly gave him financial support. They had given much to him. In Philippians 4:15, he says, “You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs.” Paul could be talking about that. Not only financial support, but they also supported him with their prayers, regular church attendance, and generous, sacrificial gifts, efforts, and cooperation with the development, the growth, and the support of the spread of the gospel in whatever way they could. Paul says, “Our hearts are bound like one man in the work of the gospel.” Paul rejoices in this fellowship and says he could rightly refer to them as fellow-sharers, participants in the gospel.
Brothers, do you know there’s another great secret of Holy Spirit-produced joy in this meaningless, transient life? What are we going to achieve, build, and go in this life? Nothing; it all turns to mud and wind. But in this life, there is nothing more important in history and in our own lives than the coming of the kingdom of God by the spread of the gospel. We all know that when we do something for the gospel, share the gospel with someone, or participate in gospel fellowship, because of our participation, the gospel has spread and the church has grown. Oh, the Holy Spirit fills me with such thrilling joy, what joy fills my heart! Nothing increases Holy Spirit’s thrilling joy more than being a partner in gospel work. When a group of people together participate in doing that, it is a great sign God is working in their midst. The reason some of us aren’t happy is because we don’t participate in gospel fellowship.
Think of the joy of a preacher. For a preacher called by God, there is nothing more important than the spread of the gospel. God fills him with so much burden; it presses him deeply, and sometimes he weeps that he is unable to bear this load alone. When he sees millions not knowing the gospel and all the surrounding false teachers deceiving people, he shudders, wavers, and cannot sleep. What can he do alone? He suffers in that burden alone, secretly, and lives a secret, lonely life with sleepless nights. Everyone does their own things, so who is going to support the gospel? For such a man, when he finds a partner, or a church that partners with him, sharing that burden and supporting the spread of the gospel, an uncontrollable joy flows from his heart. Nothing rejoices a pastor’s heart more than to see his people sharing his burden. That is what we see for Paul.
These people, from day one until this day, have not stopped. His remembrance of them brought tears of joy to his eyes and a longing to his heart. That’s why he praises God, because he knows that only God can create such levels of commitment to fellowship in the gospel. People will support for six months and then have their own reasons and excuses that they cannot do this and that, but these people never stopped partnering with him to spread the gospel. Whatever could have come from initial fleshly enthusiasm would have long since died away. But it’s “fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.” This is divine. Paul praises God and is filled with joy.
Oh, the fellowship of the gospel. We think of our church. How did our church come together? It is the gospel that brought us together. God calls us and saves us through the gospel and forms us as a church. As a church, one of our primary goals is that we are partners in spreading the gospel. Didn’t we study that is the Great Commission Christ gave us? “Go into all the world and teach them all I taught.” We are partners in doing that.
Do we enjoy our partnership in the gospel? Holy Spirit-produced joy comes from faithfully participating in this fellowship of the gospel. The greatest joy of my life is this fellowship. I live, breathe, think, and love the church. Serving the church here has been my joy. Most of my waking days for 15 years have gone into thinking and preparing to serve the church, and I rejoice for that. I would not trade this off for any great job or position, even in other countries. You know, because there is nothing in the world like the church fellowship.
I truly thank God… when all the surrounding false churches and false teachers are lying and cheating people of money and gathering groups, oh, what great, blind support they get. When I started, I hesitated, wondering if people would support us when we preach God’s pure word. Many reformed missionaries grew frustrated and left India, saying, “Oh, this will never appreciate the value of a truth-based ministry.”
For nearly 15 years, you have participated with me in the gospel. You have supported this church and this ministry all these years. Not just monetarily, but most of you have been faithful in church attendance. You come to Sunday meetings morning and evening, and to weekly Friday meetings. You have been faithful partners in this gospel ministry. You faithfully come. I know how difficult it must be for some of you who work from early morning to night for six days, and Sunday is your only day off. But you come, and you are all partners in this great gospel work. That faithfulness brings great joy. I thank God, and it fills me with joy, and I can say to some of you, from the first day of your salvation until now, you have participated and made the ministry happen. It is because of your faithfulness that the gospel has spread and this church has grown. I praise God. We are starting a Bible study, an important gospel work. Some of you are so actively encouraging people you know to join these meetings. You are partners. What joy that is! I rejoice in this gospel fellowship.
Let us rejoice today because there is nothing more important in human history than the coming of the kingdom of God through gospel preaching. God has called and made us partners in this great eternal work. We are eternal partners in the greatest work. What meaning would our empty lives have without that?
Are you grateful for the church? Do you rejoice over our fellowship? Have you thought about what binds us together? We aren’t like a big group that gathered because some pastor preached a false prosperity gospel and lied to them, or like some traditional churches because they were born into them. We are a fellowship of the gospel. The gospel brought us together through the gospel. We are partners of the gospel.
It’s not a natural partnership. It’s not a man-made partnership. It is a divine fellowship. What is it that we have in common? A few years ago, I didn’t know you, and you didn’t know me. What brought us together? We are not relatives, not working in the same fields, having different jobs, different backgrounds, different natives, and different likes and dislikes. We live in different areas. In a worldly sense, we don’t have anything in common. We’re not a club or a society; we’re not a man-made organization. This is a divine fellowship effected by the Triune God. The Father called us, the Son redeems us, and the Holy Spirit unites us in a divine bond. Our bond transcends time and space, and it’s forever. What is that bond we feel between ourselves, which in some sense is more joyful than a blood bond? It is a Holy Spirit-formed bond as partners for the gospel.
It’s also a fellowship of life. We all share the same common life of Christ as the body of Christ; His life flows through us. We’re all one with Him, one with the Father, one with the Spirit, and one with each other. It’s a fellowship of life. It’s a fellowship of faith. We all believe in the same God and believe the same truth of God’s Word. It’s a fellowship of prayer. It’s a fellowship where we come together before God on behalf of one another; we pray together. It’s a fellowship of love. We love one another and care for one another. Last week, when Grace was in the hospital, and yesterday when Asha was undergoing an operation, we felt one of our family members was going through it. We yearn for them out of love. It’s a fellowship of service; we commonly shoulder the load and do the ministry. It’s a fellowship of contributing to others’ needs. It’s a fellowship of separation from the world and attachment to Christ. We are detached from the world. It’s a fellowship of promoting the gospel through preaching, teaching, and witnessing.
Oh, divine koinōnia. The fifth secret of joy is realizing how glorious our partnership is and committing yourself to the church and gospel work. There is nothing that brings divine, Holy Spirit-produced joy more than this partnership. It will not come when you just come and go like we come to a movie theater and go, with no relationship to one another. You just watch and go. But you have to participate. There is nothing in the world like the church fellowship. You keep finding small faults and this and that, but you don’t know how good you have it. Look at the partnership you have. It’s never a perfect fellowship, but it is a supernatural fellowship, a God-authored, divinely designed fellowship.
Look at the people you have praying for you. Look at the people you have who care about you, who want to meet your spiritual needs, who faithfully support the teaching of God’s word. Where do you find such a family who wants to work with your children, who are available for you to minister to and to use your spiritual gifts? If you can’t rejoice in that, the problem isn’t outside; it’s inside.
The secrets of true joy, produced by the Spirit, are: thanks for what we have, enjoying God’s presence as our only permanent wealth, storing our memory with good things about others, praying for others, and rejoicing in the fellowship. Paul had such a happy heart; he was happy to thank, happy to remember, happy to pray, and happy to fellowship.
The Joy of Hope
The sixth secret of joy is hope. Hope is a great source of joy. When current circumstances are not as we wish, we can find great joy in hope. Romans 12:12 says we rejoice in hope. Hope makes us patient in tribulation. We see the sixth reason why Paul is filled with so much joy is his hope for the Philippians. Because Paul saw the Philippians’ continuing commitment in fellowship to the gospel, he has confident hope about their future.
You may say, “Pastor, how can we enjoy the fellowship when there are so many faults, and people are lazy, not growing, making excuses, and showing no commitment to the gospel, and this fault and that?” Yes, if you look at what the church is now, you can get very discouraged. That discouragement will make you inactive and actionless. But if you trust in God’s promise, in hope, and if you look at what the church is going to become, you can get very excited. That’s the perspective Paul has. His joy pulls him to the future. Look at verse six, a great verse. See his joy. “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.”
Look, “I am confident.” The verb peithō means to be absolutely convinced. “I am absolutely convinced of this very thing.” What is it, Paul? “That He who began a work in you.” Who’s that? God. God began the work. It refers to the salvation work. It is God who began a good work of salvation in any person. Yes, the church is lazy, but it is not these lazy, sinful, indifferent people who began that work. They didn’t decide to join the church. All those who are truly saved, however weak and lazy they may be now, had a good work began in them by God in saving them. Salvation is a work of God.
And the church at Philippi was begun when God, it says, “opened the heart of Lydia” in Acts 16:14. She was the first convert in Philippi, the first convert in Europe. It’s a work of God. Paul gave the gospel, the Lord opened her heart, that’s the way the church began. God started the church in Philippi. Paul says, “I am absolutely persuaded of this very thing, that God who saved you began the work.” Think of your conversion and mine. Where we were, how did it all start? Today we are the church. It is God who began a work; He saved us sovereignly. He began that work of salvation by giving faith and repentance. It was His will, His work. He did it; He saved us.
Paul says, “I am confident, assured, persuaded, absolutely convinced of this very thing, that God who saved you and started a noble work”—here it comes—”will” what—”complete it,” “perfect it.” A tremendous thought. The word epiteleō means to really perfect it, to bring it to its full completion and perfection.
Now Paul doesn’t say, “I desire,” or “I pray,” or “I hope this works out.” He says, “I’m confident of this. I am assured of this. God who saved you and began the noble, sanctifying work will complete it.” He’ll bring it to full completion.
Why are you so joyful and hopeful, Paul? What gives you confidence? Will not false teachers make them fall? Will not the flesh, besetting sins, and worldly temptations overcome these people? What gives you confidence? “My confidence is in the character of my God. The nature of my God is my confidence, not these weak people, not their weak free will. My God, if He begins something, He will finish it. He doesn’t do anything by halves.”
His whole glory is at stake when He begins something. We can see some buildings that started well but couldn’t be completed because they didn’t have money, or time, or the person died before completion. The world is filled with unfinished projects. But when my God starts something, what will stop him from completing it? What His grace started, His almighty power will complete. What God begins, He completes. Otherwise, His whole honor and glory before the universe, demons, and Satan will be dishonored. He will complete it. That is my confidence. The foundation of my confidence is on the character of God, the oath of God, the eternal covenant of God, and the immutability of God’s decree.
This is a great truth. Our Confession of Faith, 1689, has a chapter on the perseverance of the saints, or eternal security, which is based on this truth. God, who saved you by His grace, will keep you by His power and bring you to glory. Paul was so certain in Romans 8:30 that he uses the past tense, as if it is already done: “And those whom he predestined, he also called; and those whom he called, he also justified; and those whom he justified, he also glorified.” Justification and glorification are an unbreakable chain bound by the faithfulness and character of God. If God justified and saved, He will glorify us. What hope!
Nothing is going to change that. “And who will separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? In all these things, we overwhelmingly conquer through Him that loved us. I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The one who saved us will perfect us. John 6:37 says, “All that the Father gives to Me shall come to Me, and I have lost none of them, but shall raise him up at the last day.”
And then he says this, “Until the day of Christ Jesus.” What does that mean? It refers to the second coming of Jesus. Interestingly, the second coming is also called “the Day of the Lord” in other passages. You know, whenever it talks about the Day of the Lord, it talks about judgment on sinners. When He comes in divine judgment on sinners, an outpouring of wrath at the second coming, but at the same time, He will glorify His people. For believers, it is not the Day of the Lord, but it is the Day of Christ Jesus. It refers to a time of the glorification of the saints. And the Lord makes a distinguishing characteristic clear by introducing the personal names of Jesus Christ, celebrating the intimacy and the unique relationship we have to God through Christ. It’s not a terrible Day of the Lord, but the Day of our Christ Jesus.
And what Paul is saying here is this: “Here’s my joy, folks: my joy is that no matter what goes on in your church, the work that God began He will complete.” “I am very confident God will perfect His work. He’s going to carry you right on out to the time when we meet Christ.” God will finish His work of grace. And so he has the joy of hope. Beloved, that is such a great truth.
A Call to Joyful Living
What lessons can we learn today? How’s your joy? If I can put it this way, get serious with joy. Ask yourself why you don’t have joy. It is the Holy Spirit who produces this joy. Those of you who don’t know Christ can never have this true fullness of joy until you believe in Jesus Christ and turn from your sins. The Holy Spirit comes into your heart as a gift.
Those of us who have come to Christ, if the Father has so loved you from before the creation of the world that He chose you, and He covenanted to crush Christ with pleasure, and Christ purchased complete salvation, and you have been given such a glorious life in Christ, placed in His fellowship of the gospel, given priceless privileges as a child of God, and you have a glorious future, and you have access to God at any time—if you don’t have joy despite the fact that God has filled your life with so much blessedness, stop blaming your circumstances. Look at your heart. The problem is there, not with the people around you, not with circumstances, or your worldly difficulties. It belongs inside. You should begin at the right, which is where you begin.
Holy Spirit-produced joy comes to you when your heart is thankful for what you have and not grumbling about what you don’t have. Stop grumbling; it is a sin against the Holy Spirit. Realize there is fullness of joy only in God’s presence; all other joys in the world are temporary. Seek His presence. Delete all bad memories of others and store good ones. Pray for others.
How about today’s two secrets? True joy comes in gospel participation. Do you participate in the fellowship of the gospel? What are you living your life for? Hebrews 11 says Moses chose “rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.” If Moses refused the pleasures of sin and the treasures of Egypt for a glorious reward, what about us?
When the whole community is filled with false teaching, 90% don’t even know the true gospel. God taught you the gospel and brought you to a gospel church. You have been called to be partners in the gospel; do you realize what great rewards will come to you in this world, even for the smallest efforts, like a glass of water? When you commit yourself to the church, are faithful to church meetings, and participate in the church—just coming, sitting, and leaving—do you think you will receive a glorious reward? No wonder you don’t have joy in life.
What gives joy to God’s heart? When a pastor looks out upon people and says with Paul, “I thank God for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.” Fellowship means being faithful in all church meetings and responsibilities, and then regularly thinking about what you can do to participate more in the fellowship of this work and how you can support him more. That is how the Philippians were. But instead of participation, if you are indifferent even in the basic participation of weekly meetings, if you neglect the fellowship of the gospel, come as you like, come as a spectator, and break the heart of your pastor, will God be pleased? Will the Holy Spirit give you joy? Ask your conscience. Are you doing the basic things to participate in the gospel?
Fellowship is not just coming to church and leaving right away, but mingling with other brothers and involving yourself in others’ lives. One family with good knowledge was looking for a church. They said they went to a church; they generally go on time, but that time they went early. They said they would never go to that church for three reasons: First, the regular church members came late and left as soon as the service was over. Second, no one came to speak to them; they all just came, did their work, took their children, drank tea, and left. Third, no one discussed the message or thanked the pastor for the message. This group is not participating in the spread of the gospel. They just come to church like a theater for a show, with no participation—they just come, sit, listen, and go home.
Yes, we are like that, but you know what? I am not discouraged. You know why? Because I don’t see the church as what it is today, but I see the church as what God will make it in the future, just like Paul. That helps me continue to serve you, because I believe, “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.”
Let me encourage those of you who, when you see the church, only see what is not right. If you focus on what’s wrong with the church now, you can get depressed. “Oh, our church isn’t what it ought to be—oh, we’re not doing—oh.” And you can get really distressed about the church; you can get really worked up. “Oh, it’s not what it ought to be.” We know that. You’re not what you ought to be, so a whole lot of you that aren’t what you ought to be make a church that isn’t what it ought to be.
But if you focus on what the church is going to become, you can get excited. You may have problems in the church, you may have difficulties in the church, there may be failures in the church, but God who began a good work will complete it. I can see through the years how God has changed us; it is indeed a miracle in some of your lives. It takes time. Let us not be discouraged in the fellowship of the gospel, but with hope, let’s participate.
Now, you can take your choice. You can moan and groan and mumble about what isn’t the way it ought to be, or you can just look at what is going to happen. You know what’s the most exciting thing about that? Nobody is going to get lost. God will complete His work. You can decide to just focus on what it isn’t, or you can rejoice in what it’s going to be. I choose to do the latter. You want to know what’s wonderful?
This truth tells us, firstly, that God took the initiative; He “begins a good work.” Secondly, He takes personal responsibility for completing His work in you and me. I find this a most comforting thought. When you find fault in me and my church, I want to tell you, “Please be patient. God isn’t finished with me yet.” Thank God, it’s true. I may not look like much, but God isn’t finished with me yet. And when you look in the mirror—and even deeper into your own soul—you may not like what you see, but it doesn’t matter. God isn’t finished with you yet.
Third, God guarantees the outcome of His work in you. Not only does God start the process and continue the process, He also guarantees its ultimate outcome. He will “carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
This morning, if you find yourself in the muck and mire of personal defeat, child of God, you may feel like giving up in our struggle against sin. You may feel disappointed, annoyed, doubting, and despairing of any progress at all. “I am not changing. I don’t see any progress. I’m so weak, so far from what I should be. I seem to make such slow progress.” Do you ever get discouraged about your own life? I do. Do you ever stand in front of a mirror and say, “What’s wrong with you? Why aren’t you getting better?” Sometimes it seems as if the Christian life is three steps forward and two steps back. Take heart, child of God. Be encouraged. Child of God, He’s not finished with you yet. Rise and walk, my Christian friend. God is not finished with you yet.
Do you feel incomplete and unfinished? Fear not, child of God. That is okay, because it is not complete. He will complete His work in you. God is at work in your life. He will not stop until the job is done. You may feel like giving up, but God will never give up. He is faithful, and He will do it.
“The one who calls you is faithful.” This little phrase is all-important. It is the foundation for the doctrine of eternal security. Our entire hope—both in this life and in the life to come—rests on the faithfulness of God. This means that God won’t be turned aside by difficulties of any kind. He is so determined to make you like Jesus that even your own backsliding won’t ultimately hinder the accomplishment of His purpose. Someday you and I will stand before Jesus Christ as redeemed children of God—holy, blameless, and complete in every way. We’re a far sight from that today. But a better day is coming for the people of God. What is incomplete will be made complete. What is unfinished will be finished. What is lacking will be made full. What is partial will be made whole. What is less than enough will be far more than adequate. What is broken will be fixed. What is weak will be made strong. God has promised to do it, and He cannot lie.
Jack Wyrtzen loved to put it this way: “I’m as sure of heaven as if I’d already been there 10,000 years.” How can a Christian say that? Because it doesn’t rest on me or you. It rests on the word of the eternal God, His oath, and His covenant. If God has said He’s going to do it, He will do it. You can take it to the bank. What God says He will do, He will do.
So Paul has this sense of joy, this overwhelming, triumphant joy that says, in the end, the church is going to be exactly what God wants it to be. You and I will be exactly as God wants us to be. Oh, may the Holy Spirit fill us with that joy that comes from hope. That takes a lot of pressure off. There’s no sense in spending your whole life in a state of depression over what the church is not, when you could spend your whole life in a state of joy over what the church will be, right? You’re going to be all you’re supposed to be in God’s plan. So if you look at what the church can become, it’s exciting, thrilling, and exhilarating. That’s the joy of hope.
The Lord’s going to bring His church to fulfillment. It’s marvelous, isn’t it? So why not enjoy the process? Sure, we’re not all that we are supposed to be, but this isn’t a place for perfect people; this is a hospital for people who at least know they’re sick, and they know where the cure is. People say, “Ah, I don’t want to be in the church; there are too many hypocrites.” Come on in, you’ll feel right at home. It’s just us, this is it. But listen, remember the little deal, “Thank God, He’s not finished with me yet—be patient?” That’s right, I mean, we’re not done. When we are done, we’re going to be perfect. That takes all the pressure out so that you can enjoy your ministry and you can enjoy your church, and you can love what you do.
Grace Reformed Baptist Church, Bangalore 