<p style="text-align: left;"><b>Summary</b>:<br>Paul says it is right for him to feel deeply about the Philippians because they are in his heart and share with him in grace, both in his imprisonment and in his defense and confirmation of the gospel. He calls God as his witness to how greatly he longs for them with the affection of Christ Jesus. He prays that their love will abound more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that they may approve what is excellent and be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ. He desires that they be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, resulting in the glory and praise of God.<br> <br><b>Teaching</b>:<br>The fruit of righteousness means the good results that appear when we act according to God’s will, because God Himself is righteous. Among those good results, the most basic are that we ourselves are transformed into righteous people and that we become God’s instruments to win people. This is the fruit of righteousness.<br><br>The fruit of righteousness is possible only through Jesus Christ. It does not come simply because a person is kind, good, diligent, devoted, or tries hard. “Through Jesus Christ” means that from the very beginning it is done in Jesus’ word, by relying on Jesus, or by following Jesus.<br><br>When the fruit of righteousness is full, glory and praise are given to God, because this is what our saved life is meant to look like.<br><i><br></i><i>Excerpt from the sermon by Pastor Lee, May 4, 2026</i><i><br></i><i>Philippians 1:7-11</i></p>
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