“Never stop praying” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT)
”So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (Hebrews 4:16 NLT)
“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” (Mark 11:24 NKJV)
Holy Spirit please continue to speak to us through Philippians 3:3-11…
…“My prayers for you are full of praise to God as I give him thanks for you with great joy! I’m so grateful for our union and our enduring partnership that began the first time I presented to you the gospel. I pray with great faith for you, because I’m fully convinced that the One who began this gracious work in you will faithfully continue the process of maturing you until the unveiling of our Lord Jesus Christ! It’s no wonder I pray with such confidence, since you have a permanent place in my heart! You have remained partners with me in the wonderful grace of God even though I’m here in chains for standing up for the truth of the gospel. Only God knows how much I dearly love you with the tender affection of Jesus, the Anointed One. I continue to pray for your love to grow and increase beyond measure, bringing you into the rich revelation of spiritual insight in all things. This will enable you to choose the most excellent way of all — becoming pure and without offense until the unveiling of Christ. And you will be filled completely with the fruits of righteousness that are found in Jesus, the Anointed One—bringing great praise and glory to God!” (Philippians 1:3-11 TPT)
Let’s conclude the first point in our study outline…
…Step 1: Probe the prayer under the light of the Holy Spirit.
Let’s begin probing verse 11…
…“And you will be filled completely with the fruits of righteousness that are found in Jesus, the Anointed One—bringing great praise and glory to God!”
Today we are going to attempt to better understand these “fruits” that Paul mentioned. Before we do that there are two things I want to point out.
First, as we saw last time, these fruits are found in Jesus. To me, that means that if I want to know what they are I need to examine Jesus. It also means that they originate and come from him.
Second, it appears that the purpose of these “fruits” is to bring “great praise and glory to God!” That tells me that as these fruits become present in my life they are not just for me. While I am free to enjoy them, they are not simply for my own consumption and enjoyment. These fruits are to bring attention to Jesus as they strengthen my ability to praise God and bring him glory. Now on to our attempt to better understand these fruits.
Here are the main Scripture references for what Paul calls the “fruits of righteousness”…
…“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise.” (Proverbs 11:30 ESV)
In this verse Solomon links this fruit to “a tree of life” and goes on to tie that life into capturing (other versions say “winning”) souls. This fruit will positively impact all who come into contact with it.
…“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11 ESV)
Here we find this fruit in relation to discipline and training. Discipline starts out as a painful experience but it produces the fruit of righteousness that turns the pain of discipline into the benefit of training. I think it is interesting that this fruit is said to be “peacful.” It allows me to experience peace in the midst of the storm which turns the storm into the very thing that sets my course and fills my sails.
…“Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (James 3:18 NKJV)
Once again we see the idea of peace being connected with this fruit. The ground from which the tree that bears this fruit is planted is that of peace.
…“Now the One supplying seed to the one sowing and bread for food will supply and will multiply your seed for sowing and will increase the fruits of your righteousness, You will be enriched in every way to be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will produce thanksgiving to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:10-11 BSB)
It is God who provides the seed from which this fruit comes. As I plant the seeds provided the tree grows and produces fruit. The fruit of righteousness that is produced provides enrichment.
The “fruits of righteousness” seem to parallel what Paul called the “fruit of the Spirit” in his letter to the Galatians…
…“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23 ESV)
This concludes our probing of this prayer. There is a lot here for the Holy Spirit to apply to our prayer lives and grow in our lives. Before we move ahead in personalizing and praying this prayer with Paul, let’s give the Holy Spirit time to teach us what he would have us learn from…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 482: Praying With Paul – Philippians 1:3-11: Part 8