Saints Under Construction

The Christian’s Joy                                             “Saints Under Construction”                                                                  Phil. 1:6-7 Promised (v.6)   Psa. 138:8. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. He won’t.   1 Pet. 1:6-9 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.   . That’s an amazing text. What influence Paul seems to have had on Peter in the spirit. Can you tell? It’s all there, the discipline and training and strengthening of our faith through trials and tribulations which confirms our faith for us and should be a wellspring of that Christian joy for us.   Ja. 1:2-4 2 Count it all joy, my brothers,[a] when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.   1 Thess. 5:23-24  23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.   Eze. 36:26-27 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.   1 Jo. 3:2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.   At this point in the text, Paul goes back to his prayer of thanksgiving with joy for his relationship with the Philippian church..   Proclaimed (v.7)   1 Pet. 3:15, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect..