Rev, Nick Cheek
Philippians 1:1-11
This summer, we are going to spend some time together in the book of Philippians. Philippians is one of my favorite books of the bible. On almost every single page, you can find words of encouragement, joy… and a deep, stubborn hope. It is definitely a stubborn hope, because Paul did not write Philippians while sitting in a comfortable study… or relaxing on the beach. He wrote this letter from a prison cell, locked away because of his faith. It is from that dark place that we get some of the most memorized, well-loved verses in the history of the church.
To understand Paul’s letter, we need to know a little about the context. History tells us that Philippi was no ordinary ancient city. Following the historic Battle of Philippi, the Roman Emperor Augustus established it as an official Roman military colony. This meant the citizens of Philippi wore Roman clothes, spoke Latin, and took immense pride in their elite imperial identity. But then Paul walks into town… and he arrives with a completely different message. He tells them that their worth isn’t determined by their status, their wealth, their achievements, or what the Roman Empire thinks of them. Their worth is anchored in the love of God made known in Jesus Christ.
And a small group of people listened. They gathered by streams and in homes to learn what it meant to follow Jesus. While they embraced the truth that they were indeed new creations in Christ… that the old has gone and the new has come… they also embraced the reality that they were human… imperfect… and learning day by day what it meant to live into the extraordinary calling God had placed upon their lives.
Like the Philippians, we are still learning what it means to live into the identity God has given us in Christ. We are still growing, still being shaped, and still discovering what faithful discipleship looks like in our everyday lives. Some seasons come more easily than others, but through them all, God remains faithful. The Philippians needed to be reminded of that truth. And so… from his prison cell, Paul shares words of encouragement… “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice.” “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” And today’s focus… “The one who began a good work in you will see it to completion”
“The one who began a good work in you will see it to completion.”
What we first realize from this passage is that God has begun a good work… in us. Something good has begun inside of us, and it’s moving, and it’s growing. God has authored it somehow. That’s good news, right?
It is certainly encouraging to hear Paul say that a good work has begun in us. Yet if we’re honest, this promise can be difficult to believe. Just spend a few minutes watching the news or scrolling through your phone. It doesn’t take long to see that the world is carrying a tremendous amount of grief. We witness war and violence in places like the Middle East and Ukraine. We see millions of refugees searching for safety. Closer to home, families are feeling the strain of rising costs, uncertain futures, and the pressures of simply making ends meet. In the midst of our conversations with friends and family, we realize that people are tired. They are weary… of division, worried about the future… dealing with financial stress… and loneliness. With all of this… it can be difficult to recognize the ways God is still at work among us. Where is this Good work you speak of, Paul? It’s in our DNA to pay more attention to what is broken rather than what is beginning to heal. We often notice what is unfinished more easily than we notice the progress being made in us and around us. We want results. We want certainty. We want transformation on our schedule. We want to see improvement overnight… We are… impatient… with this good work God has supposedly begun. And the trouble with our impatience is that it doesn’t stop with us… Sooner or later, it spills over into our expectations of others. And this is where our passage can present a real challenge for us. If we’re honest, we don’t just want change. We want change in the people and places that frustrate us most. We want God to step in… and hurry up… and get a move on with some folks. Am I right, church? Are you hearing me?
Think about the coworker who is currently driving you crazy? The family member who keeps making the same mistakes. The neighbor who sees the world completely differently from you. The person whose choices leave you shaking your head. The public figure you believe is completely hopeless… or the person you have decided will never change. Is God really at work in them, and, if so… can God please hurry up?
The one who began a good work in YOU will see it to completion.
Paul’s words here are addressed to the entire church. The YOU is plural. And that means this promise reaches farther than we might assume. This verse suggests that God is working something good… something uniquely good… not just in us and the people we love, agree with, or care about… but God is working something good in everyone and in every situation. And while we may look at someone and think there is no hope in them…while we may have already made up our minds, God has not. God still sees potential and hope. God sees possibilities. God sees goodness still struggling to emerge. [short pause]
The Apostle Paul speaks to this in various ways throughout his letters. In 2 Corinthians, Paul writes, “If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation.” In Romans, he speaks of believers being transformed by the renewing of their minds. In Galatians, he describes Christ being “formed” within us. All of these words,… creation, formed, renewed, reflect the ongoing process… of God’s grace at work within us, continually shaping us into the people we were created to be.
The good news, church… is that God doesn’t give up on us or others as easily as we do. We are ALL works in progress. And nothing is too broken. Nothing is too damaged. Nothing is too far gone for God’s goodness, love, and grace to begin new hope within it.
Still… we struggle to believe it. At the same time… we can get cynical after a while… I get it. It is our human nature. I am guessing the Philippians felt the same. How can you be so sure… Paul? What do you know… that we don’t? I thought about this conflict all week… and I have to wonder… maybe Paul wasn’t SURE God would see the good work to completion. I mean… again, he is writing this letter from jail… in chains – if anyone should have had doubts about God’s goodness, it was him. Paul might not be sure. In fact, he uses a different word. Paul writes that he is CONFIDENT. That’s the word he uses. The Greek is pepoithōs, and he uses it all through his letters. Pepoithos, describes a settled trust in God’s faithfulness. Trust… that God will see it through.
New Testament scholar Beverly Roberts Gaventa observes that Paul’s confidence is rooted in “God’s prior action…in the God who has acted first… the God who begins…. the God who sustains… and the God who completes.” She suggests that this confidence is rooted in our salvation history as believers. The God who called creation into being and declared it good has never abandoned creation when it became fractured and broken. The God who called Abraham and Sarah never abandoned the promise. The God who entered into a covenant with the Hebrews never abandoned God’s people. The God who sent Christ into the world never abandoned him to the grave. From Genesis to Revelation, we encounter a God who remains stubbornly committed to creation. That is why Paul is… more than sure… he is confident – confident that God will finish what God started. It might not happen tomorrow… or on our time… but it will happen… and it is happening. And in many ways, that is the reality of the Christian life we try to follow. We live in between the good work God has already begun and the good work God has not yet finished. We live in between promise and fulfillment… embracing a settled trust that God is at work within us, and among us.
I cannot help but think about Trinity. We, too, are living in between promise and fulfillment. We are celebrating 75 years this year. The people who built this campus, led Sunday School classes, established mission partnerships, and cared for one another through challenging and rewarding seasons trusted that God was at work, and they acted on that trust.
That same confidence is needed today, Trinity. I often say, “God is up to something here,” and I believe that. I see it in a congregation that knows one another’s names. I see it in prayers offered and cards written. I see it in our devotion to justice and mission. I see it in our commitment to worship, music, children, and youth. I see it in the partnerships we have built with Philips Academy and the Weekday School, two ministries that are shaping young lives every single day. I also see it in your Faith… in your bold faith.
God is doing good work here, church. Through this transition, we are calling a new Director of Children, Youth, and Families. We are evaluating our staffing structure so that it reflects the ministry’s needs of tomorrow.
Through the Way Forward process, we are exploring how this campus can serve both Trinity and the wider community for generations to come – another building for Philips Academy, improvements for the Weekday School, updates to our church facilities, and the possibility of attainable housing that would provide opportunities for people who love and serve our city….God is up to something good… here… Trinity.
Paul’s confidence was rooted in God’s faithfulness over generations. God has been faithful to again and again – and so God will continue to be faithful. The same God who guided the saints before us is guiding us now – still creating, still calling, and still bringing good things to life among us.
Friends, hear the good news this morning… and believe. You are loved, and God will never, ever give up on you. No matter what you’ve done. No matter what you’ve said. No matter how many times you’ve failed. No matter what challenging situation you’re facing. No matter how many times you’ve run away from God. God will never stop working goodness within you until it is complete. We are all… every one of us… a work in progress. Hold on to this promise: even when it seems as though goodness is fading away from this earth, the opposite is in fact true.
The one who began a good work in you… will see it to completion.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen