In Philippians chapter 4, that
portion of Scripture that we read, Philippians chapter 4,
I direct your attention tonight to the words that we find at
verse 10. Philippians 4 verse 10, But I
rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care
of me hath flourished again, wherein ye were all so careful
but she lacked opportunity. I want really just to take three
words from this verse for our text. Those words that we find
in the middle of the verse, hath flourished again. Hath flourished
again. And to think of the time of spiritual
flourishing. how important it is that the
ministry should be rounded. Mr Spurgeon in one of his books,
which he intended for his ministerial students, entitled that work,
An All-Round Ministry. And I like the title. It reminds
us of the importance of a rounded ministry. What do we mean by
that? Well, we mean that the ministry should have three principal
elements to it. There is doctrine, there is experience,
and there is practice. And again, it was our late friend,
Mr. Sidney Norton, who at one time,
in the course of his ministry, used to publish a little journal
which he entitled D.E.P. In fact, I'm not sure whether
it wasn't the the forerunner of that that eventually became
known as the Banner of Truth magazine. There were a number
of those journals published. D.E.P. Doctrine, Experience and
Practice. In the ministry there needs to
be that doctrinal basis that's setting forth of the great biblical
doctrines but we don't just want to have our heads instructed
with regards to doctrinal truth we need to have an experience
of those doctrines in our souls so whilst doctrine is important
we're not to overlook the necessity of coming to an experimental
knowledge of those doctrines And where there is the experience,
surely there will also be that fruit following. There will be
that practical working out, walking out, those truths that God has
impressed upon our souls. And so how one of these leads
to the other doctrine, experience and practice. And we see this
so clearly in the writings, the epistles of the Apostle Paul. We come, for example, to this
epistle to the Philippians from whence our text is taken this
evening. There is great doctrine in this
epistle, profound doctrine. Doesn't the Apostle in chapter
2 have that section from verse 5 following in which he sets
before us the great doctrine of the person and the work of
the Lord Jesus Christ. And the passage is tremendous
reading. You read those verses from verse
5 through to verse 11, in the second chapter, and meditates
upon those things that the Apostle is saying with regards to Jesus
Christ, how He is God. He thinks it not robbery to be
equal with God. That is not something He needs
to grasp after. He is equal. equal to the Father,
equal to the Spirit. The three persons in the one
undivided Trinity. Father, Son and Holy Spirit He
is. Equal to God, the Father, equal
to God, the Son and yet He makes Himself of no reputation and
takes upon Him the form of a servant and is made in the likeness of
man. The great mystery of godliness, how God was manifest in the flesh. Most profound doctrine then is
found here in the second chapter of this epistle. And it is an
important doctrine. We sing the hymn of Newton's
many times. What think you of Christ is the
test to try both your state and your scheme, you cannot be right
in the rest unless you think rightly of Him. If we are those
who are true Christians, we must have right, proper, biblical
views of the doctrine. and the importance of the doctrine
of the person and the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. But then,
in this epistle we also find experience. In fact, Paul speaks
of himself, speaks of his own experience in that third chapter.
There's a very personal section there from verse 4 right through
to verse 14. He's speaking of experience.
He begins at verse 2 by saying, Beware of dogs, beware of evil
workers, beware of the concision, for we are the circumcision which
worship God in the spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have
no confidence in the flesh. And then he goes on to speak
of himself. When he speaks of the concision, he's referring
to those Judaizers, those who were creeping into those New
Testament churches and seeking to say how important it was that
Gentiles should submit to circumcision. No, says the Apostle, that is
the concision. What does he mean by concision?
Well, that refers to those cuttings and piercings of the flesh that
were so clearly forbidden under the Old Testament law. And he
says to continue with circumcision is to indulge in those things
that God had prohibited. Those illegal cuttings and piercings. He dismisses those Judaizers
as the concision, and he says, we are the circumcision, the
true Israel of God, which worship God in the Spirit and rejoice
in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. And then he goes
on to speak of himself, and where his own trust lies, is one desire
to be found in the Lord Jesus Christ, he says. Not having mine
own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through
the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith, is
experience. There's doctrine in the epistle,
there's experience here in this epistle, but then also there's
that more practical part. And that's what we have when
we come to this final chapter. Therefore, he says, the opening
word of the chapter is making a deduction. He said remarkable
truths before them and now what are the practical implications?
Well, he gives a whole series of exhortations as to how they
are to conduct themselves, the things that they are to do. And
it's interesting to observe these practical parts. He gives instruction
to individuals. It's very personal. He names
two individuals. Euodius and Syntyche. I beseech
Euodius and beseech Syntyche that they be of the same mind
in the Lord, he said. And I entreat thee also, true
yoke fellow, help those women which laboured with me in the
Gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellow labourers
whose names are in the Book of Life." It's very personal, but
he's giving very specific instruction to individuals. He makes it plain
how they need to be a praying people. He says, Be careful for
nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known
unto God. All in the imperative, they're
all commands, exhortations, how they are to live, what they are
to do. But then as the directs them
to pray, so He encourages them to pray by reminding them of
God's promise. They will not pray in vain. No,
He says at verse 7, the peace of God which passes all understanding
shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Oh, it
will not be a vain a futile thing to pray to this
God, He is a God of promises He is a God who encourages His
children in the way of obedience He acknowledges their obedience
as He says to the Hebrews God is not unrighteous to forget
your work and labour of love in that ye have ministered to
the saints and do minister Why Paul himself will praise these
Philippians. They deserve to be acknowledged,
to be praised. In verse 14 he says, notwithstanding
ye have well done that ye did communicate with my affliction. How they were concerned to minister
to him. He had ministered to them. in
the things of God, the things of the Gospel, in spiritual things,
and they want to minister to Him, He encourages them, He praises
them, He reminds them of the example that He had set before
them. That lovely verse 8, Finally
brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest,
whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things
are lovely, whatever things are of good report if there be any
virtue and if there be any prize think on these things and he
goes on those things which you have both learned and received
and heard and seen in me do and the God of peace shall be with
you be ye followers of me even as I also am of Christ Why? He wants them to be flourishing
in all the graces, all the fruits of the Spirit of God. And so
he says in verse 10, But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that nevertheless
your care of me hath flourished again, wherein ye were also careful,
but ye lacked opportunity. And it is spiritual flourishing.
in particular that I want to concentrate on this evening. These three words have flourished
again. First of all, let us examine
the particular figure that he is using. This word, flourished,
in it there is an allusion to vegetation and to trees and the
the foliage and the fruits that will be produced on those healthy
trees and aren't believers likened onto trees? If we go back to the book of
the prophet Isaiah there in Isaiah chapter 60 in the end of the
chapter God speaks of the branch of my planting the work of my
hands that I might be glorified." He's speaking of those who are
planted in the house of the Lord. It's his own work, it's his own
doing. Again, at the beginning of chapter 61, that they might
be called trees of righteousness, it said. The planting of the
Lord's, that He might be glorified. This is a particular figure then
that we find being used with regards to the people of God
God's planting oh yes to the Corinthians Paul can say I planted
a pollis water but God gave the increase God gave the increase
God causes the plant to flourish and to bear its fruit but there
we have that particular figure so many times in the book of
the Psalms. I did wonder whether maybe we
should have sung from the metrical version in the first Psalm. Remember how the book of Psalms
opens with a description of the blessed man? Well, we've sung
Psalm 1 on a number of occasions, I suppose, but I thought it might
be good to sing instead from another Psalm, but that's the
same scene there in Psalm 92. But look at Psalm 1. You're familiar
with the words. Blessed is the man that walketh
not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners,
nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is
in the law of the Lord. And in his law doth he meditate
day and night, and he shall be like a tree, planted by the rivers
of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither,
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. And then he goes on,
the ungodly are not so. There's a contrast between that
godly man and that ungodly man who's like the chaff which the
wind drives away. Oh, here is the godly man, he's
like a tree. and he's planted by the river and he brings forth
his fruits in his season and his leaf also prospers, it doesn't
wither and fall away. But then it's the same principle
that we have in that 92nd Psalm from which we did sing in the
metrical version. The end of that Psalm the righteous
shall flourish like the palm tree he shall grow like a cedar
in Lebanon those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall
flourish in the court of our God they shall still bring forth
fruit in old age they shall be fat and flourishing to show that
the Lord is upright he is my rock and there is no unrighteousness
in him Here then is the particular figure that we have, the figure
of the child of God who is in a flourishing condition. And Paul, you see, as he writes
here to the believers at Philippi, says, I rejoiced in the Lord
greatly that nevertheless your care of me has flourished again,
wherein you were also careful, he says, but ye lacked opportunity. Well, what does he go on to say?
At verse 17, not because I desire a gift. All they ministered to
him is they had the opportunity. But it wasn't because he desired
their gift. It wasn't that he wanted to to
prosper at their kindness. Not because I desire a gift,
but I desire fruit. that may abound to your account."
He's a true pastor. He wants that that is only best
for them. He wants to see them in a flourishing
condition. Now, when he was at Philippi,
of course, he had suffered much. And he suffered at the hands
of the Philippian jailer, and yet, in the Strange, mysterious
ways of God, how that jailer was converted. How that man was
soundly converted to the faith of Jesus Christ. that man who
had been so cruel to Paul and to Silas and yet we see him subsequently
ministering to them we see something of the fruit of his gratitude
in the way in which things are turned around as he is brought
to that saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus and now he will care
for these prisoners who had suffered so much from him. There in Acts
chapter 16, the historic account that we have in the Acts. Verse 32, we're told how they,
that is Paul and Silas, spake unto him the word of the Lord
unto all that were in his house. Lovely expression, they spake
unto him the word of the Lord. That's the gospel. the gospel
of the grace of God in our Lord Jesus Christ. And he took them,
it says, the same hour of the night and washed their stripes
and was baptized, he and all his straight were. And when he
had brought them into his house, he set meat before them and rejoiced,
believing in God with all his house. He's one of those in the
church at Philippi. And what flourishing now in his
soul as he ministers to these men whom previously he had treated
so contemptuously and so wickedly. Oh, what a comfort, friends.
It says there in the first epistle general of John, we know that
we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren. Oh, do we bear that mark of the
grace of God. Can we not deduce some assurance
from that? We know! All we have an assurance
that has is a genuine saving faith. Why? Because we love the
brethren. Do we love the brethren? Do we
love one another? Do we desire to minister to one
another? And it's not just those that we're familiar with in the
local church. You know we can have fellowship
with those brethren who have gone before. Sometimes when we
come to read the writings of those gracious, those godly men
of a previous day, do we not feel in our soul such a union
to them? Why they write in such a way
that we can relate to what they're saying? We feel that ours is
the same faith as they possess, and we love them for it. Or do
we bear that blessed mark? We know that we have passed from
death unto life because we love the brethren. And how are we
to love? Not in word only, but in deed it says, and in truth. And this is how it was with these
Philippians. They ministered to the Apostle. Look at what he says at verse
15, Now ye Philippians know also that in the beginning of the
Gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, all remember how we
had received that call to Macedonia, come over and help us? And so
the Gospel had come over into Europe. Paul was minded to go
into Asia Minor, but no, he's called by the Spirit of God to
go into Macedonia. And he goes there and he ministers
the Word of God amongst others to those at Philippi. There ye
Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel,
that's the beginning of the gospel amongst them, when I departed
from Macedonia no church communicated with me as concerning giving
and receiving but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent
once and again unto my necessity. O they were so so willing and so ready to minister
to him not only to the Philippians he reminds also the Corinthians
of the kindness he received from those at Philippi writing in
2nd Corinthians chapter 11 and verse 8 he says I robbed
other churches taking wages of them to do you, that is, your
Corinthian service. And when I was present with you
and wanted, I was chargeable to no man, for that which was
lacking to me, the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied." Oh, how they ministered to him!
What love they had for him! And so he says here, your care of me hath flourished
again wherein ye were also careful but, he says, ye lacked opportunity
they didn't always have the opportunity and why was it? well, the sovereign
hand of God is behind that nothing that happens comes by chance
no, our life's minute is circumstance is subject to His eyes? Or we
deny all those fictitious powers of chance and fortune. Everything
is under the hand of a God who is sovereign. Why was it that
they lacked opportunity? There was a reason in it, maybe.
Maybe it was to keep them from any sort of spirit of self-righteousness. was their danger to these Philippians
that their fruit, that fruit that was so commendable in them
might be blighted by pride. They were so generous really. Look at how he speaks of them
there at the end of verse 15, it's Ioli, how they were so different
to other churches. Was there that danger that they
would begin to be puffed up? There are different seasons,
you see. We know that there are different seasons in the natural
realm. But there are also different
seasons, and must be different seasons, when we think of the
realm of grace, when we think of growth in grace. We see the principle in nature. We have that promise after the
great universal flood when God visited a terrible judgment upon
that world of what's called the antediluvians, those before the
flood. God had made the world good,
very good. and set man and woman there in
the paradise that was the garden of Eden and yet how how man sins
and how evils began to abound and God visits his judgment and
destroys men and preserves just Noah and his wife and his sons
and their wives and then the promise while the earth remaineth
says God while the earth remaineth seed time and harvest cold and
heat summer and winter day and night shall not cease." This
is the way God works, you see, there are different seasons.
The psalmist says, the day is Thine, the night also is Thine. Thou hast prepared the light
and the sun, Thou hast set all the bounds of the earth. Thou
hast made summer and winter. And it's interesting, isn't it,
when we read of that godly man in the opening psalm in the first
psalm it is fruit in his season fruit in his season here are
certain seasons God has ordained that it should be so there's
that hymn really I suppose suitable for singing in the public worship
of God but nonetheless There are hymns in the book that are
worthy of us reading them for our own devotions. And I think
of that hymn on fruitfulness really, one of Joseph Hart's
hymns, 875. You can read through the hymn,
seven verses in all, but look at what he says, amongst other
things. Verse four, though winter weighs the earth a while, spring
soon revives the verdant meads, the ripening fields in summer
smile, and autumn, with rich crops, succeeds. But I from month
to month complain, I feel no warmth, no fruits I see, I look
for life but dead remain, tis winter all the year with me. How he is brought to lament the
sad state he's come to, because of his sins, and yet he concludes
on this note, still on thy promise I'll rely, from whom alone my
fruit is found, until the Spirit from on high enrich the dry and
barren ground." Well, God is able to revive His work within
the souls of His children and make it to flourish again. But
there are those seasons, there are those seasons. We know that
there's the seasons in nature we We're coming now through autumn,
we'll soon be in the season of the winter, but then we'll be
looking forward to the spring, and then after the spring the
summer suns, and then again we come to the autumn, the time
of harvests. How the seasons come and go, and God has appointed
these things. Remember that famous sermon of
J.C. Philpott's, based on the text
in Isaiah 18, 5 and 6, which he entitled, Winter for Harvest. And he seeks to point out there
that when it comes to the seasons in grace, the order is somewhat
different. Here it is, summer before the autumn and the time
of the harvest. But in the soul he suggests that
there is a period of winter that comes. And in that period of
winter what are we learning? We're learning our complete and
our utter dependence upon God. That's what he's teaching us.
He brings us down, he brings us to the end of self. And so
with these people you see it wasn't by chance that they lacked
opportunity. They have to learn, we all have
to learn this very simple lesson as the Lord says through the
prophet Hosea, from me is thy fruit found. Any fruitfulness,
any flourishing in our soul, where does it come from? It comes
only from the Lord, everything comes from Him. I am the vine,
says the Lord Jesus. He are the branches, he that
abideth in me bringeth forth much fruit without mirth. He
can do nothing. Doesn't the Lord have to teach
us that? Time and time and time and time again. All Paul can speak of them flourishing
again, but they lack the opportunity for a while. But did it come
again in God's time? Well let us, having looked at
the figure somewhat, turn in the second place to see what
the fruit is. He says has flourished Again,
how important is fruit? You see, when we consider the
trees, if it's a fruit tree, the foliage may deceive us. Wasn't that a lesson that the
Lord Himself taught by means of the fig truth in the Gospel,
in Matthew chapter 21? And there, verses 18 and 19,
we're told, in the morning as he returned into the city, he
hungered. And when he saw a fig tree in
the way, he came to it and found nothing thereon but leaves only,
and said unto it, let no fruit grow on thee henceforward forever,
and presently the fig tree withered away. Foliage is of little use. The Lord looks
for fruit. And this is how the believer
is known. Again, the ministry of the Lord, you know the passage
there in the Sermon on the Mount. The Lord speaks of that that
distinguishes the people of God. It marks them out. They're known
by their fruits. Ye shall know them by their fruits,
says Christ. Do men gather grapes of thorns
or figs of thistles? Even so, every good tree bringeth
forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt
tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not
forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire, wherefore
by their fruits ye shall know them, says the Lord. All the
importance of fruit flourishing. So are we those who desire to
flourish again, to flourish again. Consider something of the context
here concerning these Philippians he says at the end of this 10th verse wherein
ye were also careful but ye lacked opportunity now the word careful
is used previously in verse 6 where he speaks of prayer be careful
he says for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God." It's
the same word in our English version, but it's not the same
word in the original. They're different words, quite
different in meaning. The word that we have there in
verse 6, be careful for nothing, has the basic meaning of anxiety. Don't be anxious. Don't be anxious. don't be full of doubts whereas
the word here in verse 10 really has reference to thinking being
mindful it's a different word not anxious thoughts now it's
being mindful of others and their needs it's interesting when we
think of the parallel between grace and nature, as it were,
as with a tree in winter, so too with the believer in the
winter, of course. Though there are no leaves upon
the tree yet, the tree is not dead. Spiritual life is still
there, and so might it be with the believer. There's not always that opportunity
to express Christian love in practical ways. That's what the
believer would desire to do, to show something of his very
real affection for his fellow believers. He wants to minister
to them. This was so with these Philippians.
Why Paul had ministered to them of great spiritual blessings.
He preached the gospel amongst them. and the Holy Spirit had
come and accomplished a gracious work in the soul of sinners there
at Philippi. Why think of Lydia, the seller
of purple, there by the riverside? Her heart was opened of the Lord
and she attended unto those things that were spoken by the Apostle.
Do you believe those things? And they say that Philippi had
received so much from the apostles, so they wanted to minister in
a practical way. But it's not always possible to show Christian love in practical
things, but that Christian love may be shown in other ways, in
prayerful ways. Well, if we might not be in a
position to do what we would to others, yet we can pray for
them. And so Paul, you see, gives a variety of exhortations. Amongst
them he exhorts them to real prayer. Be careful for nothing. But in everything, by prayer
and supplication, with thanksgivings, let your requests be made known
unto God. How Paul is one who would delight
in the prayers of the saints, how he loves their prayers. Why
when he addresses himself previously to the Ephesians and speaks of that
Christian armour. A great passage at the end of
Ephesians 6, having spoken of the various parts of the spiritual
armour, he says, verse 18, praying always with all prayer and supplication
in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication
for all saints, and for me. Oh, and for me. Oh, please pray
for me, says Paul, that utterance may be given unto me. that I
may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel
for which I am an ambassador in bonds that therein I may speak
boldly as I ought to speak." Paul wants them to pray there
at Ephesus and so too amongst the Colossians when he comes
to that practical part of the epistle as he does time and again
at the end of his epistles there in Colossians 4 And verse 2 it
says, continue in prayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving
with all praying also for us that God would open unto us a
door of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ for which I
am also in bonds and I may make it manifest as I ought to speak. Why he's so dependent upon them. He wants their prayers. This is what he desires of them. He wants them to pray for Him. And if they think of Him, if
they're mindful of Him, they're careful for Him, they might lack
opportunity to minister in a practical way, but they can pray for Him.
And so we see here, how thankful the Apostle is himself. The beginning
of this 10th verse, he says, I rejoiced in the Lord greatly.
I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at the last your care
of me hath flourished again." All he rejoices in God, all the
good that they do to him and for him is the evidence of the
work of God in the souls of these Philippians. He knew that God
had begun the good work as he says in the opening chapter
being confident of this very thing that he which hath begun
a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ
here is the evidence their care of him flourishing
again why God says without me you can do nothing from me is thy fruit found and
they were fruitful. Oh, they were fruitful. And this
is what Paul desires, you see, in all his hereas, all these
churches where he has been so active, engaged in the ministry,
establishing the churches. When he writes to the Colossians,
the next epistle, look at what he says there in verse 10 of
the opening chapter, that she might walk worthy of the Lord
unto all pleasing, being fruitful. In every good work and increasing
in the knowledge of God, He wants them to be fruitful. He wants
them to be flourishing. What does He want to see? He
wants to see that blessed fruit, that evidence of the work of
the Spirit of God in the souls of all these sinners. It's that
fruit of the Spirit that He speaks of when He writes to the church
at Galatians, or the churches of Galatians, the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
meekness, temperance. Against such there is no law. And thou that art Christ, have
crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live
in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. All Paul's desire
then, that there might be that flourishing, hath flourished
again, or that we might know it, friends, that we might flourish
in all the ways of the Gospel, that we might be those who are
fruitful, and that that fruit may abound to the glory of God. or that we might know such a
ministry of the Spirit in our own souls, that we might be those
who are trees of righteousness, the Lord's planting in the Lord's
house, that He might be glorified. The Lord bless His word to us. Amen.