Series: Philippians
Sermon: Growing in Love
Bible Passage: Philippians 1:9-11

I. Highlights of the Philippian church:

1. Positional transformation—“the holy ones” (verse 1)
2. Relational transformation with God— “God as Father” (verse 2)
3. Substantive partnership in ministry (verse 5)
4. Strong relationship with Paul that he holds them in his heart (vv. 7-8)

II. Paul is not satisfied with the status quo of the Philippian believers, but he desires more for them (vv. 9-11)

1.Love
2. Knowledge and insight (discernment)
3. Blamelessness when meeting with Jesus (result)
4. Fruit of righteousness (result)
5. God’s glory (result)

III. Love

1. (what is the sign of lack of agape love?)

a. Desire to hurt others (1:16-17)
b. Putting self as the center of the universe (2:2-3)
c. Consider other people less than the self (2:3)
d. Unhealthy disagreement and competition for superiority (4:2)—Euodia and to Syntyche

2. What does Paul want them to have?

a. Love in abundance that benefits others without reciprocity or mutuality (verse 9) —no expectation
b. Jesus is the model for such a love (cf. 2:5-11)
c. Timothy demonstrated it (4:19-22)
d. So, Paul prays that the love of the Philippians will increase more and more in abundance

IV. Knowledge and Insight

1.Increase of this love and its influence on others is based on knowledge and insight (verse 9b)
2. Without knowledge and insight, love may be misdirected

a. Love is to be regulated by knowledge
b. Knowledge and insight come through listening to and being obedient to the truth
c. It is through the intentional efforts of individual Christians to learn and to be obedient to the Scripture

3. This love (agape) is a behavior, which leads them to be “pure and blameless” (verse 10)

V. Fruit of Righteousness

1.Paul refers to the fruit that comes from the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ

a. Self-emptying so as to become servant in the place “self-centeredness”
b. Humbling oneself to the point of dying for another
c. Love that reflects God’s own love is the true fruit of righteousness
d. This is known as “knowing Christ and be filled with fruit of righteousness”

2. God’s glory: The ultimate end of love in believers is “God’s glory” (verse 11)

VI. Take Away

Look at Jesus; make efforts to know the truth as revealed in the Scripture; and be obedient to it