God Is A Finisher | Philippians 1:1-14

Takeaway Verse: Philippians 1:6

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

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Transcription:

Purposely. Your life. God’s purpose. Listen at onpurposely.com.

Erica Parkerson: Welcome to The Bible For Busy People. I’m Erica Parkerson. This is the place where we meet up to read half a chapter of God’s word together and remember how loved we are. Jesus extends an amazing invitation to us in the Bible. He says, come to me and I will give you rest. This is us RSVPing, “Yes” to that invitation. So, take a deep breath and let’s get started.

The title of today’s podcast is Joy in the Jailhouse. Yes! You can find joy in whatever circumstances you find yourself in, in life today. The apostle Paul did. We’re about to dive into the book of Philippians, which is actually a letter that the apostle Paul wrote to the Philippian church, and he wrote it from jail. This is amazing to me. Think about it. He was in jail for his faith, and he was writing to the Philippians to encourage them in their faith. One of my favorite things from this half chapter that we’re about to dive into is that God is a finisher. He finishes what he starts.

If you are like me, you have projects around your house that you have half finished, or quarter finished. I have two books on notes on my iPhone. I have things that are unfinished, but that is not our God. He finishes everything he starts. So let’s say a little prayer and invite him into our time. Father in the name of Jesus, we invite you to open our eyes and our hearts to what you want us to see and understand in your word today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Okay. So here we go. We’re going to cover the first half of Philippians, chapter one. This letter is from Paul and Timothy slaves of Christ. Jesus. It is written to all of God’s people in Philippi who believe in Christ Jesus and to the elders and deacons. May God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ,

give you grace and peace. Receive that grace and peace today. It is also for you. Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. I always pray for you. And I make my request with a heartful of joy because you have been my partners in spreading the good news about Christ from the time you first heard it, until now. The Philippians supported Paul’s ministry.

Isn’t that amazing. And here we go, here comes our takeaway verse for today. And I am sure that God who began the good work within you will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again. It is right, that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a very special place in my heart. We have shared together the blessings of God, both when I was in prison, and when I was out defending the truth and telling others the good news. God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus. I pray that your love for each other will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in your knowledge and understanding, for I want you to understand what really matters so that you may live pure and blameless lives until Christ returns. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation. Those good things that are produced in your life by Jesus Christ, for this will bring much glory and praise to God. And I want you to know dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the good news, for everyone here, including all the soldiers and the palace guard knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, many of the Christians here have gained confidence and become more bold in telling others about Christ.

You see, the chains that Paul was wearing, God was using them. He was using his circumstances and, you know, He can use whatever’s got you chained up today for your good and his glory. Paul’s words that he wrote in chains are encouraging you and I today. God finishes what he starts.

There was once a woman who wanted some really neat words written on her tombstone. She wanted it to say, thank you for your patience. The construction is now complete. Isn’t that awesome? That woman was Ruth Graham, the wife of Billy Graham. She didn’t have it all together. She was married to the most famous evangelist who ever lived. She didn’t have it all together. She knew though that God was going to finish the good work that he started in her, and he is going to finish the good work that he started in you.

I am so glad that we got to hang out in Philippians chapter one, the first half. Let’s meet up again tomorrow. Until then, remember you are loved!

Thank you so much for listening to The Bible For Busy People. If you need prayer or you’re ready to go a little deeper in your faith, we’ve posted some resources for you in our show notes. We’d love for you to share this podcast with a friend and leave us a review. It helps us reach even more people with the hope of Jesus. This podcast is part of Purposely, a podcast network designed with practical podcast, to help you find and live in God’s purpose for your life. Find more podcasts that will recharge you at onpurposely.com.