Thankful for Every Remembrance

“Thankful For Every Remembrance”

(Philippians 1:3-11)

Farewell Sermon

Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD

Henderson’s First Baptist Church, Henderson

Please turn in your Bibles to Philippians Chapter 1.

While you are finding that I want to say thank you for your kindness and generosity extended to Michele and me. Thank you for the gifts given to us last Sunday. We are very grateful—I’m wearing my watch this morning! So thank you.

Speaking of “thank yous,” the Book of Philippians is really a thank you note. The Church at Philippi partnered with the Apostle Paul in his sharing the gospel, and by partnering with him I mean to say primarily that they backed him financially and helped him by sending along monies to him. He calls attention to that practical generosity specifically in the last chapter where he writes, in essence, “No other church has done what you have done (Philippians 4:15-16).” And that’s how I feel about you all. No other church has done what you have done. So Paul is grateful for the Church at Philippi. He’s loves this church and he writes this letter to thank them, to encourage them, and to spur them on to even greater works.

The Lord gave me this passage sometime back as I set to thinking about this particular Sunday. Of course, with Thanksgiving coming Thursday many of us are taking inventory and gathering with family and counting our many blessings. And I also have you all on my heart this morning and would like to take some time to share my gratitude to you while we study this text.

Please stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.

3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

4 always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy,

5 for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now,

6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

7 just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace.

8 For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment,

10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,

11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Let’s pray: “Father, this is our prayer as well. We study this morning that Your Spirit may work in us the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God, in Christ’s name we pray, amen.”

This passage is filled with reflections and remembrances. It’s hard for me to think about the theme of remembering or remembrance without recalling at least a couple of epitaphs that occur on gravestones throughout the world. Like the gravestone of William Wilson of the London Borough of Lambeth. The tombstone reads: “Here lies Mr. WW—who never more will trouble you, trouble you.” Or the gravestone of the notorious Bob Dent of Port Gibson Mississippi. The gravestone reads: “Here lies the body of Bob Dent. He kicked up his heels and to hell he went!”

And then the attorney whose last name was “Odd,” literally he was “Mr. Odd.” So all through life—you can imagine!—people were calling him Odd Ball, Mr. Odds & Ends, and other creative titles. So Mr. Odd determined he was not going to have his name on his tombstone, because he had been so plagued by it in his life he didn’t want to be plagued by it in his death. So in his will he left instructions that he should have an inscription on his tombstone that simply read: “Here lies an honest lawyer.” And people would walk by it and say, “That’s odd.”

Whatever impression we make upon others, we will be remembered by them for better or worse. The Apostle Paul remembers the Philippian Church fondly. After the opening salutations looks back in his memory and he writes in verse 3, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you…”

In this passage Paul looks in three directions. And we’re going to look with him this morning in these three directions. So first, let’s take a look back:

A Look Back (3-6)

3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

As Paul looks back upon his years in Philippi he says every single remembrance causes him to thank God. Every thought of them in his memory causes him to thank God for them. Is that really possible? Is he exaggerating?

I mean things in Philippi were not always rosy! You read Acts 16 this afternoon and yes, you’ll read the heartwarming conversion of Lydia, but right after that Paul is tormented by a demon-possessed slave girl, then harassed by a mob; arrested, stripped of his clothing, beaten with rods in the public square, and thrown into prison.

And the Church of Philippi itself is by no means perfect. It’s a great church, but Chapter 4 tells us there were at least a couple members who are sideways with one another, those two ladies Euodia and Syntyche. He implores that they “be of the same mind (Philippians 4:2).” You know, “Get along, you two!”

But as Paul looks back and remembers this church, he chooses to remember the good. He thinks of those who have come to know Christ—like Lydia, like the Philippian jailer—and he thanks God for them. He thinks of all those in the church who are growing in their faith and it causes him to praise the Lord.

And because Paul has a high view of the sovereignty of God—just review Romans 8:28-29—he knows that God is working through all things, the good and the bad, working through it all for the good of those who love Him. And knowing that God is in control of all the moving parts leads Paul to say, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.”

So yes, it is possible to look back in gratitude. And no, it is not an exaggeration to say, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.” And looking back causes Paul joyfully to close his eyes in prayer; verse 4:

4 always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy,

Joy! In spite of the fact that he was writing this letter from a Roman Prison! Imprisonment in Paul’s day—imprisonment of any kind in the ancient world—was viewed with scorn and shame. Yet Paul’s remembrance of the church led to joy-filled gratitude! He thanks God for, verse 5:

5 for your fellowship (or partnership) in the gospel from the first day until now,

That word “fellowship” is used half a dozen times in the letter and connotes the idea of partnering together, working together for the advance of the gospel. And then Paul writes, verse 6:

6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

I think the JB Phillips paraphrase of these opening verses best conveys Paul’s looking back. Listen to the way JB Philipps puts it:

I thank God for you Christians at Philippi whenever I think of you. My constant prayers for you are a real joy, for they bring back to my mind how we have worked together for the Gospel from the earliest days until now. I feel sure that the one who has begun his good work in you will go on developing it until the day of Jesus Christ.

I can tell you that this past week has been fabulous. When Michele and I said that, in lieu of a reception, that we wanted to open our house to you and honor you with food and drink and time to share together—we had no idea it was going to be so personally rewarding!

We have had many great remembrances together. We have looked back over 17 years, sharing with one another and recalled great things together. I can say literally with the Apostle Paul that it brought “back to my mind how we have worked together for the Gospel from the earliest days until now.”

One evening several of us were talking about mission trips we had taken together and all the great memories of what God did in us and through us and what we learned about God and about one another. Joyful remembrances…

Just last night we were remembering when a couple folks from the Pastor Search Committee came to Brookview Baptist Church where I was pastoring at the time and snuck into the sanctuary to listen to me preach. I had no idea who they were nor why they were there. I wasn’t looking to leave the church and I assumed they were visitors. So after the service I met Brother Marty Coursey and Barb Howell there at the front door of the church. I kept prodding Marty for information, thinking they were just visitors looking for a church. And he grew increasingly uncomfortable as he was trying to hide their true intent. But God was working through all of that and sometime later we found ourselves coming to this great church.

And talk about remarkable providences! Before moving to Henderson we learned that there was this couple in the church named Mack and Audrey Shults. And I remember thinking, “You’ve got to be kidding!” At that time I was pastoring this small church in Louisville named Brookview Baptist Church. When I went to pastor that church in 1999 all everybody there talked about was this former pastor from over 30 years ago named Mack Shults. It was “Brother Mack this” and “Brother Mack that” and his wife Audrey. So when the time came around for the church’s annual homecoming service I asked, “Well, who would you like to come preach?” they said, “Oh, Mack Shults! Mack’s back from the mission field, back from Brazil.”

So I tracked down this person and invited him to come and Mack and Audrey came to Brookview Baptist Church there in Louisville. When I met Mack learned that while he was in seminary and before going to Brookview that he had pastored in Vevay Indiana, a small town near Carrolton Kentucky. And I said, “Well, I pastored a church in Vevay, Indiana too!” What are the odds?! And so we joked about that and I said, “So I’m following you around. You were in Vevay and I was in Vevay. You were at Brookview and we’re at Brookview. I said, “Who knows, maybe we’ll go to Brazil.” None of us had any idea that that would literally happen. And not just that we would go to Brazil, but that we would all go together, as I would end up becoming Mack and Audrey’s pastor, following them yet again to Henderson and then to mission trips in Brazil. It’s just one of those wonderful works of God’s providence. Joyful remembrances.

We remember that first week arriving to pastor the church. Before my first Sunday, walking around Henderson, going over to Central Park and Russell Sights comes up and introduces himself. Just knew who we were already and come up and said hello.

And that first week of ministry—Michele and I visited in the home of Rich and Stacey Stratton. They were visiting the church then. Can you believe it?! Glad you joined, Rich! And we visited in the home of Dru and Amy Wall—and this morning we baptized their son Grant. And that first week Jack Collier called me and said, “I want to take you visiting” and he took me around and introduced me to a number of members who were sick or shut-in. Just another good man and another good memory.

My very first day as pastor I got a call just before 5 PM. It was Bill Loney. Bill was the deacon chair, I believe, at the time. And he called me just before five and said, “Well, how’d the first day go?” Just one of those caring acts that you never forget. Of course I later learned of Bill’s quirky sense of humor. That September was the first year anniversary of the tragic events of September 11th and the city was going to have a thing on the river and invited different speakers and so I was asked to be one of the main speakers. And I think it was the day of, or maybe the day before, and Bill came up to me and wanted to know how the message was coming together and then he said, “You’re not going to embarrass us, are you?!”—Maybe he wasn’t joking!

And Brother Wayne Jenkins, then Minister of Education and Administration. That first week, he and I met together and he said, “Well, what are you going to do first?” Then he smiled and said, “You don’t know what to do first, do you?!” I thank my God upon every remembrance.

This church has always supported whoever stood in this pulpit. So long as the Bible was being preached this church was ready to listen. And over time as I introduced a style of preaching known as expository preaching, verse-by-verse through Books of the Bible, this church listened attentively and received this approach to preaching. I well remember Jay Coursey, good ole “Poppa Jay.” He came up to me one time and had that mischievous look on his face. And he came up and he said, “What do you call that preaching—suppository preaching?!”

And the ministerial staff here. Such a wonderful privilege to be blessed by and to have learned from each and every staff person. Alan Chamness—a minister beyond his gifts for music, students, and senior adults. A loving, compassionate, faithful, and loyal minister. Brother Wayne I’ve already mentioned—steady, supportive, wise, caring. Ellie Coursey—gifted, energetic, funny! A heart for children and families. And at that time, Jim Trader—who introduced me to Western Ribeye in Evansville. Jim was the go-to guy for errands and follow-through, loved the jail ministry and van ministry. Also at that time Heath Farmer—who could sing like nobody’s business, so gifted! And Rich Stratton—who I didn’t even know was in ministry before he and Stacey joined the church and then was led back into ministry while here, pastoring First Baptist Dixon and then coming here to serve faithfully and so capably over these many years.

And then over the years other ministry staff like Ken Martin, such a caring, kind, and humble servant of the Lord. Matt McCraw, a loyal and gifted minister now pastoring First Baptist Church in Bartow Florida. Jacob Clutts, an extremely talented preacher, student minister, worship-leader—and coffee roaster! And Ken Lupton—a kind, compassionate, evangelistic, and supportive Minister of Education.

And then there’s all the wonderful support staff, too. We don’t have time to cover each and every person, but God has blessed us with wonderful people over these many years.

A Look Back. With the Apostle Paul I can honestly say that I thank my God upon every remembrance of you.

Well, I said that Paul is looking in three directions. Not only does he look back, but secondly, he looks within.

A Look Within (7-8)

Paul not only has the Philippian Church on his mind, he has them in his heart. Verse 7:

Paul says, “You all have been with me through thick and thin, whether I’ve been in prison or out of prison, you’ve been with me through the good times and bad.”

Ministry is not always easy. I was talking with someone at the house the other day and we were talking about how things age us. And I said, “I’m going to sue the church for my wrinkles!”

But seriously, we have been partakers together of the grace of salvation. Paul says, “You all are partakers with me of grace.” We’re all learning together and growing together.

You all have been such a blessing to me and my family as we have grown in grace over the years. Every Sunday school teacher knows that you grow a lot more when you’re teaching a class or leading a Bible study. You’re digging deep into the Word and God is showing you so much and growing you so much. And I have learned from the Word and I have learned from so many of you about what following Christ looks like. I’ve always been right here with you, learning together with you as we’ve studied the Word together as partakers of grace. And you’ve watched me make mistakes and you’ve watched me grow.

You probably feel like the church member who told Pastor Steve Brown of Key Life Ministries, this church member said to Pastor Steve, “You know, a lot of our former pastors have told us they were sinners too, but you’re the first one we’ve believed!”

And my family has grown. My two boys, Matthew and Nicholas. You embraced them, loved them, supported them, and you continue to pray for them. I thank God that both of them are following Jesus. Matthew is doing well in Louisville, working and attending a church there that he likes. He texted the other day: “Hey, can you video the worship service so I can watch it later?” Nicholas in the Middle East with the National Guard. By the way he texted yesterday that he got to meet Vice President Mike Pence and shake his hand. How cool is that?! The Vice President made a surprise visit there. But you have loved my boys and we thank you for that.

And my precious wife, Michele. There is no pastor’s wife like my pastor’s wife! Her imprint is all over this church, so many pamphlets and booklets and materials and mission stuff that she’s had a part in or spear-headed or led entirely! I watched her last evening even, talking to a woman about how she could use her gifts in the church in the coming days. And you have loved and supported her.

The Apostle Paul says, “I have you in my heart.” See that there in verse 7? He looks back. He looks within. He says, “I have you in my heart.”

You know, the high priest wore the breastplate over his chest. There were 12 stones in the breastplate, each stone representing one of the 12 Tribes of Israel, all of God’s people. And Moses tells us in Exodus 28 that the breastplate is a powerful symbol in that the high priest wears the breastplate directly over his heart so that he always carries God’s people over his heart (Exodus 28:29-30).

Similarly Paul carried the people right over his heart. And every pastor who’s worth his salt holds the people of God in his heart. I hold you in mine. Verse 8:

8 For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.

Hear Paul’s love for the people? He writes, “I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.” The word “affection” there literally refers to the internal organs; the part of the body that reacts to intense emotion. The word became the strongest Greek word to describe or express compassionate love—a love that involves one’s entire being.

And he says, “I long for you all.” He uses the second person plural pronoun “you all” no fewer than nine times in the letter. You all. He doesn’t want to leaven anyone out! He wants to be sure they know that he means each and every single person.

He has them on his mind and he has them in his heart. He looks back. He looks within. Finally, he looks ahead.

A Look Ahead (9-11)

Not only does Paul have the church in his mind and in his heart; he has them in his prayers. As he looks ahead, he sees great things for the church. He’s praying for them very specifically about the future. What is praying? Verses 9 and following:

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment (that in the future you may grow in love),

10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ

(that in the future you may grow in holiness, growing until the final day, the “day of Christ.”),

11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Verse 11 is better translated as something like, “I’m praying that you will always be filled with the good fruits of righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ.” In other words: “As I look forward, Church, I’m praying that you all will continue growing in the Lord Jesus Christ, growing in love, and growing in holiness.”

And that’s my prayer for you. As I look forward, I’m praying that you all will continue growing in love and holiness. Keep moving ahead.

It’s okay to look back. Paul has been looking back. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. It’s okay to look back, but don’t live there. Move forward. Look ahead. Like Paul says a couple chapters later: “forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13-14).” Look ahead!

Your interim pastor starts next Sunday. I am absolutely thrilled that Dr. Coppenger is coming! I had the pleasure of meeting him for the first time 20 years ago when I was a van-driver while a student at Southern Seminary in Louisville. I picked up Dr. Coppenger at the airport and drove him all over the campus one afternoon and drove him back to the airport to catch his flight. And a week or so later I got a letter in the mail from Dr. Coppenger—a thank you note. That says something of his character; that he would take time to write a thank you note to a lowly, common, ordinary seminary student. He honored me in that note and I have never forgotten that act of kindness. Dr. Coppenger is a good man and will be a great interim, transitional pastor.

And I will be praying for you, church! While I will no longer be your pastor, I will always be your friend. I need to move on. I’ve never once seriously doubted that God wanted me to do this—to enter into a ministry of teaching and writing—and I look forward to it. But I also know that God has great things in store for Henderson’s First Baptist Church.

So as I look ahead, I will be praying for you. And while I won’t be around anymore—getting out of the way so you can move forward—continue to pray for us as we pray for you. And follow the leadership of your interim pastor and follow the leadership of your future pastor. If you don’t, I’ll come back and haunt you!

We’re going to sing in a moment. Before we do, you may be here as someone who does not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I want to encourage you to turn from your sin and turn to Christ and be saved from sin, death, hell, and the grave. Turn to Christ today. Right after the service you can go over here to our Response Room and pray with one of our volunteers. Have questions about baptism or joining the church? Just make your way over to the the Response Room. Follow the sign.

We’re going to pray, church, and then we’re going to sing about the church. Let’s go to the Lord in prayer.

“Dear God, thank You for allowing us to be partakers of grace. Thank You for giving us grace to live for you. We arise to put our armor on as we hear the call of Christ our captain. Be glorified in our lives as we move forward into the future, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

RESPONSE:

“O church, arise, and put your armor on;

Hear the call of Christ our captain.

For now the weak can say that they are strong

In the strength that God has given.

With shield of faith and belt of truth,

We’ll stand against the devil’s lies.

An army bold, whose battle cry is love,

Reaching out to those in darkness.

Our call to war, to love the captive soul,

But to rage against the captor;

And with the sword that makes the wounded whole,

We will fight with faith and valor.

When faced with trials on every side,

We know the outcome is secure.

And Christ will have the prize for which He died:

An inheritance of nations.

Come, see the cross, where love and mercy meet,

As the Son of God is stricken;

Then see His foes lie crushed beneath His feet,

For the Conqueror has risen!

And as the stone is rolled away,

And Christ emerges from the grave,

This victory march continues till the day

Ev’ry eye and heart shall see Him.

So Spirit, come, put strength in every stride;

Give grace for every hurdle.

That we may run with faith to win the prize

Of a servant good and faithful.

As saints of old, still line the way,

Retelling triumphs of His grace,

We hear their calls, and hunger for the day

When with Christ we stand in Glory.

I love you church. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you!. Love you, God bless!

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