And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1: 9-11, NKJV).
Dear God, we have come to the second part of this message; please speak to us and by Your grace help us to hear and obey Your voice. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
We began this two-part study by looking at the similarities in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 13) and our verse for today. The emphasis is on love. In the letter to the Corinthians the message is, “without love, nothing you do is worth anything.” In this letter to the Philippians the message is, “as your love increases, you will approve the excellent, and you will be sincere, and offense-less until Jesus returns.”
Today let us see what else is hidden in this Word from the Lord.
“[B]eing filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” What are the fruits of righteousness? For one thing, we know that they are from (by) Jesus Christ, and for the glory and praise of God. Now let us find out exactly what they are.
In John chapter 15, we read: ” ‘ “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. ‘ “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing . . .” ‘ ” ‘ ” (4, 5).
1) They are the fruits (things we do) that are borne naturally as we abide in Christ. Now if we abide in Christ, these fruits are the product of our abiding in Christ, we are no longer doing things a certain way. We have become a certain way.
Galatians 2: 20 reads: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
2) Because two bodies cannot exist in the same place at the same time, one has to give way to the other. One nature has to die that the other may live. This was Paul’s experience. So in reality, the works of righteousness are Christ’s and not ours. These are works of Love, “God is love . . .” (1 John 4: 8a). The love of God, that has become a part of our nature, is producing these works in us.
Finally, we read in Matthew 5: 16: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
3) God will be glorified in us. After all, the works are His!