JUDGED BY SUNLIGHT

 

                         

A story is told of a man who fell in love with an opera singer.  He hardly knew her, since his only view of the singer was through binoculars from a third balcony.  But he was convinced he could live "happily ever after" married to a voice like that.  He did not notice she was considerably older than he was.  Nor did he care that she walked with a limp.  Her great soprano voice would take them through whatever might come.  After a whirlwind romance and a hurry-up ceremony, they were off for their honeymoon together.

 

She began to prepare for their first night together.  As he watched, his chin dropped to his chest.  She plucked out her glass eye and plopped it into a container on the nightstand.  She pulled off her wig, ripped off her false eyelashes, yanked out her dentures, unstrapped her artificial leg, and smiled at him as she slipped off her glasses that hid her hearing aid.  Stunned and horrified, he gasped, "For goodness sake, woman, sing, sing, SING!”

Paul wrote to the Philippians “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment. That you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness” (Phil 1: 9-11). The love Paul wanted to abound among the Philippians was not “blind love” that closes its eyes to the truth and to reality. Paul prayed for love that had knowledge and all discernment.

Paul prayed for love that had a biblical foundation.  He prayed for knowledge that is expressed in God’s Word. He knew the benefit of knowing the Word, he was confident that studying and knowing the Word would make a profound difference in their lives. There is a world of knowledge out there and men are always searching more and making new discoveries. They passionately and unrelentingly study and carry out research in pursuit for knowledge in different fields: medical, marine science, astrology and others.

There is also the biblical knowledge that focuses on God and the world to come, but only a few people take time to research on it. Yet in the end this world and all that is in it will come to an end, but the word of God is eternal and has lasting value. Paul wanted the Philippians to know and to continually apply the knowledge of Scripture to their lives daily. It is one thing to know and understand what the Bible says, but Knowledge will do us no good if we never apply it.

Paul prayed that they abound in knowledge and all discernment so that they could approve the things that were excellent.  The word “discern” means to put to test for approval. In the original language it described the process of testing metals to ascertain their purity and value. Discernment is the ability to see things as they really are. The Philippians were to use their Scriptural knowledge to examine various aspects of life and ascertain their value by biblical standard.

In Proverbs chapter 2 and 3 the wise man Solomon underscored the value of biblical knowledge in the Christian’s life. He wrote “my son if you...apply your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry out for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair –every good path. Discretion will protect you and understanding will guard you.

Understanding is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies, nothing you desire can compare to her. Preserve sound judgment and discernment do not let them out of sight for they will be life for you...then you will go your way in safety and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down you will not be afraid, when you lie down your sleep will be sweet. Have no fear of sudden disaster. Wisdom will protect you, love her and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme, therefore get wisdom. Though it costs all you have, get understanding.”  How much time and resource do you spend time seeking it?

The ability to discern comes from the constant use of Scripture. Hebrews 5:13-14 makes it clear that “anyone who lives on milk being still an infant is not acquainted with teachings about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil”. Those who study the Scripture and constantly use it become Christians of sound judgement and discernment. They can easily distinguish good from evil. They also live the fulfilling and victorious life promised in Proverbs chapter 2 and 3.  This was Paul’s prayer for the Philippians.

Paul prayed for the Philippians to abound in knowledge and all discernment so that they could approve the things that are excellent. He prayed that in their everyday lives they would examine issues to make a determination not just between good and evil but also between good and excellent.  He wrote to the Corinthians “everything is permissible for me but not everything is beneficial” (1 Cor. 6:12). The world offered many choices and presented a strong influence. Paul prayed that the Philippians would make wise choices daily. He prayed that they would approve the things that matter most and not spend time or put the emphasis on the on trivia  or wrong things.

Paul wanted the Philippians to be sincere. The word sincere has a beautiful and challenging background.  It is derived from the Latin word sine cera, which means “without wax.” In the ancient days, fine pottery was often thin and very fragile. As it was fired in the kilns to harden, cracks in the pottery were possible. Dishonest dealers would fill in the cracks with a special wax that blended in with the colour of the pottery so that no one could see it. The shops were often dimly lit which meant that prospective customers would have trouble viewing the wares.

And in the poorly lit shops the unsuspecting customer could easily buy some damaged goods. People got into the practice of taking the stoneware outside to hold it up to the sunlight. Any cracks would show up right away. In the sunlight, they could see it as it really was. The sunlight revealed the truth. Honest artisans would stamp a caption on the bottom of their product that read sine cera, which means, “without wax.” The word sincere literally means “judged by sunlight and found genuine”.

Paul prayed for the Philippians believers to maintain a positive witness in the world, being found sincere when examined by others. We cannot expect to have a positive witness in the world if our lives are lived no differently than theirs.  Those who have no relationship with the Lord will find it difficult to desire it if they continually see those who profess Christ living in sin. Paul’s desire was that the Philippians would be without the wax of hypocrisy when they stand before God on the “the day of Christ.”

Judged by the light of the Scripture, our lives should be pure, genuine and without deceit. To be pure means to live in such a way that you have nothing to hide; you are the same in the darkness as you are in the light. While none is perfect, believers are held to a higher standard. We have been bought with a price; we are no longer our own and have forfeited the right to live as we please. We must live our lives above reproach before the world around us!

Paul desired that the Philippians would be without offense till the day of Christ. The word used for offense here originally referred to the bait in a trap that would catch unsuspecting animals. It was also used for a lifestyle that caused others to fall into sin. Paul wrote to the Corinthians “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.  Do not give offense to Jews or Greeks or to the church of God, just as I also try to please everyone in all things. I do not seek my own benefit, but that of many, so that they may be saved (1 Cor.10:31-33).

In Acts 24:16 Paul declared “I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience both before God and before men.”  He prayed for the Philippians that their lives would be sincere and without offense as long as they lived. He prayed that they would be blameless and without accusation. Sincere speaks of inner righteousness while “without offense” speaks of outer righteousness that can be seen. They were to be holy inside out; they were charged to live their lives holy and upright before others as long as they lived. Their lives were not to give occasion of stumbling to others. Far too many claim Christ, but their lives don’t reflect Him.