We must continue to work together with others in serving the Lord until the Lord completes His work in us.

1. For my
son’s 18th
birthday we
climbed the
highest
mountain in
Vermont.
We got on
the wrong
trail and
went up the
“five
diamond”
side of the
mountain.
There came a
point where we
had no choice but
to keep going. It
was hard but it was
worth it.

2. Lessons Learned on a Hike up
the Wrong Side of a Mountain:
 We often face challenges in life but we must
keep going because we cannot turn back.
 As we reflect on those challenges, we find
things to thank God for and realize all the
people who helped us along the way.
 This gives us courage to face the next
challenge, because He who began a good
work in us will not stop until the work is done.

3. Philippians 1:3-6
3 I thank my God in all my
remembrance of you, 4 always in every
prayer of mine for you all making my
prayer with joy, 5 because of your
partnership in the gospel from the first
day until now. 6 And I am sure of this,
that he who began a good work in
you will bring it to completion at the
day of Jesus Christ.

4. Verse 3 - I thank my God in all
my remembrance of you
 Paul wrote this while he was in prison for
preaching the Gospel.
 Though this was a challenging time in Paul’s life,
he had not forgotten to be thankful.
 When we go through challenges in our own lives,
one thing that keeps us going is remembering to
be thankful both to God and to others.
 Those who fail to be thankful often become
bitter because all they think about are the hard
times.

5.  Another thing that helped Paul remain strong
in difficult times was to continue to develop his
prayer life.
 Prayer changes things.
 Prayer also changes us.
 Praying out loud, for those who are
comfortable doing that, has a psychological,
as well as spiritual, impact as we “get things
off our chest.”
Verse 4 - always in every prayer of
mine for you all making my prayer
with joy.

6.  Notice that Paul often prayed for others even
though he was going through his own struggles
and difficulties.
 This does not mean that Paul did not also pray
for himself, but he was careful not to allow his
prayers to become self-centered.
 As we go through challenges in life, we must
remember to keep our prayers balanced
between our own needs and the needs of those
around us.
Verse 4 - always in every prayer of
mine for you all making my prayer
with joy.

7.  As Paul endeavored to keep his prayers from
being overly self-centered, he discovered joy.
 Joy is more than just an emotion. It is a frame of
mind that we must choose to have.
 Joy comes as we focus on things greater than
ourselves. Our family gives us joy. Our Christian
family gives us joy. Our faith gives us joy.
 We can have great joy even in the midst of
significant challenges in life.
Verse 4 - always in every prayer of
mine for you all making my prayer
with joy.

8.  Paul’s joy was not just the “power of
positive thinking.” It came from the power
of the gospel, which had changed his life.
 The more fully we understand the gospel
of Christ in our own lives, the more fully
Christ gives us joy.
 The gospel fills us with joy because it
reminds us that even though we make
mistakes, our sins have been forgiven.
Verse 5 - because of your
partnership in the gospel from the
first day until now.

9.  We have joy because even though sometimes
people let us down, God is always there for us.
 God usually brings along a person or two to
help us as well!
 Our joy increases when we work together with
others to do something good.
 There are so many good things that we can
get involved in, and when we do, it gets our
minds off of our troubles and fills us with a
sense of joy.
Verse 5 - because of your
partnership in the gospel from the
first day until now.

10.  In this verse Paul was talking about the
ultimate good thing, which was spreading
the gospel to those who had not heard it.
 There is something special about sharing
the good news of Christ with someone.
that makes us more joyful than we could
have every imagined.
Verse 5 - because of your
partnership in the gospel from the
first day until now.

11.  But sharing the gospel can sometimes be
hard, like climbing up the wrong side of a
mountain.
 Even though it is sometimes hard, when
we see those we care about become
transformed through faith in Christ, it
makes all the struggle worthwhile.
Verse 5 - because of your
partnership in the gospel from the
first day until now.

12.  Since it is sometimes hard to share the gospel,
many of us seldom do it alone. We tend to need
partners to help us.
 Pastors needs their spouses to share in the vision.
 Pastors need congregations to share in the vision.
 Congregations need pastors who truly care for
them and guide them well spiritually.
 Congregations need a larger group
(denomination) to connect with because we can
do more together than we can do alone.
Verse 5 - because of your
partnership in the gospel from the
first day until now.

13.  Throughout our journey though life, our partnerships
sometimes get strained.
 Marriages feel pressure. Jobs change. Kids grow up
and become independent. Churches go through
ups and down. Organizations shift focus.
 Sometimes we wonder if we will survive all these
changes.
 Sometimes we wonder if our partnerships are still
worth it.
Verse 6 - And I am sure of this, that
he who began a good work in
you will bring it to completion
at the day of Jesus Christ.

14.  If we really care about our connections and our
partnerships with others, then we determine to work
through those struggles because they are worth it.
 We must remember that all relationships sometimes
struggle because people are not perfect.
 We also should remember that our partnerships will
get better if we allow the Lord to keep working in us.
Verse 6 - And I am sure of this, that
he who began a good work in
you will bring it to completion
at the day of Jesus Christ.

15.  We must have the faith that God will not quit
working on us until the work is done and we are
what we should be.
 We must also have the faith that God is still
working on others and He will not quit until they
are what they should be.
Verse 6 - And I am sure of this, that
he who began a good work in
you will bring it to completion
at the day of Jesus Christ.

16.  We must have faith that because God is a good
God, the work He is doing in us and in others is
ALWAYS good, even if it does not always FEEL good
at the moment.
 We must remember that the greatest partnership
we are in is with God Himself.
 We must make Christ the central focus of our lives
and trust Him to keep working on us no matter what
happens. God will not quit on us and we should not
quit on Him.
Verse 6 - And I am sure of this, that
he who began a good work in
you will bring it to completion
at the day of Jesus Christ.

17. Conclusion:
 We often face challenges in life, but we
must keep going because there is no going
back.
 Through our faith in Christ, we find the
strength to keep going and we learn the
value of thankfulness, prayer and
partnerships with others.
 This fills us with joy and keeps us from quitting
because we know that Christ is still at work in
us and in those around us.