Over the last several weeks, we see Paul greet a church that he hasn’t been to yet and desires to encourage and help see past some potential pitfalls. Though there are a couple specific instances Paul will deal with in Ch. 4… to date we see a letter of encouragement and a sense of a helping heart to say, “if you will keep to the truth, you will be good and experience Joy in the midst of the work of ministry in this life.”

We see Paul in Ch. 1 greet the church and then pray a prayer of thankfulness for the churches partnership. We also see Paul’s joy in suffering for the preaching of the gospel despite opposition. He recognizes his inner struggle and simply says, “to live is Christ and to die is gain.” In that, he is reiterating “Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel!

As we combed through Ch 2 over the last few weeks, we see Paul building put the church encouraging them to be in unity and Christlikeness. He reiterates that Jesus is our perfect example, and that we should walk in obedience in light of Jesus’ example. Then last week we see the product of teaching in that way by recognizing 2 of his helpers in the ministry, both Timothy and Epaphroditus, as examples of Christlikeness.

So as we step into Ch. 3 we see Paul exhorting the church (calling on/encouraging) to rejoice in Christ!

Big Idea: We can't earn salvation: it comes only through faith in Jesus Christ.

Application Point: Ultimate Joy is found in "Jesus Only"

Big Idea: We can't earn salvation; it comes only through faith in Jesus Christ.

“I retreat to the innermost citadel of our holy faith, namely, to the very heart of Christ, when my spirit is assailed by temptation, or besieged with sorrow and anguish. Whenever I have high spiritual enjoyments, enjoyments rich, rare, celestial, they are always connected with Jesus only. Other religious things may give some kind of joy, and joy that is healthy too, but the sublimest, the most inebriating, the most divine of all joys, must be found in Jesus only. In fine, I find if I want to labour much, I must live on Jesus only; if I desire to suffer patiently, I must feed on Jesus only; if I wish to wrestle with God successfully, I must plead Jesus only; if I aspire to conquer sin, I must use the blood of Jesus only; if I pant to learn the mysteries of heaven, I must search the teachings of Jesus only. The Christian life is begun, continued, and perfected altogether in connection with the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a very great blessing”

(Charles Spurgeon, Gospel Extracts, 50–51).