And I want to direct our attention to Philippians 4, just verse 1 tonight. And you have in your outline there the title, and I'm very honest when I say I've been convicted this week, I've been challenged this week, I've been encouraged and blessed this week, and I've spent time praying for the church family as well this week and preparing for this. And I want to bring you a sermon that I've entitled, Cultivating Affectionate Love for One Another and Standing Firm in the Lord. We need that. We need that. So, Philippians 4, verse 1. Let me just read the text, I'll pray, and then we'll study it. Here's what God's Word says. Therefore, my beloved brethren, whom I long to see, my joy and crown, In this way, stand firm in the Lord, my beloved. Father, we come yet again to you in prayer because it would be utter pride and utter foolishness to open up this powerful book, this divine book, that contains the mind of Christ and to think that in our puny minds we could understand and grasp and apply it in our own strength. We can't do it. And so we humbly come to you in our own hearts. We bow the knee to Christ. We bow the knee to the authority of your word. We we bow the knee to the headship of Jesus, our savior, the king of the church. And we ask, oh God, that you would teach us tonight. I have prayed in private and I want to pray yet again in public that you would, that you would change us, that you would grow us, that you would build more in us a Christ-like affection for one another here in this precious church family. at Christ Fellowship. So help us, Holy Spirit, we pray. You are our teacher and we are their students. Teach us and apply it to our lives in Jesus' name. Amen. So how would you describe a church that would be marked by love? Think about what that church would look like for a moment. As you sort of allow your mind to survey some of the distinctive features of what, what a church would look like if it is marked, really distinguished by love. What, what would that church look like? If it's marked by biblical love and biblical care and biblical affection for one another, how would it look on Sunday in the, in the worship gathering when you come together? How would it look in the conversations that we have one with another or with the fellowships that we have or with the hospitality when we invite others into our homes or, or, or the sacrificial service one to another, or, or in thoughts about, or even perceptions about one another in our local church or the financial giving. to one another or, or even reproving or convicting or, or comforting one another or befriending those who are very different than us. Or even time consuming service with one another or greeting one another or speaking well of one another or praying for each other or believing the best about each other or on and on. We could go, what would the marks of a loving church look like with all of these factors taken into play? A lot of people talk about love in the church in our day, in our culture, in our society. This is not new. Or maybe some talk about a lack of love in the church today. But our verse in Philippians 4 verse 1 is going to give Paul's example of overwhelming love for the Philippian believers whom he cares for so much. In fact, you know as well as I do that the Bible has a whole lot to say about loving one another, especially the New Testament when we're talking about the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. For instance, First Corinthians chapter 13 is a chapter that deals with the great and the glorious need for love. And here's the great thing. It's given to a church that is plagued with problems, plagued with sin, plagued with division, plagued with factions. And here in this chapter are helps for true love in a church full of problems. Or John 13 and verse 35, our savior said, all men will know that you are my disciples. If you have love for one another. Well, that's pretty convicting because our savior is saying that we will be so fervent in our love for one another that nonbelievers will know that there's something radically different about us because there's There's a different kind of heavenly love that has gripped our hearts. Or John 15 and verse 12, Jesus said, this is my commandment that you love one another. Or John 15, 13, greater love has no one than this. Then he laid down his life for his friends or John 15, 17. This I command you love one another. In the very end of the book of Second Corinthians, in Paul's benediction, he again, the church of Corinth, the church that was far from perfect. Second Corinthians 1311, he says, Finally, brethren, rejoice and be made complete, be comforted, be like minded, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. What a great verse, what a great benediction and a prayer for a congregation. Or 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, 1 Thessalonians chapter 3 and verse 6, the apostle Paul says, but now that Timothy has come to us from you and he has brought us good news of your faith and love and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us as we also long to see you. What does that mean? Paul describes love. And he describes love is that being Christians are thinking kindly of one another and Christians are longing to see one another. That's that's Paul's definition of love right here. What an amazing thought if our churches were marked by this, that we think kindly of one another and that we long to see one another. Or I think of how Paul put it in Philemon. Writing this little letter to Philemon in verse 7, he says this, I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love. Why? Because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you. So another distinguishing feature of love is that we are refreshing. There's something that is a blessing. It's like a sweet, happy refreshment. when we're with the assembly of believers. The book of Hebrews chapter six in verse 10 speaks about love, where it says this, God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward his name. What does that look like in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints? God's not going to forget your work of love. Well, how does that love show itself in ministering and in still ministering to the saints? That's why the book of Hebrews ends in these final exhortations. Hebrews 13 verse one, let the love of the brethren continue. Let the love of the brethren continue. And that's what we're going to talk about tonight. How do we grow in this area? God, what do you have for us as we work our way through this verse by verse exposition of Philippians? And now we come to this verse on love and on standing firm. What does the Lord have for us? Well, in verse one of chapter four, really, this is sort of functioning as a hinge verse in the book. Because what the verse is doing is it's concluding what has just been said. We know that from the therefore in verse one. So because chapter three, verses 17 to 21, there are many, many, many enemies of the cross of Christ. Their God is their belly. They glory in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But as for you, Christian, your home is heaven. Your citizenship is in heaven. And you're waiting, you're anticipating the day when Jesus will return and transform your body. Therefore, in light of all of that, he's going to say this, but for one, verse one is also a hinge, pointing to the future, what's going to come as well. It's kind of like a door that closes what's just been said, and it opens what's to follow in verses two to seven. It's a transition verse. Chapter four, the commentators say, is the concluding section of the book. It's very pastoral. very personal, very practical, and filled with commands. Filled with commands. In very Pauline way, he gives theology, and then in light of who you are in Christ, now we want to live it out. And that's what chapter 4 is going to bring out time and time again. Chapter 4 is about living out the gospel in your local church. That's really what Philippians 4 is. Living out the gospel in your church. I think there's particular reference in verse one to a pastor and to elders and has, as Paul expresses his loving heart for the congregation, I think it ought to emulate, it ought to be a model for every pastor and every elders heart for his congregation that God has called him to serve. But in verse one, what we're going to see in coming weeks is this, before Paul begins all of his commands, he's going to first commend them. And that's important. It's one thing if I come to your door and I knock on your door and I start blistering you with commands. But it's a whole different story if I come to your door and I shower you with affection and love and my gratitude for you, not in a flattering way, but in a very genuine way. And then I say, now in light of that, would you do this? And that's what Paul is doing here in verses one and following. If you look in your Bible at verse one, the beginning of the verse and the end of the verse ends with the same word, beloved. beloved. We just see Paul's affection for his church. It's like, it's like verse one is Paul gushing out his heart of love. It's like a long string of affectionate titles that he's going to bring to them. Pastor Paul just can't stop the flood of affectionate terms of tenderness and love that describes his feelings toward the Philippians. It's a great model for us as Christians. So from verse one. From Philippians 4, we want to glean two lessons from Pastor Paul's example. Two lessons from Paul's example. One is about sincere love, and the other is about standing firm. So, let's learn these two lessons together, and I trust they will serve to encourage us and help us and grow us as a family of believers. I trust they will help us in our time of prayer here in a few minutes together. Even as you're hearing the word preached, maybe even be thinking, how is there something in what will be said that I could pray for in this room? Maybe it's just one point. Maybe it's just one sub point. Maybe it's just one verse. Maybe it's one thought. And I want to pray that for our congregation, that God would work that in us. Maybe keep that in mind as we go through. So two lessons. Number one, the first lesson that I want to bring to you is this, cultivate affection for the believers. That's what we learn from the Apostle Paul in verse one, that we are to cultivate affection for the believers. He says, therefore, my beloved brethren, whom I long to see, my joy and crown." This is like a lavish outpouring of love. It's like he spreads out a blanket of colorful, tender, warm, family-like love. It's sort of like a fire hydrant that just gushes forth these descriptions of honest love. Paul, is actually going to give six, six terms. They're phrases in our English, but there are just one words, one words, single word points in the Greek language. The first that you see in your translation is beloved. He calls them beloved. This is one of the most intimate terms that Paul could have used in the Greek language. It speaks of a prized one. It speaks of a valued one. It's like the richest, the deepest, the profoundest word for committed, genuine love. Really, it's like Paul begins by saying, Philippian church, I genuinely love you. I genuinely love you. I genuinely love you. He says, my beloved, and then he follows that with brethren. As if to remind the Philippian believers, hey, you and I belong to the same divine family. You might have a different mother and a different father. You might have different earthly siblings. You might come from a different background, a different culture, a different context, a different language, a different continent. But I want you to know one thing for sure, that we are all equal at the foot of the cross as we look up to Christ by faith. We are equal. We are in this family. That means we are adopted by the grace of God. That means that we are justified by His grace. That means that the King has come to us, and He's called us by name, and He's not just saved us, but now He's carrying us home to His kingdom, so that we have a new name, a new identity, a new home. We have a new Father, and we call Him Abba, Father. That's the Christian brotherhood. That's the Christian family. And Paul is reminding the congregation that he loves and that he's taught and that he's preached to many, many times. He says, we're brothers. We are brothers. We are together in this as a family. We are in this by grace, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, all by the working and the power and the might of God. This is good for all of us to remember that we are a family here together. There's not one who's better than another. There's not one who's, who's more prestigious than another. The apostle Paul would have none of that. He says in Galatians chapter three, he makes it so overwhelmingly clear. There's neither June or Greek or slave nor free or neither male nor female for you're all one in Christ. We were a family. We're one. We're unified together in this body of Christ. I think a fitting application is, are you in this family of God? You see, because there are really, ultimately, when we boil it all down, only two families. There's a family that we are all naturally born into, where Jesus calls you have the devil as your father. And then there's another family that we are brought into by God's grace, and that's the family of God. with God as our Father. And every person in the world is in one of these two families. And here's the great thing. To be a part of the family of God, the Apostle John says you must receive Jesus Christ by faith. And he gives you the right to become children of God. Children of God. to this Christ. What a great family Paul reminds them of. You are my beloved brethren whom I, look at what he says third, whom I long to see in your outline. Now this is pretty, pretty amazing. It's a Greek word that could be translated. I'm homesick for you. I'm homesick for you. It's like Paul saying, I miss you Philippians so much. It's like I have strong yearnings for you. Paul used the same word in chapter one in verse eight. God is my witness how I long for you all with the affection of Christ. Paul says I'm in jail in Rome Philippians, but I want you to know I am homesick with tender love and tender thoughts toward you I am Longing to see I just want to be with you again Now It could just be me But this is terribly convicting To our Luke warm affections that we can often have toward our brothers and sisters. I mean, look, as I was, was reading this and studying this and typing this and pondering this and praying this, I had to think is my heart, the heart of Paul for the congregation, where I could say, I am longing for you congregation. I would like to say yes all the time. It's like Paul saying, when I'm not with you, I can't wait to be back with you. I can't, I can't wait to be back. Look, I've been gone for a little while, Paul says, but I'm longing for you. That's the heart of a Christian in the family of believers. I want to be with you. I'm gone for a Sunday. I was sick. I was traveling. I was on vacation. I was on business, but I'm back. I can't wait to be back with you. That's like what Paul's saying here, I'm longing for you. May the Lord cultivate that desire in us. And then he goes on to say this, you are my joy. Now this is amazing because he says, you are my joy. They are the cause of Paul's joy. Paul says the same thing about the Thessalonians a little bit later on. Who is our hope and joy or crown of exaltation? Is it not even you? Is it not you? You are our glory and our joy. Do we think of the gathering of the believers? This is my joy. You are my joy. Yes, I work and I have my vocation and I've got my hobbies and I've got my travels and I've got the things that I do, but my joy is you. Paul says. And then he says, not only my joy, but next, number five, you're my crown. And I think Paul is deliberately making an allusion to the Olympian games, what they called the Isthmian games in the ancient world. Because when a runner would win the race, when he would win the prize, he would be given a crown. It was not the royal kingly diadem. It wasn't that. It was a different crown. made of parsley and leaves and other greens. But the tragedy was it would quickly wither. It would quickly wither. I think Paul's making an allusion to these common games. And he says, you don't wither like that crown withers. You, family of believers, you're my crown. What does that mean? Well, often, often in the Bible, This idea of crown has to do with rewards, eternal rewards of the faithful, of the faithful. And Paul is saying, Philippians, you're not just some little crown that I win a race and get, and then the crown withers away, but you are steadfast. You are enduring. You are my crown now, and you're my crown in the future. You're my reward. And then we have to do one more number six in your outline. You have to look at the end of the verse. Paul is so emotional with love. He repeats what he already said. You're my beloved at the end of the verse. It's like Paul lingers over this theme as if he's unable to break away with his genuine love for the congregation. You're my beloved. I love you. Here's what we learn. Here's a man who genuinely loves his congregation, just genuinely loves them. They're brothers. He longs to see them. They are his joy. They are his crown, but they are his beloved. He loves them. His heart is knit with theirs. Beloved Church family, where can you grow in these areas? Where can I grow in these areas? Is there one of these five phrases that we can say, I need to be reminded of this. Spirit of the living God, help me to grow in this. Cultivate this affection of God-like, Christ-like love for one another. I don't want to just be an attender. I want to be intimately involved and longing for my church family. And you say, well, how do I do that? How do I cultivate affection? Well, your outline has a couple of thoughts that are posted there. Number one, remember the closeness of your spiritual family. You know, Jesus said there's something about the family of God that goes far deeper than just blood relations as close as those might be. There is a far greater and a far deeper spiritual family that every child of God has and enjoys. Number two, remember to pray for your spiritual family. Maybe that's one way to grow. How do I grow in my love? Well, take the members list and pray by name, weekly, specifically. Third, remember your duties toward your spiritual family, like what? Well, like, like, like loving one another, the way first Corinthians 13 describes believing the best in one another, like enduring all things, like being optimistic toward others to do all that we can to be diligent, to preserve unity. How can I serve? How can I encourage? How can I comfort? How can I support? At number four, another thought that maybe we could consider is to remember to advance the gospel together above all else, you know, whatever differences we might have. whatever opinions, whatever preferences, whatever hobbies, whatever we might enjoy doing as a true Christian and as the brothers and sisters in Christ, we know that there is one priority above all else. And that is we can come together and link arms because we are here to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ together. So you might have a different opinion or perspective or hobby or desire or pleasure than I do. And that's okay. but we remember that we want to advance the gospel together above all else. So, maybe digging a little deeper, how could we implement this? Number one in your outline, getting to know our fellow members. Maybe praying for them, as I mentioned. Number three, inviting them over, hospitality. You know, sometimes you think, boy, I want to be an encouragement to someone and have them over and just have a time of prayer cup of tea or, or a meal. It doesn't have to be a meal. It could be a, it could be a cup of coffee. It could be a dessert. It could be a Sunday brunch. You name it. It doesn't have to be lavish and you'll encourage them, but you'll be encouraged as well. And number four, are some people older in the congregation then get to know them and learn from them? Are some younger in the congregation? Well, we can get to know them and encourage them and point them to Christ. Are there differences? Of course there are. We overcome these worldly preferences and we love the children in God's family. Paul models in verse one, this great, great lesson for us to cultivate affection for the believers. Now, now what I want to do is I want to build on that with what Paul now says at the end of verse one, and that's your second lesson in the outline. Not only do we cultivate affection for the believers, but number two, stand firm in the Lord. You are my beloved. You're my brethren. I long to see you. You're my joy. You're my crown. Again, you're my beloved. What does he say? Stand firm. Now, please let your eye skip back to Philippians 1.27. I want to show you this. Paul uses the same verb there. This might be one of the key verses in the whole book. Philippians 1 27 only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm. How in one spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel. We've got to be a people who are standing firm. Christians, this is not a surprise to you, is it? We need to stand firm in a wayward culture, together as believers in the grace of Christ, looking for Christ's coming, resisting temptation and fleeing from sin, grounded in the Word of God. We've got to stand firm, whether it's fighting for biblical marriage, Whether it's taking a stand for gender trues, like the way the Bible says it in Genesis one and two or on and on, we could go with. different points of doctrine that are being attacked in our culture. We have to stand firm in the Lord. Now, the word stand firm in chapter four, verse one is pretty amazing. It, it speaks of being firmly committed to something so that you're not flinching. You're so committed to something, you're faithful, you're steadfast that you're not backtracking. It's like you're not retreating. You run to the front line, but you don't retreat. There's two ideas contained in this Greek verb. Number one, it has the idea of being firm. I'm firm and I'm established. And number two, I'm upright. What does that mean? It means you don't back up and you don't give up. You don't back up and you don't give up. It means you don't retreat and it means we don't fear. It's like, it's like a military soldier who, who, who is to stand at his post regardless of the pressures that come to, to abandon it. Or like a runner who's got to adhere without deviation to the course that is marked out before him. or like a watchman who is staying up all night. He can't fall asleep. He can't become lazy. He can't be fatigued or passive or quiet. He's got to stay vigilant and watchful and on the alerts and ready for all harm on any side. He's got to be intensely focused. It's the same word Paul uses at the end of 1 Corinthians 16. Be on the alert. Stand firm in the faith. Act like men. Be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16. 13, or it's the same word in Ephesians chapter six with the armor of God. What does he say? Put on the full armor of God so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. We, we need to stand firm. What does Paul say or Peter say in first Peter five, this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. Christian, I want to encourage you. It's going to be hard to stand firm. With God's grace, we can do it. Why will it be hard? Because it'll be lonely. It'll be lonely. We're living in a day where this is not a command that is easily embraced and that is commonly embraced. But we need to stand firm. And you think of how Paul in the context of Philippians tells us to stand firm. As a citizen of heaven, we are to stand firm. Our loyalty and our obedience is to an ultimately greater higher government and a greater king. We are to stand firm in our commitment to Christ and his cross, even when there are many enemies of the cross of Christ all around us. We are to stand firm in the gospel as one another. We are united in one mind. You know, Satan knows he can't destroy the church. He knows that. But if he can bring division, he'll be happy. We have to stand firm together, being united in one mind. Look, an army can't stand if the army is disunified. If a team is at odds with one another, they're not going to win. So we must be unified if we are to be strong and effective and powerful for Christ. And notice end of verse one, Paul says, stand firm, not in yourselves, not in your degrees, not, not in your elders, not in your knowledge and not in your achievements or in your own power. Stand firm in the Lord, in the Lord. We go to the battle line in the Lord, because we are those who are in Christ by faith. We belong to Him. He is our boat. He is our shield. He is our comfort. He is our strength. Now, I spent a lot of time on verse one, because in my study, Verses 1 through 7 has one primary verb that guides the whole paragraph. It's like one engine that drives the whole vehicle from verses 1 to 7. It's the verb Stanford. Now in verses two through seven, which you know, many of these verses, we're going to look at them in coming weeks. These are further fleshing out Philippian church. Here's how we stand firm Christ fellowship. Here's how we stand firm together. And I tried to put it in your outline, maybe a little bit of a, of a, of an appetizer or a foretaste of what is to come in future weeks. How do we stand firm? Next week in verses two and three, we are to diligently pursue unity at all costs. Then we're going to see in verse three, we are to assure our hearts in your heavenly position. Verse four, we stand firm by living a life, exuding fervent, abiding joy. And then in verse five, we stand firm by allowing gentleness to permeate our relationships. And then we stand firm, number five there, by anticipating the soon coming of Christ. Number six, we stand firm by killing the sin of anxiety with constant prayer. And then we stand firm by resting confidently in the protective peace of God. There's a lot there for us. But may we go from verse one saying, God, I want to have this affection. that Paul has for the church. God, grow me in this love for my Christian brothers here and sisters here and my family here. God, help me to stand firm, not just on my own, but together with the saints in the Lord. I know I've quoted him from time to time, and it may be more frequent down the road. I love this man, Joseph Aileen. He's a Puritan pastor in the 17th century. He was imprisoned a couple of times because of his preaching of the gospel in England. While he was in jail, he wrote a letter to his congregation, whom he longed for. His joy and his crown, they were in the city of Taunton, England. Here's what he said. I'm rejoicing to be yours. I acknowledge I am not my own. If I have any interest in heaven, it is yours to be improved for you. If I have any talents of goods, they are confessedly yours, your claim, your stock. I am only the friend of the bridegroom. My soul rejoices to hear how you stand fast, how close you cleave to him. My joy is now fulfilled. This is my joy. It refreshes me. I am full of consolation to hear how tender Christ is of you, to see him spreading the skirt of his love, the wing of his power and care over you. And then he wrote the church another letter. And in that other letter, he wrote this and you see it on the back. side of your outline. He said, I cannot but tell you that you are the people of my cares, the desire of my eyes, the people of my delights and of my prayers. My labors with you for many years, though some time attended with difficulty and danger, yet we're not tedious. But my time passed like Jacob's when he served for Rachel and my sufferings for you are not unpleasant. through grace, because I trust they are for your edification and they are a seal of my love to you and more especially of the doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ, which I have long preached among you. Boy, Christ's fellowship, may that be true of us. May we have this kind of Paul like love. this Joseph Aileen like love. But it's only possible as we've been loved by Christ first to then have that love for our brothers and sisters. I love this congregation. I love you. And may it be that we would grow in our great love for one another. Let's pray. God, we pray that you would cultivate this love more and more in us. I love this congregation of believers. How affectionate you have drawn our hearts to each other. You've knit us together, O God. We want to be firmly committed to you, to each other, to standing firm in the faith. Help us for your glory. In Jesus' name, Amen.