My Brethren, Beloved and Longed For

Driving home: The apostle delighted to use this word because, every time he used it, it reminded him and should remind those who are addressed as brethren of the glorious truth that by the grace of God, sinners from every diverse kind…

The tediousness of someone using 'ah' as a verbal filler is used to contrast Paul's purposeful and rich use of repeated words like 'brethren,' emphasizing that biblical repetition is never thoughtless.

And then again in verse 18 of the last chapter. I'm sorry, verse 21, The brethren that are with me salute you. Now, why does the apostle in addressing the Philippians at this point, in the letter, take up this term brethren and use it again? Is it just some kind of a verbal filler like we use the word ah while we're waiting for the next thought to come?

11:23 - 11:50 Read in full sermon

Driving home: That which we truly love we long for. A heart full of affection for the Philippians will inevitably bring in its train and affinity for the Philippians.

Martin recounts his personal experience of homesickness at age 12, crying himself to sleep, to illustrate the intense yearning implied by Paul's term 'longed for ones'.

for its mother's breast or for the bottle when it's hungry. He says you Philippians are not only my beloved ones but you are my longed for ones. It's something of that feeling that the child feels the first time he goes away to camp and gets a good case of homesickness. And I know what that's like.

23:53 - 24:17 Read in full sermon

Driving home: That which we truly love we long for. A heart full of affection for the Philippians will inevitably bring in its train and affinity for the Philippians.

The longing a wife feels for her husband during a lengthy business trip is used to further illustrate the deep yearning and affection Paul expresses with 'longed for ones'.

Now I got over it quite quickly at age 14 I went away for a whole summer to work at a camp and at age 15 and I made out alright but I'll never forget that first dose of real homesickness. That longing that yearning for my relatives. It's what a wife feels when a husband who is the proper head and governor of his home and the tender cherisher of her being is away on a lengthy business trip and nothing just seems to be quite right and everywhere she turns she's reminded of him and of his absence and there grows within her breast a longing for him and his return. It's what a soldier on the battle...

24:39 - 25:23 Read in full sermon

Driving home: That which we truly love we long for. A heart full of affection for the Philippians will inevitably bring in its train and affinity for the Philippians.

A soldier in a foxhole looking at a picture of his family and yearning for them is used to convey the profound sense of longing in Paul's address.

Now I got over it quite quickly at age 14 I went away for a whole summer to work at a camp and at age 15 and I made out alright but I'll never forget that first dose of real homesickness. That longing that yearning for my relatives. It's what a wife feels when a husband who is the proper head and governor of his home and the tender cherisher of her being is away on a lengthy business trip and nothing just seems to be quite right and everywhere she turns she's reminded of him and of his absence and there grows within her breast a longing for him and his return. It's what a soldier on the battle...

24:39 - 25:23 Read in full sermon

Driving home: oh if you Philippians continue to be monuments of the power of the gospel in practical holiness in the last day I'll wear the victor's crown as a minister who was used to realize the great end of the ministry which is wh…

John Stone's picture of a Roman Emperor with a fading diadem contrasted with Paul, an incarcerated old man with scars, wearing the 'laurel of victory' through the Philippians, illustrates the true nature of Paul's 'crown'.

or joy or crown of glory are not even you before our Lord Jesus it is coming for you are our glory and our joy what is our hope or joy or crown of glory are not you before the Lord at his coming and so you see that couplet again of joy and of crown and as John Stone in his very perceptive comments on this verse is underscored and I'll not take time to quote him because time is swiftly passing from us this morning he drew the beautiful picture of the Roman

32:37 - 33:21 Read in full sermon

The point: Let our affection and our appreciation be known to those whom we lead in spiritual matters, expressing love not only in deed but also in word.

The common counseling scenario where a wife longs for verbal expressions of love from her dutiful but silent husband illustrates that deeds alone are not always self-interpreting and words are essential for expressing affection.

no when it is an honest expression of your heart when those whom you lead have by their actions proven themselves worthy of such expressions as beloved and long-term for how are they going to know they are loved and long for unless you tell them you see words deeds are not always self-interpreting deeds need to be explained by words some women very dutifully without much delight in their husbands serve them lovely meals day in day out

38:33 - 39:17 Read in full sermon

The point: Let our affection and our appreciation be known to those whom we lead in spiritual matters, expressing love not only in deed but also in word.

The memory of Paul's beating and imprisonment at Philippi, and the jailer washing his wounds, is used to show that while the Philippians saw Paul's deeds of love, he still chose to verbalize his affection in the letter.

behind fixing those meals is that you love him and so the apostle had proven indeed his love for the Philippians that church came to birth in the midst of his own blood he was beaten in that Roman prison and when he came out that night you remember the Roman jailer had been converted the first act of mercy he did as a Christian was to wash the wounds of Paul and Silas and in a sense Paul could say well the Philippians know I love them I carry scars that are living monuments of my love and they saw the scars but when he writes them he's not content with the memory of those deeds he says finally...

40:45 - 41:29 Read in full sermon

The point: Let our affection and our appreciation be known to those whom we lead in spiritual matters, expressing love not only in deed but also in word.

The recent Wednesday night service where members expressed gratitude for others' ministry is used as an example of how expressions of love and appreciation humble and encourage, rather than making people careless.

my longed poor brethren he tells them that he loves them and then he tells them how much he esteems them he says you're my joy and my crown now again someone objects why if leaders in churches and in homes are that profuse in the expression of their affection and the esteem of those that they're leading won't that make people careless that's not the way of grace my friends few things will stir the heart of a true Christian to greater faithfulness than to know that he's loved when he sees so much unlovely in himself and to know that he brings joy to another when for the life of him he can't fig...

41:29 - 42:13 Read in full sermon