Earthly Examples

Philippians 2:17-30

November 17, 2013

 

We all know that as Christians

We are called to follow our one divine example.

We all desire to be like Christ.

 

In fact, this is our Christian destiny.

Romans 8:29 “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;”

 

It is God’s desire that you and I look like Christ.

God is using hardships, difficulties, blessings, victories, defeats,

And every other thing to bring this about in your life.

 

In fact the preceding verse to the one we just read says that “God causes all things to work together for good…”

 

That “good” being Christ-likeness.

We are to be like Christ.

 

We are to read the Scriptures so that we can see Him and be like Him.

This is what Paul meant when he wrote:

 

2 Corinthians 3:15-18 “But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”

 

We read the word and as we read with unveiled face,

We see Christ and are changed into His image “from glory to glory”

 

Not only that, but we make a conscious effort

To imitate what we see in Him.

 

John 13:15 “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.”

 

1 Peter 2:21 “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,”

 

Christ is our example, and we are to follow what we see in Him.

 

We’ve even seen that reality in Philippians chapter 2

As we saw the attitude of Christ and Paul told us,

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus”

 

Christ is the ultimate example and goal.

 

However, that is a lofty goal.

That is where we are headed, and that is what we strive for,

But you and I know it is difficult.

 

What we also learn through reading the Scripture is that

Christ is not the only example we are to follow.

 

God has also given us the example of Godly men and women,

Whom we are to imitate.

 

James 5:10 “As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.”

 

Hebrews 13:7 “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.”

 

That concept of imitating other’s faith

Is the whole point to the faith chapter in Hebrews 11.

 

The writer lays out the faith of those examples and then calls them

“a great cloud of witnesses”

 

They are examples of faith for you to follow.

 

And many times we see in the Scriptures that we are to imitate

Or follow the example of men like Paul.

 

2 Thessalonians 3:7-9 “For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example.”

 

1 Corinthians 4:16 “Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me.”

 

1 Corinthians 11:1 “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.”

 

Even in this letter to the Philippians:

Philippians 3:17 “Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.”

 

That is a true reality.

 

And certainly it cuts both ways,

For just as we follow the example of godly men and women,

WE ARE ALSO TO SET AN EXAMPLE.

 

Remember what Paul told Timothy?

1 Timothy 4:12 “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.”

 

Or Titus?

Titus 2:7-8 “in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.”

 

And so hopefully you get the point.

 

Yes we desire to be like Christ, but we also find great encouragement through the faith of one another.

 

We are to imitate the faith of godly men and women,

And then also set an example for others to follow.

 

But a good question at this point is:

WHAT SORT OF MEN OR WOMEN SHOULD WE IMITATE?

 

Do we just pick someone who claims to be a Christian and go to imitating them?

Obviously not.

 

Do we just pick our preacher and start imitating him?

(While it is true he is called to be someone worthy of such,

You still shouldn’t do it blindly)

 

Who do we pick?

 

Well that is what we learn here in our text tonight.

 

And it is fitting in the chapter we just studied.

• Paul commanded us to consider one another as more important than

ourselves.

• He commanded us to look out for one another’s personal interests.

• He commanded us to be humble like Christ.

• He commanded us to work hard at this endeavor.

• And He commanded us to do it all without grumbling.

 

But Paul doesn’t even leave it at that.

Here he gives us some practical examples of people who live that way, whose faith is worth imitating.

 

Paul shows us three examples of such people here.

 

• Here are three examples of people who show you what it means to consider others as more important than yourselves.

 

• Here are three examples of people who show you how to look out for the interests of others.

 

• Here are three examples of people who show you how to do all things without grumbling or disputing and how to shine as lights in the world and how to hold forth the word of God.

 

So let’s look at them, follow them, and be examples like them to others.

#1 YOUR CONSTANT EXAMPLE

Philippians 2:17-18

 

And of course this example is Paul himself.

 

He says, “But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all.”

 

Having spent a section talking about humility and service,

Paul really seems to sort of link back here to what he mentioned in chapter 1,

Which was his suffering, and joy in the midst of it.

 

He mentioned in chapter 1 extensively about the suffering he faces,

And how in spite of it, he finds a reason to rejoice.

He seems to revert back to that theme here.

 

And he mentions again his hardship.

“even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith,”

 

This analogy was a common one.

• During the sacrificial offering, the priest would commonly pour a drink

offering over the top of the burnt offering.

 

• As the liquid hit the fire, the steam would go up, and it would picture a

soothing aroma going up to God.

 

The drink offering then was the final addition to the offering.

It was sort of how you “topped it all off”

 

And Paul says that is what he is.

 

It is not the only time he used this analogy.

2 Timothy 4:6 “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.”

 

Obviously there, Paul uses that analogy to speak of his coming death.

His death will soon adorn the sacrifice of Christ.

 

Here he mentions that same reality.

 

The difference is that in 2 Timothy he realizes that it is happening,

Here in Philippians he acknowledges that it could be happen.

 

“even if I am…”

 

This may be the end, though he is not sure.

 

Philippians 1:22 “But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose.”

You will remember there that Paul knew death was possible,

But he wasn’t sure if it was coming or not.

 

Here he again acknowledges that this could be the end.

 

As far as he knew, he could just now be in the final stages of life, about to be poured out completely “upon the sacrifice and service of your faith,”

 

That is to say, “Just as you have presented your lives as a sacrifice to God, I present my life as an adorning drink offering with it.”

 

This could be the end.

 

But even so, notice what Paul says, “I rejoice and share my joy with you all.”

 

• The prospect of death hasn’t caused Paul to quit rejoicing…

• The prospect of death hasn’t caused Paul to quit obeying…

 

Even the current reality of suffering

Hasn’t caused Paul to quit encouraging others.

And that is the point here.

 

Notice the example portion?

(18) “You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way, and share your joy with me.”

 

That is Paul telling the Philippians to follow his example.

• So you are living a life of suffering…

• So death is a real possibility…

• So your service to others causes self-denial at every turn…

 

That is no excuse “rejoice” anyway.

That’s what I do.

 

“rejoice in the same way, and share your joy with me.”

 

So you want to know what type of person to imitate?

 

IMITATE THE PERSON WHO IS WILLING TO BE POURED OUT FOR CHRIST, AND WHO REJOICES WHILE IT IS HAPPENING.

 

Look for the person who can rejoice while they suffer.

 

And that was Paul.

He was the Philippian’s constant example.

 

Your Constant Example

#2 YOUR COMING EXAMPLE

Philippians 2:19-24

So Paul is always an example to follow.

Here is an example that Paul hoped to send to the Philippians.

 

(19) “But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition.”

 

No doubt, part of the reason for wanting to send Timothy was so that Timothy could return to Paul and give a report as to how the Philippians were doing.

 

But in reality it was more than that.

Timothy would also be a great example for the Philippians to follow.

 

In fact, Paul spells out three characteristics about Timothy

That make him a worthy example to imitate.

 

1) HE’LL SERVE YOU (20)

 

“For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare.”

 

There were any number of people that Paul could send to Philippi.

But there was none that he could send like Timothy.

 

What set him apart?

Timothy would be “genuinely concerned for your welfare.”

 

Timothy was selfless.

• Timothy considered others as more important than himself.

• Timothy didn’t look out for his own personal interests, but for the interests of

others.

 

Paul was a good example because he rejoiced in suffering.

Timothy was a good example because he served sincerely.

 

When Jesus came he warned about the type of false shepherds

That people should look out for.

 

Matthew 9:36 “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.”

 

The words there “distressed” and “dispirited” refer to sheep who have been scalped and as a result are nervous and discontented.

 

That was a result of their bad shepherds,

Who instead of caring for the sheep, slaughtered the sheep.

 

John 10:12-13 “He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. “He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.”

 

Timothy was not that type of person.

 

Timothy was worth imitating because he would sincerely serve others.

 

He will serve you

2) HE WILL SEEK CHRIST’S INTERESTS (21)

 

“For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.”

 

The implication is clear here.

Christ’s “interests” are without a doubt His flock.

 

• They are His possession

• They are His sheep

• He is deeply concerned about them

 

When He left He specifically commanded the apostles to “tend His sheep”

 

Peter echoed this sentiment:

1 Peter 5:1-4 “Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”

 

Christ never intended for His shepherds to serve for their own benefit.

He intended them to serve for the benefit of the flock.

 

The flock is what Christ cared about, they are His concern.

And the true shepherd concerned himself with Christ’s interests.

 

And not only was that the type of person Timothy was,

But that is the type of person we should imitate.

 

The person who is more concerned about Christ’s benefit than his own.

The person who is more concerned about how Christ looks than how he looks.

The person who is more concerned that people see Christ, than that people see him.

 

Was that not John the Baptist?

John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

 

Was that not Paul?

Philippians 1:21 “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

 

That is supposed to be all of us:

Romans 14:7-8 “For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.”

 

 

So if you are looking for someone to imitate,

Then find someone who seeks what is in the best of interest of Christ,

Not himself.

 

He’ll serve you He’ll seek Christ’s interests

3) HE WILL SPREAD THE GOSPEL (22)

 

“But you know of his proven worth, that he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father.”

 

This reality not only indicates a person committed to obey Christ,

But also a person who genuinely loves others.

 

• What kind of love refuses to warn a dying man of destruction?

• What kind of love cares more that someone likes them, then they do that that person know the truth?

 

Timothy had real love.

Timothy had the kind of love that told sinners the truth.

 

And Timothy proved it time and time again as he preached “the gospel”

 

When Paul went marching into synagogue after synagogue,

Knowing that he would be hated for it,

There was Timothy right there with him.

 

Timothy had proven himself faithful.

He loved the truth, and he loved the lost.

 

If you are looking for an example to follow.

• Find someone who rejoices while suffering – that was Paul

• And find someone who serves others sincerely – that was Timothy

• He Served You

• He Sought Christ’s Interests

• He Spread the Gospel

 

And he did it “like a child serving his father.”

 

The implication there is on complete obedience and complete humility.

Timothy did what was expected of him.

 

And Paul reiterates all of that to the Philippians

Because he is about to send Timothy to them

And he wants them to understand that Timothy is worth imitating.

 

(23-24) “Therefore I hope to send him immediately, as soon as I see how things go with me; and I trust in the Lord that I myself will also be coming shortly.”

 

Timothy is your coming example.

Your Constant Example – Paul Your Coming Example – Timothy

#3 YOUR CURRENT EXAMPLE

Philippians 2:25-30

 

So they could always look to Paul,

And they would soon be able to look to Timothy.

 

But Paul wanted them to know that they already at least one person in their midst that was worthy of imitating.

 

It may have been a person they overlooked,

But Paul highlights this man as a faith worthy of following.

That man was Epaphroditus.

 

• Epaphroditus was the man who carried the financial aid of the Philippians to Paul and thus inspired Paul to write the letter.

 

• Epaphroditus was also the man who would have delivered this letter back to the Philippians.

 

And Paul is very clear that Epaphroditus

Is the type of man who should be imitated.

 

Paul says in verse 25 that he is “my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need;”

 

There are five great titles for this man

“brother”

“worker”

“soldier”

“messenger”

“minister”

You put all of those together

And you realize that Epaphroditus was a great man.

 

• He obviously knew Christ – “brother”

• He worked hard for the faith – “worker”

• He fought hard against deception – “soldier”

• He carried the truth into danger – “messenger”

• He cared for people when he was there – “minister”

 

That already is enough to see that this man should be imitated.

 

But as if that wasn’t enough.

Paul reveals why he sent Epaphroditus back:

 

(26-28) “because he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you.”

 

Epaphroditus had risked his life for the sake of ministering to Paul.

We aren’t given the specifics of his sickness, but he nearly died.

 

And yet even at that moment his concern wasn’t that he nearly died, but rather how the Philippians would respond to his death, since they were the ones who had sent him.

 

He was a selfless and deeply committed man.

 

And so Paul gives this advice to the Philippians:

(29-30) “Receive him then in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard; because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me.”

 

• They were to “receive him” and to do so “with all joy”

• They were to “hold…him in high regard” and “men like him”

 

In short, this is the kind of man you imitate.

 

Why?

“because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me.”

 

This man put his money where his mouth was.

He served and he served regardless of his own benefit.

 

• Did he consider others as more important than himself?

• Did he look out for others personal interests above his own?

• Did he willingly forsake his position for the sake of someone else?

• Did he work hard at being Christ-like?

• Is there any record of his grumbling while he did it?

 

That is the type of person you imitate.

THE PERSON WHO FOLLOWS SACRIFICIALLY

 

So certainly the Philippians wanted to be like Christ,

But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t some human examples

We imitate as well.

 

• Paul – who rejoices while suffering

• Timothy – who serves sincerely

• Epaphroditus – who follows sacrificially

 

THAT IS REFRESHING TO SEE

 

In our day

• Much emphasis is put on those who are the educated

• Much emphasis is put on those who are successful

• Much emphasis is put on those who are talented

• Much emphasis is put on those who are famous

 

And none of those things makes someone a suitable role-model.

 

When you are looking for someone to imitate,

Look for the person who selflessly serves Christ and others.

Look for the person who does it with joy

Look for the person who does it with sincerity

 

That is the type of person to imitate.

 

The flip side then is also true,

That you and I should be that type of example to others.

 

• This is especially true for people who are pastors

• This is especially true for people who are deacons

• This is especially true for people who are teachers

• This is especially true for those who work with young people

 

People need an example to follow.

 

They need to see selfless, faithful, joyful people

Who serve Christ and not themselves.

 

So follow that example, and be that example for others.

 

The Dangers of Grumbling

Philippians 2:14-16

November 10, 2013

 

Alright I know just by reading the title to this sermon,

It instantly puts the majority of us under conviction.

 

If we have learned anything in America it is “Freedom of Speech”

We can say anything we want about anything anytime we want.

 

And while such freedoms are wonderful

In regard to our freedom to preach the gospel,

Such freedoms have also paved the way for our flesh.

 

Galatians 5:13 “For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh…”

 

And yet that is what often happens with our freedom of speech.

It is a very small thing for us anymore to grumble about our leadership or grumble about our circumstances or grumble about our coworkers, or grumble about our boss.

 

Grumbling is an American way of life

And I suppose we are all guilty of it.

 

And yet, the very first verse we look at tonight condemns it all.

 

(14) “Do all things without grumbling or disputing”

 

That is what we call an all encompassing command.

It’s really hard to read that verse

And then come up with a situation in which it is ok to grumble.

 

That verse covers areas like:

• The weather

• The economy

• The President

• The Doctor’s office

• The Dixie Dog

 

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing”

 

Of course we don’t just pull that verse out of context.

We know that it is found in the same chapter

Were we are commanded explicitly to lay our lives down for our brethren.

 

• We are to consider our brother as more important

• We are to look out for our brother’s interest, not our own

• We are to do just as Christ did for us

 

And here we learn that we are to do it without grumbling.

 

Let me remind you:

God doesn’t just care that you obey,

But that you obey with the right attitude.

 

And to illustrate the point we only have to look back at the glorious population we call “The Children of Israel”

 

Psalms 95:6-11 “Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you would hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness, “When your fathers tested Me, They tried Me, though they had seen My work. “For forty years I loathed that generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways. “Therefore I swore in My anger, Truly they shall not enter into My rest.”

 

I think after reading that passage we can safely say that God was not amused with the children of Israel “in the day of Massah” or “at Meribah”

 

A little insight?

Exodus 15:22-25 “Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah. So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” Then he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet.”

 

Exodus 17:2-7 “Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water that we may drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, “What shall I do to this people? A little more and they will stone me.” Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. He named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us, or not?”

Of course this wasn’t an isolate incident:

 

Exodus 16:1-3 “Then they set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt. The whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The sons of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the LORD’S hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

 

And we don’t have to do an entire study on Israel’s grumblings,

But we are well aware that they did.

 

1 Corinthians 10:10 “Nor [let us] grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.”

(linked in that passage with immorality, idolatry, and trying the Lord)

Obviously grumbling is a serious grievance before God.

 

WHY?

1) Because all grumbling is against God.

• Is God not sovereign?

• Does He not command the weather?

• Does He not appoint rulers?

• Does He not govern your circumstances?

 

So in a very real way every time we grumble it really is a grumble against God for not making things play out the way we would like.

 

2) Because God desires us to have grateful and eager hearts

 

In all that we do, God desires us to do it eagerly.

 

Consider when we give:

2 Corinthians 9:7 “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

 

Deuteronomy 15:10 “You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings.”

 

Consider what Jesus said about fasting:

Matthew 6:16-18 “Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. “But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”

 

Or consider the priests in Malachi’s day:

Malachi 1:12-13 “But you are profaning it, in that you say, ‘The table of the Lord is defiled, and as for its fruit, its food is to be despised.’ “You also say, ‘My, how tiresome it is!’ And you disdainfully sniff at it,” says the LORD of hosts, “and you bring what was taken by robbery and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I receive that from your hand?” says the LORD.”

 

And you understand the point.

God desires not that we do the right thing,

But that we do the right thing with the right attitude.

 

To do the right action with the wrong motive is an offense to God.

 

I’m reminded of the little boy who was scolded by his father:

“I may be sitting down on the outside, but I’m standing up on the inside”

 

Regrettably that is how we often obey.

We may be obeying on the outside, but we are disobeying on the inside.

(as evidenced by our complaint)

 

And if the Sermon on the Mount taught us anything it is that

God looks at the heart before He ever looks at the action.

 

God is concerned about the heart.

And so grumbling is an offense.

 

WHAT IS THE GREATEST COMMAND?

Love God with all your heart.

 

To obey another command,

And yet break the greatest does not please God.

 

And that is why Paul here says:

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing”

 

Those two words are different but certainly form a complete thought.

 

The Greek word for “grumbling” is one of those onomatopoetic words.

It is very guttural GONGUSMOS

 

And it simply means “to have a negative response to something.”

 

Remember the men who were hired by the landowner to work the vineyard?

Some went early, some in the middle of the day, and some late,

But he paid them all the same.

 

Matthew 20:11 “When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner,”

 

Luke 5:30 “The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?”

 

And you get the picture.

It is when you just don’t like something that is going on

And you begin to grunt and groan under your breath.

 

And Scripture commands us not to do that.

 

“disputing” is the word DIALOGISMOS (dialogue)

It refers to “inner reasoning”

 

Where as “grumbling” is emotional

“disputing” is intellectual

 

It is to form a reasoned and formal complaint.

One is an initial response, the second is a formal outspoken complaint.

 

Romans 14:1 “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.”

 

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing”

Do all things without an emotional grunt or a verbal complaint.

And that very specifically applies

To you humbling yourself before your brother.

 

Example:

You and your brother disagree, but you know that the Scripture says to consider him as more important than you and for you to look out for his personal interests.

 

So you decide to let him have his way,

but you grumble and complain the whole time you let him do it.

 

That is kind of missing the point don’t you think?

 

So don’t just do what a Christian is supposed to do,

Do it with the type of attitude that a Christian is supposed to have.

 

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing”

 

WHY IS THIS SO IMPORTANT?

 

That is precisely what Paul answers in verses 15 and 16.

 

Three benefits to the grumble free life.

 

#1 IT SIGNIFIES YOUR PEDIGREE

Philippians 2:15a

 

“so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,”

 

Obeying God’s commands without grumbling

Proves something about you.

 

It proves that you are:

“blameless and innocent”

“children of God”

“above reproach”

 

“blameless” and “above reproach”

Are actually very similar words in the Greek,

They both mean “without defect or blemish”

 

In the Septuagint, which is the Greek Old Testament (the one Paul read),

The word was used of sacrificial animals which had to be without defect.

 

And as we desire to “present our bodies to God a living and holy sacrifice” this is a very important aspect.

 

You may in fact be “blameless”

You may in fact be “above reproach”

As far as your actions are concerned,

But if your attitude stinks while you do, no one will notice that.

 

Remember Paul?

Even before salvation he could claim to be “blameless”

 

Philippians 3:6 “as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.”

 

Paul could claim to be in absolute accordance with the Law even before salvation, but his furious attitude failed to reflect that.

 

The word “innocent” simply means “unmixed”

 

Romans 16:19 “For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I am rejoicing over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil.”

 

2 Corinthians 11:2 “For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.”

 

And that is the call here.

 

We know you want to be “blameless and innocent”

We know you want to be “above reproach”

 

Beyond that we know you want to be considered “children of God”

 

DON’T YOU WANT THE WORLD TO RECOGNIZE YOUR HOLINESS?

Our very desire is to be different from the world.

 

Paul says the world is “crooked and perverse”

 

“crooked” is SKOLIOS (scoliosis)

• The world is just backward.

• The world is out of place.

• The world has no understanding of the ways or things of God.

 

They always go the wrong direction, they always get it backward.

It is crooked, it is corrupt, it is depraved, it is wrong.

 

My dad often amazes me with his practical discernment in situations.

To the lady who didn’t believe in selling horses to the killer plant…

“Well do you have a problem with abortion?”

 

And isn’t that crooked and perverse?

Killing babies is ok, but killing horses is inhumane.

 

We obviously desire to stand out against the culture.

 

HOW DO YOU PROVE THAT?

 

Paul is clear, there is one thing that proves you a child of God above all other, and that is your lack of grumbling or disputing.

 

Your attitude is serves as the frame around your obedience.

A good action with a sorry attitude is still not attractive.

 

If you want to prove to others and yourself that you are a holy innocent child of God, then cut grumbling out of your lifestyle.

 

A grumble free life signifies your pedigree

#2 SOLIDIFIES YOUR PREACHING

Philippians 2:15b-16a

 

“among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life,”

 

On one hand our grumble free life proves that we are children of God.

On the hand it bears testimony

To the mission we are trying to accomplish.

 

• We know we live in this crooked and perverse world.

• We know this world is going the wrong direction.

• And we know they are doing this because they walk in darkness.

 

We however, “appear as lights in the world”

 

Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

 

We are declaring to men the answer

We are declaring to men the way

 

We take sinners trapped in darkness

And offer to them the path that will lead them to redemption.

 

That is what Paul meant when he said

We are “holding fast the word of life”

 

That really isn’t the best translation.

The word there is really “holding FORTH the word of life”

 

The indication there is not that we faithfully obey,

But that we faithfully proclaim the truth.

 

So we are the church.

 

1 Timothy 3:14-15 “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”

 

And that is a responsibility we accept.

• We know that our job is to proclaim truth in a world of deception.

• We know we are to be light in the midst of darkness.

 

And that is why we continually preach the truth.

 

But, if we faithfully preach the word, but grumble and dispute

The world only sees our negative attitude and fails to hear our message.

 

Remember Israel?

They thought they were a light too…

 

Romans 2:17-24 “But if you bear the name “Jew” and rely upon the Law and boast in God, and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? For “THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,” just as it is written.”

 

They accepted their role as a light in darkness too…

But because their lifestyles were a direct contradiction of the truth they proclaimed, their preaching actually had a negative affect.

 

Instead of glorifying God, they actually blasphemed Him.

 

And that is the danger we run.

We ought not have a tongue that one minute proclaims truth

And the very next grumbles about our circumstances.

 

James 3:8-10 “But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.”

 

When we preach truth but live grumbling it kills our message.

 

1 Corinthians 13:1 “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”

 

However, when we do all things without grumbling or disputing

It actually validates our claim to be lights in the midst of darkness

As we hold forth the truth.

 

A grumble free life signifies your pedigree and solidifies your preaching

#3 SATISFIES YOUR PASTOR

Philippians 2:16b

 

“so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.”

 

Paul wants them to live without grumbling or complaining

Because if they do this, he will know that they are truly changed

And that his ministry is a genuine one.

 

Paul speaks of not running in vain.

 

We know this was important to him.

1 Corinthians 9:26 “Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air;”

 

Paul was very careful not to be a person whose life left no mark.

He wanted to make a difference.

 

And he was concerned any time

It looked like his ministry did not have the desired effect.

 

Galatians 4:8-11 “However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you, that perhaps I have labored over you in vain.”

 

However, when those he led demonstrated a true change, he rejoiced.

 

1 Thessalonians 3:6-8 “But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always think kindly of us, longing to see us just as we also long to see you, for this reason, brethren, in all our distress and affliction we were comforted about you through your faith; for now we really live, if you stand firm in the Lord.”

 

The apostle John was the same:

2 John 4 “I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do from the Father.”

 

Nothing mattered so much to those men as the obedience of their flock.

 

• Paul wanted to glory…

• Paul wanted to be able to rejoice in his ministry…

• Paul wanted to know he was making a difference…

 

And incidentally, nothing does this for a pastor

Like the obedience of his flock.

 

Paul knew if he could look at the Philippians

And find humble people

Who considered others as more important than themselves

And who not only died to self, but rejoiced as they did it…

Then Paul knew his ministry was effective.

 

Now that being said, I’ll give you a heads up for next October.

 

Carrie and I greatly appreciate the generosity of our church.

The love offering was a wonderful thing.

Having a pastor appreciating Sunday is indeed appreciated.

 

But I must sympathize with Paul here…

• Even better than a love offering…

• Even better than an appreciation Sunday…

• Is your obedient life.

 

That makes a pastor rejoice.

 

The flip side is that often times pastors continually field complaints.

 

We live in a day where people put a high premium on leadership.

• Corporations want leaders

• Athletic teams want leaders

• Communities want leaders

 

And because of that the book stores are filled with books on leadership.

 

But I’ve often told people if you want a real lesson on leadership

Then read Exodus and Numbers.

 

Moses was the greatest leader any nation ever knew

And no one was ever grumbled against more than him.

 

And sadly this is a reality for far too many pastors.

(I’m obviously only preaching this for those in other churches who get our CD’s)

 

Nothing kills the motivation of a pastor like a grumbling flock.

 

Hebrews 13:17 “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”

 

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 “But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.”

 

And Paul is pretty clear here that if you want to honor such a person or make their job easier, then “do all things without grumbling or disputing”

Bragging on a pastor loses its luster

When you brag one day and complain the next.

 

And yet that is reality for our entire Christian life.

 

• We desire to be known as children of God, but grumbling ruins it.

• We desire to be lights in a dark world, but grumbling hides our light.

• We desire to encourage and honor our leaders, but grumbling has the opposite effect.

 

And so you can see the dangers of it.

We are called to obey and to obey in the right way.

 

 

 

 

 

So “do all things without grumbling or disputing”

 

• It will validate your claim to be a child of God

• It will dictate the effectiveness of your ministry

• It will encourage your pastor that his work is not in vain

 

Pursuing Sanctification

Philippians 2:12-13

November 3, 2013

 

Because we have recently studied the Holy Spirit

No one in here should be completely confused

In regard to the concept of sanctification.

We talked about how the Holy Spirit is the agent of our sanctification.

 

He sets us apart from the world and He sets us apart unto God.

 

Similar to a marriage.

“I take you…forsaking all others”

 

It is the Holy Spirit that takes that promise

And begins to work out its actual fulfillment in our lives.

 

And hopefully you remember that sanctification is not optional.

 

Hebrews 12:14 “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.”

 

Christ died to make you righteous, both positionally and practically.

 

1 Thessalonians 4:3 “For this is the will of God, your sanctification…”

 

A believer may in fact inquire about God’s will in his or her life

In regard to specific scenarios and decisions,

But the overarching will of God for your life has never been confusing.

 

God’s will for your life is that you be sanctified.

 

• Every prophet who ever spoke, spoke to this end.

• Every priest who ever served, served to this end.

• When God became flesh and dwelt among us, His life and death were to this end.

• And when God sent His Spirit to dwell in us, this is what He produces

 

Sanctification is important.

You and I are to be set apart from the world and we are to live holy lives.

 

The question I have for you tonight is: HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?

 

How are you going to achieve the sanctification in your life

That you will never see God without?

 

Over the course of history

There have been two distinct methods of thought on this.

 

There were the PIETISTS.

A pious man is an extremely religious man.

And the pietists determined that sanctification

Was purely a matter of human responsibility.

 

They believed we are called to die to self, to work hard, to sacrifice much,

To pursue holiness, and make sure that we completely remove from our lives

Any and all sin.

 

The problem of course with that train of thought is that it won’t work.

 

We just spent 5 months studying the Holy Spirit

And we have learned that He has to accomplish this in us,

Because we can’t do it on our own.

 

John 15:4-5 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

 

Romans 8:29-30 “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

 

Galatians 5:25 “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”

 

And when are enlightened by such truth we realize that sanctification

Is not something that we can achieve on our own.

 

The flesh is too fallen, and try as we may, we will never achieve it.

 

And incidentally those who maintain such a view

Generally end up legalistic, judgmental, arrogant, and alone.

We know God must work in us.

 

Well, that leads to the other side of the argument.

That side is called QUIETISM

 

You may not be familiar with the term, but you are familiar with the mindset.

Their famous statement was “Let go and let God”

 

The idea is that God has to do it all, so let Him do it all.

You can’t accomplish it, so don’t try.

 

God, apart from you, is working so just sit back and let Him.

 

Now that can initially sound good,

But it too effectively lets man off the hook for his role in the process.

 

For example, if you are placing it all in God’s hands,

Then who gets the blame when you fail?

 

Man does have a very important role to play in all of this.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

 

And so what we begin to realize is that like so many other doctrines in Scripture, there is a unique mystery here.

 

It’s like asking you who wrote the book of Philippians?

(Paul or the Holy Spirit)

 

And here we ask, who lives your Christian life?

(You or God in you)

 

And there is a delicate balance, a mystery of sorts.

On one hand it is our responsibility and on the other hand it is God’s.

 

And this tension is seen throughout the Scriptures.

 

2 Peter 1:2-3 “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”

That is clearly God at work.

 

And then Peter says:

2 Peter 1:5-6 “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,”

That is clearly us at work.

 

Or consider what Paul wrote:

1 Corinthians 15:9-10 “For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”

 

And there the balance is seen again.

 

We are at work, and so is God.

Both do it, both are responsible.

 

And that is the truth that Paul is going to walk us through tonight

As we look at these two wonderful verses in the book of Philippians.

 

I want us to see sanctification from both sides

And get a handle on how it works.

 

Now in doing that it is important that you don’t lose sight of CONTEXT.

Don’t forget what this chapter has been about.

 

• Verses 1-4 gave the mandate to humble yourself and consider others as more important than yourself.

 

• Verses 5-11 gave Christ’s example of doing that very thing.

 

So we are still talking about the call and command to humble yourself.

The question is: HOW CAN I REALISTICALLY EXPECT TO DO THAT?

 

Humbling self goes against every natural fleshly desire that you have.

Self-preservation is normal, self-humiliation is not.

 

So how do I actually reach a point where I can be like Christ and humble myself for the good of my brother?

 

Let me show you what it will require

#1 THE EFFORT OF MAN

Philippians 2:12

 

As Paul first handles the “HOW TO” portion of humility,

He starts with you and the effort you must put forth.

 

You and I must understand that if we are to live the Christian life

The way God intended us to live it,

Then we must put forth the effort to live it the right way.

 

Laziness is not going to achieve the holiness of God.

 

I’ve always liked the illustration used in the book of Hebrews.

 

Hebrews 2:1-3a “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?”

 

And we have talked about this before.

You are familiar with the two Greek words the writer uses in that first verse.

 

“pay much closer attention” translates PROSECHO (to moor a ship)

“drift away” translates PARARHEO (a ship allowed to drift)

 

And the writer says what do you think the odds are of your ship hitting the harbor and mooring itself to the dock apart from any effort on your part?

 

And of course the answer is none.

 

People who try to completely let go of their spiritual responsibility to live the sanctified life will never achieve that sanctification.

 

EFFORT IS REQUIRED

Let’s look at some of the practical things you must do.

1) FOLLOW CHRIST

“So then, my beloved”

 

Now I know that is not a command specifically to follow,

But it is a clause that directly correlates to the previous section.

 

Paul just spent 7 verses outlining for us the example of Christ.

He told us about His HUMILITY, He told us about His OBEDIENCE, He told us about His deserved EXALTATION.

 

And then says, “So then…”

The idea being then that you and I are to follow this example.

 

And this is actually one of the most obvious realities that you and I are responsible for our sanctification.

 

If we are not responsible to act and live in a certain way,

Then why did God bother giving us an example?

 

In fact, if we can’t do it at all, why even give us commands in Scripture?

 

The reality is that God gave you commands

Because you are expected to obey,

And God gave you an example because you are expected to follow

 

It is implied that you will pattern your life

After the example that Christ set for you.

 

And this has been explicitly stated.

 

John 13:13-15 “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.”

 

1 Peter 2:21 “For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,”

 

And that is the point here.

 

If you weren’t called to take matters into your own hands in regard to humbling yourself and putting your brother first

Then Paul would have never bothered to give you Christ’s example.

 

But since Paul commanded it and then gave the example,

It is implied that you are responsible to follow.

You are called to put forth the effort to be like Christ.

 

Know Him, Read His Word, Follow His Example

 

2) FAITHFULLY OBEY

“just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence,”

 

Obviously Paul is there speaking of obedience.

But it is the way he describes obedience that I want you to see.

 

“always obeyed”

“in my presence”

“in my absence”

 

It carries the idea of faithful obedience at all times.

And again, this is heavily implied just by the fact that there are commands.

 

Why give a command if there is no intention of you obeying it?

 

And the fact that Paul mentions obedience even in his “absence”

Indicates that they are even more responsible now that

No one is there to hold them accountable.

 

I remember when I was in high school how teachers would treat you.

They hounded you to listen

They hounded you to study

They hounded you to do your work

They made you go to class

In their presence it was pretty easy to obey because they stayed on you.

 

However, when I went to college, those professors didn’t care.

They didn’t care if I attended

They didn’t care if I listened

They didn’t care if I completed my assignments

 

All of a sudden the burden was completely on me.

 

And that is what Paul was saying.

• You have to obey, and the burden falls on you.

• I’m not there to make sure you do it anymore.

 

You are going to have to take responsibility and make yourself be faithful.

 

And if you want to be sanctified,

Then a decision to be faithfully obedient must be made.

 

Follow Christ, Faithfully Obey

3) FORCEFULLY LABOR

“work out your salvation”

 

And this statement is really the heart of verse 12.

This is what Paul is saying.

 

If you want to be sanctified as God intends

Then you are going to have to “work” it out.

 

“work out” is a Greek word that means “to produce through effort or toil”

 

Also used:

James 1:3 “knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.”

 

2 Corinthians 4:17 “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,”

 

In both of those verses the same word is translated “produces or producing”

 

The idea is that of effort and labor and striving to bring about an end.

 

And that is why we talk about the effort of man.

• Do you want to be sanctified?

• Do you want to achieve righteousness?

• Do you want to be like Christ?

 

Well it won’t happen with you sitting on your rear doing nothing.

It won’t happen if you refuse to put forth the effort.

 

Paul told Timothy:

1 Timothy 4:7-8 “But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

 

It’s like sports.

• If you won’t work hard

• If you don’t discipline yourself

• If you don’t put forth effort

• Then you honestly cannot expect to do very well.

 

Now we’ve all seen those people who just try to rest on their God-given ability.

They don’t strive because they are “talented”.

 

And yet if sports has proven anything it is that at the end of the day

It is those who work the hardest who capture the prize.

 

If you want to be like Christ then you are going to have to put forth the effort, it will not naturally happen.

 

Sanctification doesn’t come like old age.

You have to force it to come.

 

Follow Christ, Faithfully Obey, Forcefully Labor

4) FEARFULLY CONTINUE

“with fear and trembling”

 

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

It means you need a good motivator to push you

Through those difficult moments of training.

 

Hard work is never fun.

Disciplining yourself is never fun.

You must have motivation.

 

You either need motivation of reward:

1 Corinthians 9:24-25 “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.”

 

Or you need motivation of punishment.

1 Peter 1:17-19 “If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”

 

We must understand that sanctification is not optional,

And it is not automatic.

 

To achieve it, you are going to have

To make a conscious effort to follow Christ,

And to do it without someone holding your hand.

 

And if you need motivation, then take the reward

Or subsequent punishment of God as your motive.

 

Sanctification matters.

And that is man’s responsibility.

 

The Effort of Man

#2 THE ENERGY OF GOD

Philippians 2:13

 

Here is the other side of the equation.

• Man puts forth the effort, but God supplies the energy.

• Man works hard, God makes it work

• Man pushes the petal, but God is the fuel

 

Apart from effort you will never be sanctified,

However, effort without the power of God will never succeed.

 

And it is God’s side we see here.

 

And just to remind of that let me also give you four realities about God’s work here that helps you understand why sanctification is a real possibility.

 

You can achieve it because of the God who is working in you.

1) HIS PERSON

“for it is God”

 

Now there is a statement worth contemplating.

How do I know if I can do it?

How do I know if I can make it?

 

Well the answer is because you have help.

Yes, but how do I know if my help is good enough?

 

Because your help is none other than “God”

(Remember the One we saw this morning who spoke the world into existence)

 

• It’s not your pastor at work…

• It’s not your parents at work…

• It’s not your friends at work…

It is “God”

 

And the last time I checked, nothing was impossible with God.

(Even your sanctification)

 

Romans 8:29-30 “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

 

I’ve always liked the story with Sarah in the Old Testament.

The angelic messengers came to relay that Sarah would conceive.

You’ll remember that she was listening in the tent and she laughed.

 

Genesis 18:13-14 “And the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?’ “Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

 

And I’ve told you before that from that point on Sarah never wavered again.

 

She understood who was at work in her.

Thus far, despite her effort, she could not conceive

Thus far, despite Abraham’s effort, she could not conceive

 

But she now had new help, and He most definitely would succeed.

 

In your quest to achieve sanctification never disregard who your help is.

 

Psalms 121:2 “My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.”

 

John 14:16 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;”

 

That is the first thing Paul wants you to know.

His Person

2) HIS PRESENCE

“For it is God who is at work in you”

 

Now incidentally the word “work” here

Is different from the one Paul used in verse 12.

 

The word in verse 12 was that word that meant to produce through toil or effort.

 

This is a different word.

“work” here translates ENERGEO (where we get our word for energy)

 

And that energy is “in you”

 

Remember the disciples in the garden?

Sleeping at their post, unable to stand with Jesus?

 

Matthew 26:41 “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

 

The disciples may have had the want to, but they didn’t have the energy.

They didn’t have the ability within them.

 

And that is true of our sanctification.

• The effort has to be there, but effort alone is not enough.

• There has to be a power supplied.

 

That is God.

He “is at work in you”

 

1 Corinthians 15:9-10 “For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”

 

Colossians 1:28-29 “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”

 

• You desire to be sanctified…

• You desire to be like Christ…

You put forth the effort, God puts forth the power

 

You can do it because of the person and the presence of God in your life.

 

His Person, His Presence

3) HIS PLAN

“both to will and to work”

 

What is God doing in you?

He is willing and He is working

“to will” indicates that God is in some amazing way actually shaping your desires and will.

 

Ezra 1:5 “Then the heads of fathers’ households of Judah and Benjamin and the priests and the Levites arose, even everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up and rebuild the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem.”

 

Psalms 119:36 “Incline my heart to Your testimonies And not to dishonest gain.”

 

I’ve often looked at my own calling:

1 Timothy 3:1 “It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.”

 

That was a “will” or a desire that God placed there.

 

In other words God helps supply the motivation.

• Where do you think that desire to be holy came from?

• Where do you think that desire to be like Christ came from?

 

God was doing that in you.

 

He was also working.

And we could probably spend several sermons on all the ways God does this.

 

• But we know He uses trials to purify and sanctify us…

• We know He uses His word to purify and sanctify us…

• We know He uses the gifts He has put in other believers to purify and sanctify us…

 

God is working in you.

He convicts, He guides, He directs, He enlightens

 

There is no doubt that God has a one track mind in your life

And it is to make you like Jesus.

 

He is willing and working to make you sanctified.

 

His Person, His Presence, His Plan

4) HIS PURPOSE

“for His good pleasure”

 

Romans 8:28-30 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

 

God is in the business of bringing forth in you what He wants from you.

 

And that means that you are not alone in this struggle.

• If you want to be sanctified…

• If you are striving to be sanctified…

• If you are putting forth the effort to be like Christ and obey even on your own…

 

Then rest assured you are not on your own, God is in you,

And He is willing and working to help you achieve

That desire that He put in you.

 

That is the balance of sanctification.

It will never be achieved without effort on your part,

And it will never be achieved merely by your own effort.

 

But God is it work as well and because of that it will be achieved.

 

I’ll leave you with one more example of this delicate balance.

Exodus 14:10-12 “As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD. Then they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt? “Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘ Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

 

A dilemma yes?

 

Exodus 14:13-14 “But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the LORD which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. “The LORD will fight for you while you keep silent.”

 

Now that sounds like quietism doesn’t it?

Just let go and let God.

 

Exodus 14:15-16 “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward. “As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea on dry land.”

 

Only God could part the sea,

But only the Israelites could walk through it.

 

And that is true in your life and mine.

 

Sanctification is a necessary process,

Brought about only through your effort and God’s energy,

So pursue it and trust God to help.

 

Philippians 2:12-13 “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

 

 

The Jesus Attitude

Philippians 2:5-11

October 27, 2013

 

In John 13 we have one of the most remarkable scenes unfold in the Bible. It is a scene filled with important instruction

And yet also beautiful imagery.

 

TURN TO: JOHN 13:1-17

 

(1-11)

It is clear that the humility of Jesus is profound.

 

His willingness to wash the feet of

• Those cowards who would abandon Him,

• That blowhard who would deny Him

• That worm that would betray Him

Is absolutely phenomenal.

 

And yet it is also a very symbolic event.

• Jesus “laid aside His garments” – picturing His emptying of self.

• Jesus “taking a towel” – picturing His taking the form of a servant.

• Jesus “wash[ing] the disciple’s feet” – picturing His sanctifying work.

 

It is a vivid analogy of what Christ had been doing for the last three years

And would ultimately complete the very next day on the cross.

 

There is so much beauty pictured here.

 

And yet this event was not just some abstract analogy.

This event was not just a beautiful show.

 

This event was for the purpose of setting a divine precedent.

 

(12-17)

Jesus wasn’t just putting on a show to be enjoyed,

He was giving an example to be followed.

 

This type of selfless service was not meant to be unique only to Christ.

This type of service was to be the trademark of all of His followers.

 

Some denominations actually believe that foot washings

Is a third ordinance for the church. (w/ baptism, Lord’s Supper)

 

In one sense they are absolutely right.

While the physical washing of feet is not the same and not the point,

The humble service it represented is very much a mandate for the church.

 

And it is a mandate repeated continually throughout the New Testament.

 

The Christian is called to be a humble servant of his brethren,

Just as Christ was.

 

He set the precedent here in the upper room,

And it is intended to serve as the chief example

Of Christian attitude perpetually.

 

Well, that is exactly what Paul is saying here in Philippians 2.

 

A couple of weeks ago we began this passage,

Talking about the model for unity.

 

Unity is important to the church because it was important to Christ.

 

And we said there are really two main things that destroy unity.

One is justifiable, one is not.

 

There is no way that the Christian church can unify around bad doctrine.

There is only one faith that was once for all handed down from the saints.

 

That unity is the standard where we all meet and reside.

 

One person explained it like tuning a piano.

In a room with 1000 pianos, you cannot tune them all to each other,

Or they will not be consistent. (You use a tuning fork)

 

Unity must be in regard to true doctrine.

If there is no purity of doctrine, then there cannot be unity.

 

That reason is justifiable.

The second is not.

 

And that is that too often unity in the church is broken because of selfish men and women who refuse to humble themselves for the sake of Christ.

 

Division occurs when people are fleshly, like the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 3:1-3 “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?”

 

Division occurs when people are ungodly, like Jude warned.

Jude 17-19 “But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.”

 

Division occurs when people ignore the mandate of our Lord in John 13.

 

And that is the side of unity that Paul is dealing with.

The Philippian church really only had one questionable mark.

And that is that they had two of their leading women

Entrenched in some sort of feud.

 

Philippians 4:2 “I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord.”

 

So Paul wrote to challenge that church to rise above it.

 

The result was what I believe to be the greatest passage

On Christian humility in all of Scripture.

 

Two weeks ago we saw the clear instructional mandate.

Philippians 2:1-4 “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

 

The believer must die to self and embrace humility.

Motivations to Examine

Motivations to Embrace

Motivations to Exclude

 

Tonight Paul takes another step as he reminds us that

This mentality is not of his own imagination.

 

Paul learned this attitude because it was the attitude of Jesus.

 

And so tonight, to reinforce the teaching of verses 1-4

I want to remind you about the Jesus attitude.

 

It is obvious what the point of this passage is.

• It is not merely a theological passage on the humility of Christ, although it serves well in that regard.

 

• It is primarily an illustration to support the command Paul just gave in the first 4 verses.

 

For he clearly says:

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,”

 

Nothing will more quickly cause you to look like Christ

Or more quickly look like the devil than your attitude.

 

• Your actions may at first go unnoticed…

• Your words may not at first be understood…

 

But your attitude is instantly obvious to those around you.

And this is what makes the attitude so important.

Not only is it the key ingredient in having a unified church,

But it is also a primary tool used

To give credibility to your claim to be a Christian.

 

The Christian attitude should be the attitude of Christ.

And tonight we see what that attitude was.

 

And what you find is that it wasn’t emotional, it was practical.

 

• Christ’s attitude wasn’t an attitude that was swayed by His surroundings.

• Christ’s attitude was a premeditated decision of how He was going to live life.

• And if you want to sum up His attitude in one word, it was HUMILITY

 

Of course that was the attitude Paul was proclaiming in the first 4 verses.

 

So let’s look at this attitude of Christ.

 

There are 5 things we see in this text.

#1 HIS DIVINE EXISTENCE

Philippians 2:6a

 

“who, although He existed in the form of God,”

 

To fully grasp the magnitude of the sacrifice of Christ

You must full understand exactly what He sacrificed.

 

A life of poverty isn’t impressive unless

You first see the amount of riches that were sacrificed.

 

Here we find two important statements about Christ.

 

1) “He existed”

 

Make no mistake about the eternal nature of Christ.

You and I didn’t begin to exist until we were conceived,

But Christ existed long before conception.

 

He always was.

He confidently stated to the Pharisees:

 

John 8:58 “Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”

 

There was no point at which Jesus came to life, He always was.

He is eternal, having neither beginning nor end.

 

There was no need of birth and no expectation of death.

“He existed” eternally.

 

2) “He existed in the form of God”

 

Make no mistake about the deity of Jesus.

He is fully God.

He has always been fully God.

 

It is amazing today the number of people who deny the deity of Jesus.

But the New Testament has no problem proclaiming His deity.

 

In fact when you read the New Testament

They spend more time defending His humanity than they do His deity.

 

1 John 4:2 “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;”

 

2 John 7 “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.”

 

See in their day it was not as hard to believe that Jesus was divine

As it was to believe that He was human.

 

When you look at His miracles, when you see His resurrection

There was never any doubt that He was divine.

People began to doubt that He could have actually been human.

 

Him being God was obvious.

 

And it should be.

“He existed in the form of God”

 

John 1:1-3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”

 

Colossians 1:15-17 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

 

Hebrews 1:3 “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

 

There is no doubt as to the deity of Jesus.

 

But here it is important to note more than just His deity,

For He didn’t give up His deity when He came to earth.

 

What is unique here is His “form”

He was “in the form of God”

On earth He was in the form of man.

But not always.

 

And all I have to ask you is:

IS IT BETTER TO BE IN THE FORM OF GOD OR THE FORM OF MAN?

 

Obviously God

That is a much higher position.

That is a much higher form.

 

Well, that is where Jesus was.

He maintained an eternal divine existence.

• Unlimited in power

• Unlimited by time and space

• Unlimited in understanding

 

Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnipresent

Fully transcendent in all ways

That is where He was.

 

His Divine Existence

#2 HIS DISREGARDED EQUALITY

Philippians 2:6b

 

“did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,”

 

We would all agree that Jesus held

The most personally advantageous position that could be held.

I mean you couldn’t get any higher than God.

 

And you would think of all the things that should be cherished and held on to, the main thing would be your high position.

 

We live in a day of pathetic politicians who in the eternal scheme of things

Are absolutely insignificant.

 

And yet they will fight and scratch to keep their office.

Walk up to any of them and say, “Would you leave your office for the good of America?”

And I promise none of them would.

They have found an advantageous position and they won’t let it go.

 

But that wasn’t the mindset of Jesus.

 

He “did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,”

 

He didn’t see that position as something that had to be held on to at all cost.

 

And it is important that you see that.

We’ll see His action in a minute,

But it is important that you first see His mindset.

 

98% of humility is mindset.

Remember what Paul said?

 

Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;”

 

Paul addressed our “regard” or how we view ourselves

Versus how we view others.

 

If you don’t have the right mindset you won’t have the right action.

Jesus had the right mindset.

He had the right “regard”

 

And His regard was no focused on Himself, but on others.

 

The point here is that a selfish heart never leads to a sacrificial life.

Before you can walk humbly you have to believe humbly.

 

Jesus existed in the form of God

But didn’t regard that as something to be grasped.

 

His Divine Existence, His Disregarded Equality

#3 HIS DELIBERATE EMPTYING

Philippians 2:7

 

Now there is the incarnation.

There is Jesus taking off His outer garments and wrapping Himself with a towel.

 

There is Jesus stepping out of His high condition and into a lowly one.

• He traded heaven’s castle for Mary’s womb

• He traded the glory of heaven for the scorn of Jerusalem

• He traded the comforts of heaven for the dusty streets of Israel

 

And He did it on purpose.

 

And notice that no one did it to Him.

He “emptied Himself”

 

Many today will accept adversity if someone forces it upon them.

But few will volunteer for it.

 

Jesus did.

He “emptied Himself”

 

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

Did He give up His deity?

 

No, but He did give up many of the benefits of it.

 

• For instance He was no longer omnipresent

• He was no longer omniscient

Remember Him saying even the Son doesn’t know the date of the return

 

It wasn’t that those things couldn’t be His,

But that He willfully refused them.

 

He let those divine privileges be set aside.

 

But if you want the clearest explanation, just keep reading the verse.

 

“emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant”

 

That is mindboggling isn’t it?

It certainly blew Peter’s mind.

 

In John 13 Peter said, “never shall You wash my feet”

 

• You are not a servant, You are a King

• This job is below You

• Don’t stoop to such a level

• There are other people who can do that

 

And that is what Paul is driving at.

 

By saying that Jesus “emptied Himself”

Paul is reiterating that He left the privileges of His high position

So that He could step into the burden of a low position.

 

2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”

 

And just as the ATTITUDE of verse 6 is important,

The ACTION of verse 7 is equally important.

 

For a humble heart without humble action is hypocrisy.

“You know them by their fruit”

 

It is not enough to claim that others are more important than you,

It is a belief that must be verified by action.

 

Jesus verified it.

He stepped out of His high position and into the most lowly.

 

He took the form of a slave.

He went from the One who called the shots, to the One who took the orders.

 

His Divine Existence, His Disregarded Equality, His Deliberate Emptying

#4 HIS DEFINITE ENDURANCE

Philippians 2:8

 

And the point here is that Jesus took His humility all the way to the end.

 

Sure He became man.

But He didn’t become invincible man.

 

He walked through the hardest moment every man will ever face

And that is death.

 

“obedient to the point of death”

 

Incidentally, that is one of the reasons He became man.

If you want to taste death you have to become mortal.

 

Hebrews 2:14-15 “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”

 

And if we stopped there it would be enough, but Jesus didn’t.

“even death on a cross”

 

Galatians 3:13 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us — for it is written, “CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE”

 

He didn’t even die a noble death.

He died a criminal’s death of disgrace.

 

AND THAT IS JUST AMAZING.

 

• He became human, but not just any human, He became “a bond-servant”

• He died a death, but not just any death, He chose “death on a cross”

 

AND THE CONTRAST COULDN’T BE CLEARER.

He went from the highest pinnacle of glory and power

To the lowest point of humility and shame

 

No human could ever start so high or drop so low as Jesus did.

No human could ever claim to have paid as high a price as Jesus did.

 

Jesus once said it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven,

Namely because they have so much to lose in this life.

 

In fact Jesus said it was easier for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle

than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

 

And yet, no rich man could even be asked to lose as much as Jesus did.

His sacrifice can’t even be fathomed in the human mind

Because we have no comprehension of the height were He first dwelled

And few of us have ever tasted the shame of where He descended.

 

The point is that He took His humility to the max

He endured in it

 

And listen, that is the example that Paul lays out for you and me.

 

When he asked us to “do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;” he had Jesus in mind.

 

When Paul commanded us to “not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” He had Jesus in mind.

 

Because that is exactly what Jesus did.

 

And what is it that Jesus told His disciples up on the upper room?

John 13:12-16 “So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? “You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. “Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him.”

 

So now do you want the stinging reality?

If Jesus could sacrifice glory and comfort and riches and honor for the sake of others, who are you and I to think we have the right to keep ours?

 

• When we selfishly cling to our rights…

• When we selfishly put ourselves above others…

• When we expect someone else to sacrifice…

• When we expect others to give me my way…

 

Who do we think we are?

Do we suppose ourselves so important that the world around us is supposed to just stop and give in to our every desire?

 

Absolutely not.

Instead, we are to be like Jesus, who even though He came from a much higher state willingly left it for the sake of others.

 

That is Paul’s point.

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus”

 

Now, I don’t want to leave you here

Without the glorious reality of this truth as well.

There is one more very important point.

#5 HIS DESERVED EXALTATION

Philippians 2:9-11

 

Do not miss those first three words:

“For this reason…”

• The exaltation of Christ was not an example of favoritism…

• The exaltation of Christ was not an example of luck…

• The exaltation of Christ was not an example of chance…

 

The exaltation of Christ was an example of divine reward.

 

He humbled Himself like no one ever humbled themselves

And so He was exalted like no one has ever been exalted.

 

In fact “God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

 

Is there another name like Jesus? No

Is there another name that brings such fear and reverence and gratitude and awe? No

 

That’s because God attached more glory to His name than any other name

God exalted Him higher than any other.

WHY?

Because He humbled Himself more than any other.

 

DO YOU SEE THE PRINCIPLE?

 

The height of your exaltation

Is directly proportional to the depth of your humility.

 

And if you’ll listen to Jesus that is what He said.

After telling the disciples to follow His example in the upper room, He then said this:

 

John 13:17 “If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”

 

It is true.

James 4:10 “Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”

 

1 Peter 5:6 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,”

 

Or how about the teaching of Jesus?

 

Matthew 23:12 “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”

 

Luke 14:7-11 “And He began speaking a parable to the invited guests when He noticed how they had been picking out the places of honor at the table, saying to them, “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for someone more distinguished than you may have been invited by him, and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this man,’ and then in disgrace you proceed to occupy the last place. “But when you are invited, go and recline at the last place, so that when the one who has invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will have honor in the sight of all who are at the table with you. “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

 

Luke 18:9-14 “And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

 

You get the point.

 

• When Paul tells you to humble yourself for your brother…

• When Jesus tells you to humble yourself for you brother…

 

They are not giving you advice that will harm you.

They are giving you advice that will ultimately exalt you.

 

Jesus humbled Himself more than any other person ever.

And as a result Hs is exalted more than any other person ever.

And that is a principle you and I need to understand.

 

Scorn follows selfishness, but glory follows humility

 

 

So:

“…if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,”

 

Motivating Unity

Philippians 2:1-4

October 13, 2013

 

We have been studying Paul’s letter to the Philippians.

We know them to have been a faithful church,

And one that is faithful even in the midst of hardship.

 

If there is one issue in the Philippian church

It is that Satan was working to attack the unity of the church.

 

Really, the only negative vibe in the entire letter to the Philippians

Comes in chapter 4.

 

Philippians 4:2-3 “I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. Indeed, true companion, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.”

 

Apparently these two women in the church were out of harmony,

And Paul not only encouraged them to get over it,

But even recruited two men in the church to help them do it.

 

And so of all the issues the Philippians faced,

A little discord proves to be about the only mark against them.

 

But honestly let’s admit that discord is no small matter.

Church dissension is no laughing matter.

 

Paul wrote about the importance of church unity in every letter he wrote.

And we know the reason it matters is because

OUR TESTIMONY HANGS UPON THE NAIL OF OUR BROTHERLY LOVE.

 

Jesus said it plainly:

John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

 

John 17:20-21 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.”

 

Unity is important.

 

Now it is also important to give a much needed disclaimer about unity,

And that is that we are talking about Biblical unity, not just unity for unity sake.

 

The apostle John had a good handle on this.

 

He preached unity, he preached brotherly love,

But it always revolved around the truth.

1 John 1:3 “what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

 

John was clear.

He wanted fellowship, he wanted unity, but it had to be unity and fellowship with the Father first, and then with one another second.

 

That is the same implication he made in 2 John.

2 John 1 “The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth,”

 

All who know the truth are in fact unified.

 

So when we are talking about Biblical unity

Just know that we are talking about unity in the truth.

 

Any unity apart from the truth is at the very least a club

And the very most an occult.

 

We want true Biblical unity centered on the truth of God

And true fellowship with Him.

And that is assumed here.

 

But once you have the truth, unity becomes of the utmost importance.

It is so important that the church not fracture and split

And become divided amongst itself.

 

It matters that we stand together.

We need one another.

 

Consider this verse:

Ephesians 4:15-16 “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”

 

Notice there Paul talked about a body,

And according to him every joint supplies something.

 

There are no expendable parts of the body of Christ.

And if any part is cast aside, then the body is handicapped.

We must be unified.

 

And if you will remember that is what Paul encouraged them to be

At the end of chapter 1.

 

Philippians 1:27 “Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;”

 

Twice in that verse Paul mentioned the necessity of unity.

You must stand firm together and you must strive together.

 

But whatever you do, you must do it together.

There must be unity.

There must be a solid front.

 

And so long as there is purity of doctrine and correct theology

There is no excuse not to have it.

 

Now there are reasons why at times we don’t,

And the main reason is selfishness.

 

Remember the Corinthians and their division?

1 Corinthians 3:1-3 “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?”

 

The Corinthians fought because they were fleshly.

They were babies, they were immature, they were selfish

And that was the cause of their disharmony.

 

And the reality is that today

Very few people break fellowship over bad doctrine (when they should)

Scores of people break fellowship over bad attitudes (when they shouldn’t)

 

Well, Paul is writing to a church that is theologically sound.

So the issue isn’t doctrine.

 

And therefore there is no excuse for there not to be unity.

 

AND THAT IS THE POINT OF THIS PASSAGE.

 

For us, we learn the steps to achieve unity.

To be a unified church, it is extremely simple.

 

Three main things

#1 MOTIVES TO EXAMINE

Philippians 2:1

 

I really love this verse.

It is probably my favorite verse to fall back on any time there is discord

Because it so simply states the foundations for our unity.

 

If a believer can’t come back to these foundational truths

And be motivated to find unity

There is something foundational wrong with that person.

Now you will notice Paul gives four statements

And gives them all as “if” statements.

 

He does this so that you and I will evaluate each of these statements and determine if we find them to be true or false.

 

The implication being,

• If these statements are true, then we should be unified.

• If these statements are false, then I suppose unity is overrated.

 

1) “Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ,”

 

To put it another way:

“If Christ is an inspiration in any way”

“If Christ is an encouragement to you”

 

He just told them up in verse 27 to be unified

And here he is giving the motivation and he wants to know

If Christ’s example has ever inspired you in this regard?

 

Has Christ inspired you to love your brother?

 

John 15:12-13 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

 

And obviously that was Christ.

 

Consider what Paul told the Ephesians.

Ephesians 2:11-14 “Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands — remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,”

 

What Christ did was the very basis of unity.

He made Jew and Gentile alike equally accessible to God.

 

His whole death was about unity.

 

To the Galatians Paul wrote:

Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

 

• The death of Christ brought equality between Jew and Gentile

• The death of Christ brought equality between rich and poor

• The death of Christ brought equality between male and female

 

I mean all we have to do is open our eyes

And see that Christ brought unity.

 

But that is really what Paul is asking.

 

Did Christ inspire unity?

(You have to answer yes or no)

 

2) “if there is any consolation of love”

 

You know what “consolation” is.

It is what the person who doesn’t win the main prize gets.

 

It is for the runner up, it is what’s left over.

 

And let’s suppose here that in your argument

You didn’t get what you wanted.

All you get is the consolation prize.

 

And the consolation prize in this case is “love”

 

That’s all you get.

You didn’t get the color of carpet you wanted,

But you do get the love of your brother.

 

And there is Paul’s question:

IS LOVE ENOUGH?

 

• And I could remind you that “love never fails”

• I could remind you “now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

 

Is it enough to just be in a loving body of believer?

Is it enough to have nothing more than the love of God?

Is it enough to have nothing but love?

 

At the end of the day you don’t get any of your personal preferences,

But you still have the love of God on your behalf.

Is that enough?

 

(And again you have to answer yes or no)

 

3) “if there is any fellowship of the Spirit”

 

Very simply Paul is asking:

Is the Spirit a bond?

 

Do you feel a spiritual bond with other believers

That does not exist between you and non-believers?

 

Is it evident that He has put in you the same thing He has put in someone else?

 

Or is that fellowship just a farce?

That is Paul’s question.

Does a genuine fellowship of the Spirit really exist?

 

(Answer yes or no)

 

4) “if any affection and compassion,”

 

And here he is just asking if affection and compassion exist.

 

• Do you have them at all?

• Is there anything in you that feels affection toward your brothers and sisters in Christ?

• Is there any part of you that is moved toward compassion for your brothers and sisters in Christ?

 

I mean that is what he wants to know.

He’s asking you.

 

He really just wants to know if these things exist…

• Is Christ an inspiration?

• Is love enough?

• Is the Spirit really a bond?

• Does affection and compassion exist?

 

Those are the questions and you have to answer yes or no

To those questions.

 

Those are motivations that you and I have to examine.

 

#2 MOTIVES TO EMBRACE

Philippians 2:2

 

Now obviously we all answered yes to every one of those questions.

And Paul knew we would, because the correct answer is yes.

 

• Christ is an inspiration…

• Love is enough…

• The Spirit is a bond…

• Affection and compassion do exist…

 

Well if the answer to those things is yes, then this is what you need to do.

 

“make my joy complete”

 

HOW?

“by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.”

 

 

And I hope you recognize that these four realities

Directly coincided with the realities listed in verse 1.

 

In fact you could read them like this:

“if there is any encouragement in Christ…make my joy complete by being of the same mind”

Be like Him

Be an inspiration like He is

 

“If there is any consolation of love…make my joy complete by…maintaining the same love”

 

If love is enough, then give it

 

“if there is any fellowship of the Spirit…make my joy complete by being…united in spirit”

 

If the Spirit really is a bond, then be unified in Him

 

“if any affection and compassion…make my joy complete by being…intent on one purpose”

 

If there really is those things then use them and be unified.

 

Each of these realities coincide with the realities of verse 1.

 

And that is the whole point.

 

You and I have to decide whether Christ is enough,

Whether love is enough, whether the Spirit is enough,

Whether affection and compassion are enough.

 

And if we decide that they are,

Then we really don’t have any choice but to unify.

 

• I mean, If Christ is all you need, then you have no excuse to split over the color of the carpet.

 

• If love is all you need, then there is no excuse to split over music style.

 

• If the Spirit is all you need, then there is no excuse to split over the budget.

 

• If affection and compassion are all you need, then there is no reason to split over the Wednesday night menu.

 

Paul is trying to make sure we all see what is important and what is not.

 

Now granted if we were talking heresy or false doctrine,

Paul would lead the charge to stand your ground and not give in.

But we aren’t talking about those things, we’re talking about petty issues.

 

And there should be no petty issue that cannot be overlooked

If we have Christ, love, the Spirit, affection, and compassion.

 

We really ought to be able to handle any issue, get over it and move on.

SHOULDN’T WE?

 

That is how Paul lived:

1 Corinthians 8:13 “Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.”

 

Paul wrote to the Romans:

Romans 14:15-17 “For if because of food your brother is hurt, you are no longer walking according to love. Do not destroy with your food him for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

 

And you know this.

We are called to make unity a priority.

We are called to put aside our petty differences for the sake of what is more important.

 

We can all put up with a little disappoint if Christ and love and the Spirit and affection and compassion really are enough.

 

So we embrace those things.

• We determine to be “of the same mind” as Christ.

• We determine to maintain “the same love”

• We determine to be “united in spirit”

• We are “intent on one purpose”

 

Those are the motives we embrace.

 

Motives to Examine Motives to Embrace

#3 MOTIVES TO EXCLUDE

Philippians 2:3-4

 

First Paul gave the attitudes to embrace

And now come the ones to exclude.

 

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit”

 

What a statement, and one we should all learn.

• There is never a time…

• There is never a decision…

• There is never a situation…

When selfishness is ever appropriate.

 

• There is never a time…

• There is never a decision…

• There is never a situation…

When it is ok to be conceited.

 

And we hear that junk in the world all the time.

• “Well you know sooner or later you’ve got to take care of yourself”

• “I deserve this…”

• “It’s time for me to get what I want out of life”

 

“DO NOTHING FROM SELFISHNESS OR EMPTY CONCEIT”

 

“but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;”

 

Now there is a notion.

 

We have a church dilemma

We have a church disagreement

 

One person says, “I want the thermostat set at 72”

The other person says, “I want it set at 69”

 

Wouldn’t it be great if person 1 said, “You’d better set it at 69 because we don’t want to offend them. The church would be fine without me, but it really needs them.”

 

And then person 2 said, “No, not at all, I’m expendable, but we couldn’t survive without you, set it at 72”

 

But that isn’t very often how people think is it?

 

In fact we live in the day where people

Continually try to manipulate and connive to get their way.

 

“If you do that, I’ll leave…”

 

The implication being, you need me here,

And so you had better do what I want so I don’t leave.

That is a horrible attitude.

 

And Paul blatantly commands us to never think that way.

 

We must look around our church and honestly believe,

I am the least important person here.

 

And start feeling gratitude for being here,

Instead expecting everyone else to be grateful that you are here.

 

And then Paul pushes it even further.

Verse 3 dealt with the ATTITUDE, verse 4 deals with the ACTION.

 

“do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”

 

You cannot live this life only concerned about

You getting what you want.

 

I’ve learned this principle over the years.

(I didn’t always have a handle on it)

 

• But this principle works in this church

• It has worked on mission trips

• I’ve even seen it work with coed softball leagues

 

And here is the principle.

IF OTHER PEOPLE DON’T PROSPER, NEITHER WILL YOU

IF OTHER PEOPLE DON’T SUCCEED, NEITHER WILL YOU

If people don’t individually succeed, the main cause won’t either.

 

I’ve learned that for the group to have the right kind of attitude

It is more important that I meet the needs of others

Than that I meet my own need.

 

Because if everyone in the group feels like things are going their way,

Then the whole group will go the right direction.

 

But if others don’t succeed, neither will you.

 

And we see this clearly in our world today.

It’s no surprise our government is dysfunctional.

 

Everyone wants to win at the cost of everyone else.

And people don’t go for that.

And you end up with gridlock and a shutdown government.

 

But let me assure that the same thing will happen in the church.

If you go in and try relentlessly to make everyone do everything your way, get ready for implosion.

 

But if you set your mind on focusing on their interests

Then the whole thing will prosper and you will share in that prosperity.

 

Let me give you some examples.

Jeremiah 29:4-7 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, ‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. ‘Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. ‘Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.’”

 

Could it really be that God would command His children to work for the prosperity of Babylon?

 

Yes, because if they wanted to live in a prosperous community,

That was their only option.

 

I mean they could trash the place,

But then they’d have to live in a trash heap.

 

You might as well work for the common good

So you can reap the common benefit.

 

Remember what Paul told the Corinthians?

 

TURN TO: 1 CORINTHIANS 12:14-26

 

You see that same type of “me first” mentality there.

And did you notice what Paul said?

 

(26) “and if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”

 

That is a true life principle, and true in the church.

 

Take your body.

I love playing softball, but if one leg is hurt, my whole body suffers.

 

My hand can’t catch a ball that my leg won’t let me reach.

 

There has to be a mentality of corporate prosperity.

Then everyone can rejoice.

 

That is why Paul told the Ephesians:

Ephesians 4:1-3 “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

 

Notice he said to be “diligent to preserve the unity”

In other words, protect it.

 

If you aren’t unified, then pursue it.

Die to self, put away selfishness and start seeking the interests of your brother.

 

If you are unified then preserve it.

Work to keep it.

And listen the means to unity are not complicated.

• If Christ is enough then be of the same mind.

• If love is enough then maintain the same love.

• If the Spirit is enough, then be united in the Spirit.

• If affection and compassion are enough, then offer them.

 

• Don’t be selfish.

• Don’t be conceited.

• Instead see other people as more important than you.

 

• And don’t always seek what is best for you.

• Seek what is best for your brother because when he prospers you will benefit.

 

That is how you achieve and maintain unity.

 

And the result of unity is this:

 

(2) “make my joy complete…”

 

The result of unity is complete joy.

I promise you love this church the most when we are walking in unity.

 

It is those moments of hostility and discord that make you dread it.

But when we are all unified, church is a joyful place to be.

 

So seek unity

Pursue unity

Preserve unity

 

And then enjoy it.