Jesus Our Joy

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Jesus Our Joy

• Philippians 1
• Praying for a
• Really Great Church

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Last Week..

• 1 Our IDENTITY
• in Christ (Servants and Saints)
• 2 - Our ASSURANCE in Christ
• 3 - Our PARTNERSHIP in Christ
• All this was true of the Philippians from day 1 -
  in Acts 16 and it remained true.

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Philippians 19-11

• And this is my prayer that your love may
  abound more and more in knowledge and depth of
  insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern
  what is best and may be pure and blameless until
  the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of
  righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ -
  to the glory and praise of God.

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Pauls secret for aREALLY GREAT CHURCH!

• Are you satisfied with
• your Christian life?
• Do you want to be closer to God?
• Do you want to be more
• excited by the gospel?
• SO WHAT SHOULD WE PRAY FOR?

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Pray for... Fads? Gimmicks?A Spiritual shot in
the arm?

• Pauls answer is simple just three things.
• It avoids the HIGHS and LOWS of spiritual
  instability.
• Its Pauls solution for ALL the Christians in
  Philippi despite their many different
  temperaments and characters.
• So what is it?

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Paul Prays for

• MORE LOVE
• MORE KNOWLEDGE
• MORE UNDERSTANDING
• And this is my prayer that your love may
  abound more and more in knowledge and depth of
  insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern
  what is best

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1 - MORE LOVE, LORD

• This Church was LOVING.
• Paul prays for MORE love.
• Love must Abound to
• bubble up like a spring.
• In 1919 Laurence of Arabia, toured in PARIS with
  Arab wartime friends. For them the most amazing
  sight in Paris was a water tap at their hotel!

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What lay behind the tap?

• What lies behind Christian Love?
• When we pray to God for MORE Love in our Church
  are we ready for God to answer?
• How will his answer change me?

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Can You Finish This Text?

• Ephesians 28-9
• For it is by grace you have been saved, through
  faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the
  gift of God - not by works, so that no one can
  boast.
• What verse comes next?
• For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ
  Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in
  advance for us to do.

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2- MORE KNOWLEDGE, LORD

• To LOVE according to the Bible we need to THINK
  biblically! That your love may abound more and
  more in knowledge
• Lets get technical with language

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Pauls Technical Word-box

• This is not just KNOWING (gnosis) but
  special-knowing, SPECIALISED KNOWLEDGE
  (epignosis).
• In the New Testament this is always spiritual
  knowledge truths discovered in the Bible.
• Luke 1.4, so that you may know
• Col 110, Growing in the knowledge of God.

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So No Bible, No Love.

• Dont set up mind and heart (feeling and knowing)
  as enemies.
• Do Beware a Christianity that is all talk, all
  words and no passion.
• Keep up your STUDY or you will forget basic
  Christian truth.

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3 - MORE UNDERSTANDING, LORD

• Knowing the bible leads to RIGHT APPLICATION.
  That demands discernment, understanding, depth of
  insight. that your love may abound more and
  more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so
  that you may be able to discern what is best

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This Is a Repeated Prayer

• Colossians 19-11. For this reason, since the day
  we heard about you, we have not stopped praying
  for you and asking God to fill you with the
  knowledge of his will through all spiritual
  wisdom and understanding. 10 And we pray this in
  order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord
  and may please him in every way bearing fruit in
  every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,
  11 being strengthened with all power according
  to his glorious might

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Understanding Saves Your Blushes

• "So that you may be able to discern what is best"
  (v.10).
• Where there is an absence of discernment in the
  church, there can be gullibility.
• We can settle for the good, not the best.
• Understanding leads to a planned Christianity,
  full of purpose, bearing fruit.

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Remember How Fruit Grows

• MORE LOVE KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
• We are not like Christmas trees - trying to tie
  sweets on our branches.
• In Christ, we are new plants, connected to
  Christ, bearing his fruit.
• More love leads to more knowledge

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Show Christ You Love Him

• Depend on Christ for your fruit (John 15
  without me you can do nothing).
• Thou art coming to a King, Large petitions with
  thee bring For His grace and power are such,
  None can ever ask too much. John Newton

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Psalm 631-5 (p. 295)

•  Lord, thee my God, Ill early seek
• my soul doth thirst for thee
• My flesh longs in a dry parched
• land,
• wherein no waters be

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Psalm 631-5 2/4

• That I thy powèr may behold,
• and brightness of thy face,
• As I have seen thee heretofore
• within thy holy place.

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Psalm 631-5 3/4

• Since better is thy love than life,
• my lips thee praise shall give.
• I in thy name will lift my hands,
• and bless thee while I live.

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Psalm 631-5 4/4

• Evn as with marrow and with fat
• my soul shall fillèd be
• Then shall my mouth with
• joyful lips
• sing praises unto thee

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Please join us in the hall for
tea and coffee
God Calls Us to delight in Christ and to
Share His Hope.
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