Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 5/30/12

Brother Gary Wednesday Evening 5/30/12

Php 1:14  And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Php 1:15  Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:

Php 1:16  The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds:

Php 1:17  But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.

Php 1:18  What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

Php 1:19  For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

Paul was saying that even though he was a prisoner, God was giving some open doors.  And others seeing this were encouraged to be more bold.  Because of this, he was rejoicing in his bonds.  He was happy because Jesus was being preached. 

Verse 19: through your prayer.  Paul was saved by a marvelous intervention.  He was sanctified too but he was saying that their prayers were going to work to his help. 

Verse 19: And the supply of the Spirit:  It is so wonderful that the Holy Spirit can supply what you and I need for the situation that God allows us to be in.  Some of you dear saints were able to be at the memorial of Anne Sheppard.  Some situations are more pronounced as needy than others.  The Holy Spirit was given so that it could supply to you and me what we need. 

This is going to turn to good, he says, by your prayer and the work that the Holy Spirit will do.  The Holy Spirit makes intercession for us when we pray.  We often don’t know how to pray but the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us.

Php 1:20  According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.

We have hope.  The Holy Spirit has a way of moving on us to have expectation.  If you don’t expect anything from God then you will not get anything from God.  If you are expecting then there is hope.

He was expecting through the prayers of the saints and through the Holy Spirit that in nothing he’d be ashamed.

In life every one of us has burdens that are from God and also we have the knowledge of needs that we’d like to see met and we’d like to meet those needs.  They may be emotional, financial, or spiritual needs.  The Holy Spirit of God can give us strength, wisdom, and the open door to do what he wants us to do so that as Paul was exhorting us: in nothing we will be ashamed.

We all know dear saints that are isolated, in difficulty, or laid aside.  It is a wonderful thing when we know this intellectually and our heart is, “God I want to do whatever you’d want me to do.”  The Bible teaches us to do good and communicate.

It is so amazing how when God lays a burden on our heart, whomever it may be in this audience, there is something about the saints praying and the Holy Spirit working within us that in ‘nothing shall I be ashamed.’ 

There are a lot of things that we cannot supply for others.  We cannot supply everything that others need.  What God wants us to do, if we will stay rightly related to Him, if we will be righteous, doing what is right toward God then doing what is right toward our brother, when we have it in our heart that we want to be righteous with God with others and with the world, when we do this then with the prayers of the saints and the supply of the Holy Spirit, ‘in nothing I shall be ashamed.’  Isn’t that wonderful!

Php 2:1  If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,

 

There is consolation in Christ.  There is comfort in love.  There is something about the comfort of love.  The Holy Spirit spreads abroad the love of God.  God gives love. 

We can fellowship the Holy Spirit!  This one that is interceding for me, this one that is of the Father and of the Son, we can fellowship with Him.

Three times in the book of Philippians Paul used a word that was translated ‘Supply’.

Php 2:30  Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me.

Paul was saying, “You saints were not able to meet all of our needs.”  Sometimes the Philippians are not able to meet all of our needs.  This is the reason that none of us is anyone’s savior.  As much as we love we will not be able to meet all of anyone’s needs.

Php 4:19  But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

God is able to supply everything that I need.   My greatest needs are not tangible.  Our greatest need is God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit of God.