Philippians – Prayer That Changes Things

We just started going through the Book of Philippians:

  • A town that Paul visited three times
  • A Roman colony – NO JEWISH SYNAGOGUE
  • Leading city of the region
  • Had a population of around 10 – 15 thousand

Pictures:

Prayer is not:

  • Us forcing God’s arm behind his back
  • Not a magic formula
  • Nor is it a manifestation of human psychic power

God is not a passive bystander:

1 John 5:14-15 “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”

The Bible also teaches that believers have been granted spiritual authority:

John 14:13-14 “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

Philippians 1:9-11 “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”

Great prayer for us to follow – That your love may grow

Here is an important truth:

  • As our love for God grows
  • Our love for others will grow

This is the kind of choice Paul is talking about in Philippians 1:9–10 — choosing what is excellent, not merely acceptable.

Philippians 1:9-11 “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”

Through the cross:

  • We have been forgiven completely
  • We are made righteous by our faith not our actions
  • We are righteous because of what Jesus did for us

Romans 3:21-24 “But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Three ways for the fruit of God’s righteousness and character to grow in our lives:

  1. Through constant connection

John 15:4-5 “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

  • Through the internal flow of the Holy Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

  • Through pruning

John 15:1-2 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.”

Here is how I think it works

Jesus allows:

  • Difficult circumstances to take place
  • He corrects our wrong behavior

Sometimes he puts us in long periods of waiting

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