A Pastor’s Prayer - Philippians 1:9-11

A Pastor’s Prayer - Philippians 1:9-11

By Pastor Lee Hemen

February 22, 2009 AM

What is prayer for you? Is it a way to gain the attention of God? A means to gripe about your latest ache or pain? Perhaps a means of simple meditation or conversation with the Lord? In the letters of Paul we discover that Paul prayed a lot. He prayed for the churches he helped establish, he prayed for those he had won to Christ, he prayed for the leadership of the church in Jerusalem, and he prayed for the lost to come to Christ as well. But one of the things Paul mentions specifically and generally over and over is that he prayed that his fellow Christians would grow in their knowledge of God. He prayed this way because at his core, Paul was a pastor and he had a pastor’s heart.

As we look in the passage this morning from Philippians we discover a pastor’s prayer that is both beautiful and grand in its insight and gives us a look inside of pastor Paul’s heart for those he discipled. It is a wonderful example of a pastor’s prayer. Let’s discover why…

READ: Philippians 1:9-11

Paul was a powerful intercessor for those he cared about. We find him constantly praying for the churches he established because he wanted them to grow not only in numbers but also in their understanding of their love for God through Jesus. This is the prayer every pastor has for his church. In looking at the words Paul wrote to the Philippians we begin to appreciate that…

I. Pastors pray that their churches will grow spiritually! (V. 9)

1. A Christian is a work in progress! Paul wrote: “We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.” (2 Thessalonians 1:3) This is what a Christian is to be known for: Growing more and more in their love of God and their love for one another! It reflects what Jesus said: “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35) This love however is not an emotional feeling, it is an act of will that comes from complete faith in Jesus, who is the supreme example of God’s love. This is why Paul prayed that the Philippians’ “love” might “abound more and more”! He wanted them to grow “in knowledge and depth of insight” of the love of God as found in Jesus Christ. Any pastor would. Any pastor should! Interestingly, however, many believers are stagnant in this area of their spiritual lives. Literally, Paul was writing that he desired his fellow Christians superabound in a greater in-depth knowledge of God. To go beyond their limited understanding of who they thought God was. He was more than commands and following the letter of the law. God had shown Himself in the fullness of Jesus the Messiah. All there is to know about God is found in Jesus. Paul wanted his readers to abound in this “love” knowledge and go past their old understanding of God. Can you? It is a pastor’s prayer that their churches will grow spiritually.

EXAMPLE: Paul was not talking about some mystical bellybutton approach. No becoming one with creation claptrap. He wanted his readers to buck up and get growing in their knowledge of Jesus because by doing so they would understand God’s love a whole lot better! Sadly, in our day and age, many folk think their greater understanding of Jesus is revealed by how they feel at the moment so they rely far too much on others to give them a “holy moment” rather than spiritually growing “more and more in knowledge and depth of insight” of the love of God! The story is told of an accomplished artist who was applying the finishing touches to a bronze sculpture. He kept filing, scraping, and polishing every little surface of his masterpiece. “When will it be done?” asked an observer. “Never,” came the reply. “I just keep working and working until they come and take it away.” Much the same could be said of the children of God. We are saved by grace and declared righteous in Christ. Yet when it comes to the matter of Christlikeness in our everyday living, we must keep working at it until Jesus comes and takes us away. Pastor Paul prayed that the Philippians would grow spiritually.

When you look at the world around you what do you see? I am not just talking about the natural world but the spiritual world you are a part of daily. Many believers do not give one thought to the forces that are at work around them to thwart their walk with God. Paul understood this and is why he prayed the way he did for the Philippian church. We discover that…

II. Pastors pray that their churches would perceive what is best! (V. 10)

1. While the good of the world is fine, the best of God is better! Over the years, as a Pastor, I have been surprised at the fairly shallow reasoning some folks use to excuse their sinful lives. Especially Christians. Now I know no one is perfect, including Christians, that is, until they see Jesus face-to-face! But believers are to be striving to live “pure and blameless”’ lives until Jesus comes back or they are called home. This is one of the reasons so many in the world struggle with Christianity because they simply do not see Christians living this kind of lifestyle. Paul wanted his readers to have spiritual sight so that they would “be able to discern,” examine for themselves “what is best” in life. For Paul, it was not settling for what was good for the moment, but rather what was “best” so they would be “be pure and blameless until the day of Christ!” This is the duty of a pastor, to help his congregation go for the gold, so-to-speak! He would write the Colossian church, who was having spiritual troubles, “Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize.” (Colossians 2:18a) He would also bluntly write them: “My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments.” (Colossians 2:2-4) Pastors pray that their churches would perceive what is best!

EXAMPLE: We love to make up excuses as to why we sin forgetting that there is coming a day of reckoning. In a materialistic world like ours, we are tempted to conclude that the only real things are those we experience with our five senses. Yet C.S. Lewis wrote that “there are things we cannot see: things behind our backs or far away and all things in the dark.” We live in a fallen world that desires to pull us back down into its pitiful realm. With every breath we take we breath in the air of a sin-fallen creation. David Roper writes that “Faith is the means by which we are able to ‘see’ this invisible world. That is belief’s true function. Faith is to the spiritual realm what the five senses are to the natural realm.” Paul desperately wanted his readers to understand this truth. David Egner writes that “the better we can see with the eye of faith into the invisible, spiritual realm of God, the better we will see the visible world for what it really is. Understanding our hope of eternal life and realizing the wealth of our riches in Jesus Christ will enable us to maintain a proper perspective of this visible world. It will also keep us from being too focused on all the stuff it has to offer.” Pastor Paul prayed that the Philippians would perceive what was best!

Righteous living is not inherited. It is not something that is automatically given to the individual who comes to the Lord in faith. It is acquired moment-by-moment as the repentant believer walks in humility with his Lord and Savior. This is why Paul would dramatically write: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1-2) Here in Philippians we discover that…

III. Pastors pray that their churches will be holy! (V. 11)

1. Holiness comes when you learn to let go and live for God! Notice that Paul prayed that his disciples would be “filled with the fruit of righteousness.” Filled? Yes! Paul wanted them full of Godly graciousness! You know, things like “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control!” (Galatians 5:22-23) Paul understood that if Christians were “filled” with the “fruit of righteousness” that these “fruits” could only come “through Jesus Christ.” Holiness is more than something to “long for.” It is something that believers are to strive for moment-by-moment in thought, word, and deed. It is the “soul” purpose of the Christian’s life to live for God. Why? Paul told the Philippians it was “to the glory and praise of God!” You see, the life of the believer is more than just doing the right thing or living a good life. Holiness demands so much more. Paul would declare that it is “in Him we live and move and have our being!” (Acts 17:28) Therefore, our lives demand that we “cast our cares on him,” that we “not worry about tomorrow,” that we “take up [our] cross” and follow Him moment-by-moment. Churches now more than ever need to be holy and that can only come when the body itself, the individual believer in the pew, is “filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God!” Pastors pray that their churches will be holy!

EXAMPLE: I once read about an interesting method used by people in North Africa to catch monkeys. A hunter hollows out a gourd and makes a hole in its side just large enough for a monkey to insert his open hand. The gourd is then filled with nuts and tied to a tree. The curious monkey is attracted by the smell of the nuts and reaches inside and grasps them. The hole in the gourd is too small, however, for the animal to withdraw his fist as long as it is tightly closed around the nuts inside. Because he refuses to release his prize, the unsuspecting monkey falls easy prey to his captor. Unwilling to relax his grasp, he actually traps himself! The Christian who holds onto the sin of the world and makes excuses for it, is just like those monkeys that become entrapped by their own greed. They fall prey to the scheme of the world. Paul says, for us to be “filled with the fruit of righteousness.” Pastor Paul prayed that the Philippians would be holy!

Conclusion:

Paul definitely had a pastor’s heart. We discovered that pastors pray that their churches will grow spiritually, pastors pray that their churches would perceive what is best, and pastors pray that their churches will be holy! This is my desire as a pastor as well.

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