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Philippians 2:3-5

INTRODUCTION

In 1973 a man named Robert Ringer wrote a book entitled “Winning Through Intimidation.”  After the manuscript was rejected 23 times by publishers, he decided to self-publish the book.  It became a #1 bestseller and spent 36 weeks on the NY Times bestseller list.  In 1977 he self-published another book, “Looking Out for Number One.” That book also became a #1 bestseller and is still considered to be one of the top 15 self-help books of all time.  That second book was based on the premise that since man’s inherent nature is to look out for number one, we need to do a better job of looking out for number one.  Here’s a quote, “We sometimes lose sight of the fact that our primary objective is really to be happy as possible and that all our other objectives, great and small, are only a means to that end.”

That phrase—“looking out for number one”—has since become a part of our culture’s vernacular.  And there have been songs written that express the need to do just that.  For example, in 1992 Travis Tritt wrote a song having this chorus: “Lord everyone around me, I’ve tried so hard to please.  ‘Till the only one unhappy, feeling broken down is me.  But things are going to change, with each new setting sun.  Starting now I’m looking out for number one.”

But “looking out for number one” is nothing new to any one of us humans.  We don’t need a book to tell us to do a better job of it.  In sin, selfishness reigns.  And since we are all born sinners, we are all born with a natural inclination to put ourselves first.

We are, in sin, self-worshippers at heart.  At the beginning of the second chapter of his book, “Improving Your Serve,” Chuck Swindoll writes this: I, ME, MINE, MYSELF.  Those four words stood out in bold print.  They appeared as if they were forming an enormous monument, each letter seemingly chiseled out in granite.  At the base of this strange “monument” were hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people with their arms held up high, as if worshipping at a shrine.  And then in very small letters, this caption appeared at the bottom of the editorial cartoon: “Speaking of American cults…”

This, beloved, is the culture in which we live.  It is a self-consumed and self-preoccupied society.  Worshipping at the idol of self we mistakenly assume that there is virtue and lasting benefit to be gained in the worship of self.

2 Timothy chapter 3 warned of the days in which we live, saying: “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power.”  Now we live in these difficult days.  And each of the maladies spoken of in this passage are readily recognizable in our society.  But note this about the passage, “lovers of self,” comes first.  And it would be fair that the rest of the maladies follow that first malady.  The “Looking Out for Number One” philosophy is, in fact, a recipe for social chaos and disaster.  As it has been ever since Adam and Even fell in the garden and sin entered the world.  We read about that in chapter 3, then in chapter 4 we read how Cain, as he was “looking out for number one,” killed his brother.

The long history of humanity is filled with such examples.  The reality is that in sin we are selfish and being selfish we don’t relate well to one another.  In sin, we are impatient, unkind, envious, prideful, rude, self-seeking, easily angered and embittered.

There is but one example—in the annals of human history—of a man who lived a purely selfless life.  And that man is Jesus Christ.  Philippians 2:5-8 speaks of Him: “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond servant, and being made in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance of a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

What happened when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us?  Jesus Christ was the Divine Son of God.  He was also a perfect man.  He was a man without sin.  In Him there was no sin.  He never sinned.  He was perfectly submitted to the Father in all that He did.  And He lived His life according to the godly character that was innate to His person.  And so, what do we see and find in this God-man, Jesus Christ?  He became man and took on the form of a bond-servant.  He lived a life of servant-hood.  He came into the world with no entourage.  He had none of the trappings of royalty.  He had no home and no possessions.  He came as a servant and He served others.  Purposefully.  Relentlessly.  Sacrificially.  And when He had given all that He had but His own life, He gave that up too.  And, as I said, His like is unique in the annals of human history.  He never exercised a selfish thought.  He never did a selfish thing.  He never uttered a selfish word.  Instead of looking out for number one, the Divine Son of God came into this world looking out for everyone but number one.

Now, by the Spirit, you—believer in Christ—have come to understand something of the beauty of the person of Christ.  You’ve worshipped at the shrine of self, but you came to the realization that “self” if a false god that can never work to satisfy your deepest needs and desires.  Christ alone can do that.  You thought, perhaps, that the universe revolved around you, but you came to realize that it is Christ alone who is worthy of such love and devotion.  But you nonetheless live in this flesh and are surrounded by worshippers of self.  And that’s why this passage is so important.  It reminds us of how God has called us, as believers, to a higher plane of living.  A way of thinking and living in Christ that meets with Divine approval.  And which proves to be a blessing not only to ourselves but to those around us.

MESSAGE

1. God has called us, as believers, to a radically different way of thinking

“In the last days difficult times will come, for men will be lovers of self” (1 Timothy 3:1-2).  But we need to purpose, by the Spirit, to think differently.

Romans 12:2 speaks to the need for us to not be conformed to the world (to not allow the world to press us into its own mold), but to be transformed by the renewing of the mind.  This is one of those matters where it is essential that we purpose in Christ to think and live differently.

We are to have the mind of Christ.  Note the phrase in verse 5, “have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.”

The Greek term translated “attitude” is the same term translated “mind” in verse 2.  It is in the present tense so it speaks of a continuous “mind” or a continuous “way of thinking.”  The NASB has translated it attitude and that gives a good sense of it.  What’s an attitude?  Sometimes we must use that in a negative way.  What’s up with your attitude?  But one of the definitions of attitude is: “a mental position with regard to a fact or state.”  Put simply, it is a way of thinking.

And as we look forward in the passage, to verses 6-8, we can readily identify that attitude in Christ that we are called upon to emulate.  It is in respect to His servanthood.  To “have this attitude…which was also in Christ Jesus” is to think about your life in relationship to others as that of being a servant.

Note the other phrase used to represent the mindset we are to maintain as believers: “with humility of mind” (2:3).

The term translates a combination of terms, one meaning “low-lying” and the other “mind.”  The idea is lowliness of mind.  It is set against the other term in the verse, conceit.

God calls us as believers to this mind-set, one of lowliness of mind.  Now humility is commonly disdained and likewise commonly misunderstood.  It’s good for us to have a good, Biblical definition of what is meant by the term.  Romans 12:3 is helpful, “For through the grace of God given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as god has allotted to each a measure of faith.”  Humility involves having a proper estimation of ourselves.

C.J. Mahaney uses this definition: “Humility is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God’s holiness and our sinfulness.” In sin we are prideful and ignorant of these truths. But the Holy Spirit does a wonderful work in opening our eyes to the glory of God and His holiness and simultaneously convicting us of the depth of our sin problem.  Humility is essential not only in our relationship with God, but it also impacts the way we relate to others.  How important is humility in how we relate to God?  The Scripture repeats this principle of truth three times: “God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble.”  And when it comes to our relationships with others, pride is at the source of all kinds of strife and divisions.  That is why Peter says, “clothe yourselves with humility toward one another” (1 Peter 5:5).

There is a great quote regarding humility from Andrew Murray.  He said, “Humility is perfect quietness of heart.  It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feeling nothing done against me.  It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed and despised.  It is to have a blessed hope in the Lord, where I can go in and shut the door and kneel before the Father in secret, and am at peace as in a deep sea of calmness, when all around and above is trouble.  The humble person is not one who thinks meanly of himself, he simply does not think of himself at all.”

We have a great example of this attitude of Christ provided for us in the gospel of Mark (Mark 10:35-45).  James and John went to Jesus to ask of Him that he might give to them the privileged seats, on His right and His left, when He came into power.  Now they didn’t understand some things.  They believed Jesus to be the Messiah. But they couldn’t understand what He was saying when He spoke to them of His pending suffering and death.  They were all headed to Jerusalem, and then Jesus would be made to be king.  So, they asked for those privileged positions of power.  And Jesus responded by again speaking of His pending suffering and the sufferings that they themselves would eventually face.  Now after this discussion ensued, the rest of the disciples “began to feel indignant with James and John” (10:41).  This is not the only occasion when we read of such a thing.  Later in Jesus’ ministry, after He shared the last supper with His disciples, a discussion ensued amongst the disciples as to which one of them was the greatest.  So, these disciples were far from perfect men, they were prone to the same “looking out for number one” way of thinking that has infected us all.  But Jesus responded to the matter by distinguishing between two different ways of thinking and living.  He said that the Gentiles function according to man’s way of thinking.  Rulers “lord it over them.”  People vie for the highest positions and when they get them they use their power to command others and demand certain things from them.  And, according to man’s way of thinking, this is perfectly acceptable and normal behavior.  We might even speak of it according to what is commonly called “upward mobility.”  But Jesus said that that’s now how things work in God’s economy, “But it is no so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:44-45).  In God’s economy greatness is not defined in terms of “upward mobility,” but “downward mobility.”  Greatness in God’s kingdom looks like servanthood and Christ Jesus Himself is the great testimony to that truth.

In his book, “True Humility,” C. J. Mahaney differentiates between greatness as defined by the world and by God: “The difference couldn’t be starker.  As sinfully and culturally defined, pursuing greatness looks like this: Individuals motivated by self-interest, self-indulgence, and a false sense of self-sufficiency pursue selfish ambition for the purpose of self-glorification.  Contrast this with the pursuit of true greatness as biblically defined: Serving others for the glory of God.”

Note that phrase there, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.”  Philippians 2:5 is telling us that we are to think the same way as Jesus.  And we ought to be able to say the same thing about ourselves.

• In our marriage: I am not in this marriage to be served, but to serve.
• In our family: I am not in this family, to be served, but to serve.
• In our relationships at work or at school: I am not here to be served, but to serve.
• In our church: I am not here to be served, but to serve.

We would say: “I am glad to serve you in Jesus’ name.  My great goal and aspiration is to know and love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ, and these things I do by following His example.”

With respect to the radical way of thinking God calls us to, the hymn, “May the Mind of Christ, my Savior,” puts it well.  And it is a prayer.  That the Holy Spirit may work through the Word of God, so that in our walk with Christ we might have the attitude of Christ: “May the mind of Christ my Savior, live in me from day to day, By His love and power controlling, all I do and say.”

2. God has called us, as believers, to a radically different way of relating to others

We are likewise called to a radically different way of relating to others.

“Do nothing from selfishness.”  The term translated “selfishness” denotes “ambition, self-seeking, rivalry.”  Vine’s Expository Dictionary explains that “self-will” is the underlying idea in the word.  So, it is that in us that is self-centered and demanding and contributes to a spirit of divisiveness.

The cause of this self-seeking behavior is an overestimate of one’s own importance.  “Empty conceit” and selfish behavior go hand in hand.  And, as we’ve already stated, there are a host of miserable consequence that go along with this kind of behavior.  As someone has written: How to be Miserable…

• Think about yourself.
• Talk about yourself.
• Use “I” as often as possible.
• Mirror yourself continually in the opinion of others.
• Listen greedily to what people say about you.
• Be suspicious.
• Expect to be appreciated.
• Be jealous and envious.
• Be sensitive to slights.
• Never forgive a criticism.
• Trust nobody but yourself.
• Insist on consideration and the proper respect.
• Demand agreement with your own views on everything.
• Sulk if people are not grateful to you for favors shown to them.
• Never forget a service you may have rendered.
• Be on the lookout for a good time for yourself.
• Shirk your duties if you can.
• Do as little as possible for others.
• Love yourself supremely.
• Be selfish.

This recipe—for being miserable—is infallible.

We’ve got a couple of great examples in Scripture of both the positive and negative to what is expressed here in verse 3.  In 3 John we read of Diotrephes.  It is said of him that he “loved to be first among them.”  Apparently, Diotrephes had a problem with pride.  This was a man who called himself a Christian.  But his behavior was hardly Christ-like.  He denied the authority of the Apostle John.  John was an apostle appointed by the Lord Jesus Himself.  He had walked with Jesus and had witness Jesus’ death and resurrection.  He had faithfully served Jesus for decades.  He had suffered much in bearing witness of the Lord Jesus, but in his prideful arrogance, Diotrephes showed no respect to that wonderful man of God.  And then there was the matter of showing Christian hospitality.  When other associates of John would go there to visit, Diotrephes wouldn’t receive them.  And if that wasn’t bad enough, if anyone dared to receive these friends of John, Diotrephes would put them out of the church.  Diotrephes was not living his life according to the truths of this verse.  He was of the “looking out for number one” mindset.

Look at Philippians 2:19-21.  Here we find another man, Timothy—Paul’s beloved son in the faith.  Paul was hoping to send Timothy to the church in Philippi so that he could receive a report on how things were going.  He said that he had no one else of “kindred spirit who (would) be genuinely be concerned for (their) welfare” (2:20).  Timothy was of kindred spirit with Paul, but they both were of kindred spirit to the Lord Himself.  They had that “attitude which is in Christ Jesus.”  Note what Paul went on to say.  “For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus” (2:21).  Timothy is a wonderful example of this Philippians 2:3 way of living.  Now I know of nothing that will work to promote unity better in a marriage or home or church than for each member to adopt this approach to relating to others.  If every member will seek after the interests of Christ Jesus, they will prove him or herself to be a source of great blessing to others.  Philippians 2:3 is a verse to memorize and meditate on and allow it to become deeply rooted in your heart.  That the Spirit might work to transform you through this Word.

“Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4).

I’m reminded of the story of Uncle Bob’s Shoes.  It was on one of my first trips to Uganda.  Pastor Bob and I had been leading a conference for pastors in Kabaale Village.  We were walking back to the guest house for lunch.  Bob stopped along the way to talk to one of the pastors.  When he was approaching our dining area, I noticed that he was walking gingerly along the path.  I looked then at his feet and noticed that he was wearing some crude and well-worn sandals.  “What happened to your shoes,” I asked?  He explained to me how the pastor had stopped him and asked him to pray that God would provide him with some shoes because his sandals were hurting his feet.  So, Bob had taken off his shoes and gave them to this pastor in exchange for the man’s sandals.  And as we were talking, Bob removed those pain-inflicting sandals.  And we were both amazed at what we saw.  The pastor had tried to repair the sandals, holding them together by punching a bunch of tacks through the soles.  And though he had tried to stub the points on the upward side, they still poked through and caused some discomfort when you tried to walk in them.  Why would Pastor Bob give away his sandals?  Because he was living according to his mindset.  He was living out what it says, “Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”  He had another pair of shoes.  He was glad to serve Jesus by serving this pastor and looking out for his interests.

History tells us of how a man named Copernicus studied the sky and came to a startling conclusion regarding the order of things.  He said, “If man is to know the truth, he must change his thinking!  Despite what we have said for years, our earth is not the center of the cosmos—but just one celestial body among many.  The sun does not move around us; we move around the sun.”  Years later someone did a study on children and concluded, “Each child must have his or her own “Copernicus revelation.”  Indeed, we are all in need of such a thing.

CONCLUSION

I just finished reading a great book, “Fearless: The Undaunted Courage and Ultimate Sacrifice of Navy SEAL Team SIX Operator Adam Brown.”  It’s the true story of his life.  Adam great up in small town Arkansas.  He played football for his high school team and was a fierce competitor.  He had a lot of friends.  He graduated from high school and headed off to college.  But found he didn’t have much appetite for academics.  He came back home and worked for his Dad who had an electrical company.  But then he met a girl.  And this girl had a drug problem.  And she drug Adam along into it.  He was doing all kinds of drugs including Meth.  He would be gone overnight and sometimes for days.  His drug habit got real expensive, so he stole from his Dad’s company.  On one occasion he ran off with the company’s van.  And this went on for some time.  And his Mom and Dad loved him, as did his twin-sister and older-brother, but there was seemingly nothing they could do to stop Adam from his downward spiral.  They feared for his life.  Adam was totally given over to his sinful pursuits.  And he didn’t care at all about anyone else.  It mattered not the he was breaking the hearts of his parents.  His twin sister loved him, but he was oblivious to her concerns.  He was completely self-absorbed and utterly lost.

Then Mom and Dad decided to go to church.  And they talked to the pastor.  And they were saved.  And they began praying for their son.  They called the sheriff—there was a warrant for Adam’s arrest—and had Adam arrested.  The pastor when and visited him.  And the court made a deal with Adam—go to a Christian treatment program, for a year, and you won’t have to stay in jail.  And so, he did.  And somewhere along the way, Adam trusted in Jesus.  But that wasn’t the end of his drug issues.  Meth is especially hard to stay away from.  And he sometimes went back to it.  He met a young lady.  A Christian young lady.  And she began to pray for him.  And she got to know him.  And she would intervene whenever he was tempted to go back to drugs.  They got married.  And Adam decided to join the Navy.  He had seen the movie Navy Seals as a boy and had ever since carried that thought of being a seal.  A friend’s Dad, a Navy man, worked to get some waivers approved.  And Adam joined the Navy to become a Navy Seal.  And he passed all the rigorous training.  And by this time, Adam has grown in his walk with Christ.  He is a loving husband.  A child comes along.  And then another.  He is a loving father.  Despite some serious injuries, Adam excels as a seal and is counted among an elite group in the top one percent of all the seals.  He serves in Iraq and Afghanistan.  He is known for his willingness to put himself in harm’s way for the sake of his fellow soldiers.  When he’s in Afghanistan he sees that there are many children without shoes.  So, he calls his pastor in the US, and they ship hundreds of shoes to Adam.  When his fellows walked with him, they carried weapons, he carried shoes—and he would give them away to children who didn’t have any.  He would also carry MREs with him and would give them away to hungry children.  It was about time for his Navy career to be over.  He had one last mission he was called to perform.  His task force was called to enter a particularly dangerous and mountainous region.  They were going after a man who had led a team of Taliban rebels who had been responsible for the death of many Americans.  The team arrived at his holdout.  And much shooting ensued.  And there came a point where someone had to go to a spot where a man was firing from a window at the team.  Adam volunteered.  He put himself in harm’s way to protect his teammates.  And he was mortally wounded.  And Adam died.  He had been asked, before that day, how he could approach such situations with such fearlessness.  You know what his response was?  It was his faith in the Risen Christ that made the difference for him.  Adam walked with Jesus.  And as he did, he lived that kind of life.  I read that book and cried.  And I also rejoiced.  I rejoiced in the truth of what Jesus Christ did in that man’s life.  He rescued him from his sinful and selfish and bankrupt existence and made something very beautiful of his life.  It should come as no surprise to you that Adam’s example worked to encourage other Seals to put their faith in Jesus Christ.

Beloved, God has called you to walk in Jesus’ footsteps.  There is no virtue or valor in selfishness.  What does courage and strength and a purposeful life look like?  It looks like Jesus.  And God calls on all of us to follow in His steps.  To adopt, by the Spirit, His way of thinking and to replicate, again by the Spirit, His way of living.  And make no mistake about it—this radical way of thinking and living—is impossible for any of us in our own flesh.  It will do us no good to try harder to be better when it comes to these matters.  We can only do any of this as we are led and empowered by the Spirit to do them.  But let’s pray that it would be so.  Unto the glory of our Savior.

 

Philippians 2:1-2

INTRODUCTION

In Jesus “high priestly” prayer, Jesus prayed to the Father regarding all of those who would come to believe in Him and thereby make up His church.  We are in His prayer.  This is what He prayed:

“I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, are in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst sent Me.  And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me” (John 17:20-23).

We something here of the heart and purpose of the Lord Jesus regarding His church.

• His prayer was that we might be perfected in unity.
• The basis and nature of this unity is the unity that exists in the Godhead itself. “That they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, are in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us.”
• The unity He prayed for is first of all a positional unity as we are brought into fellowship with the Father and the Son through salvation. But the unity He prayed for us more than that, for He prayed for a unity that was demonstrably evident to others.  A unity that would testify to the truth of the gospel.

Paul shared the heart of God in his matter.  He had the same aspirations for the church in Philippi.  And this was a major matter of concern as he wrote to them in his epistle.  We saw something of this in Philippians 1:27-30.  That phrase, “with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel” captures the heart of the passage.  Believers are to be united in the common cause of the gospel.  Paul uses terms in the passage which emphasize the nature of the way that we are to relate to one another.  The world “conduct” means literally “to behave as citizens.”  As fellow citizens we are to relate to the Lord Jesus and one another in appropriate fashion.  The term “standing firm” is a military term meaning to remain in one’s post.  We are fellow soldiers we are a “band of brothers” fighting side-by-side in the good fight of faith.  The term “striving together” speaks to laboring together in a common purpose.  The Greek term is related to our English term “athlete.”  So, it could be said that we are like “fellow teammates,” each using our own particular gifts in doing our part in this common cause.  Fellow citizens, fellow soldiers, fellow teammates.  No Christian is an island to himself.  We are part of a grand and glorious and eternal cause.  We’ve been enlisted by God to that cause and the only way that we can have any degree of effectiveness is in joining together with our fellow believers.

Now what is here before us is very relevant to us in our day.  We look across the landscape of our society and culture and we see a lot of division—division in marriages, division in families, division in our country, in our churches, in our world.  Now some of this is not surprising, even as Paul warned Timothy of the spirit of things in the last days (Read 2 Timothy 3:2-5).  But God intends something very different for His people.  A local church is intended to be an oasis of Christ-centered unity in the desert of human selfishness and division.  God’s intent is that we might enjoy the benefits and blessings of unity in our relationship to Him and to one another.  As the Psalmist has put it: “Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity” (Psalm 133:1)!

I came across an article in the “Tabletalk” devotional this past week in which the author speaks to the challenges we face.  He says, “Real community doesn’t happen on its own—it takes time, patience, repentance, forgiveness, and love that covers a multitude of sins. The church community is not just a crowd of people on a Sunday morning; it is the gathered, worshiping people of God in a congregation where masks aren’t needed and where real friends help bear the real burdens of one another. Community is not just getting together; it is living together, suffering together, rejoicing together, and dying together.  Although many Christians claim to want genuine community, many want it only on their own terms, when it’s convenient, and when it demands nothing from them. What they want isn’t the church community, but a country club where they pay their dues for services rendered. They want to be served without having to serve anyone else. Real community forces us to die to ourselves and get over ourselves so that we might love one another as ourselves.”

And that’s Paul’s focus in our text…

MESSAGE

1. Our Shared “In Christ” Blessings

Note the four-fold occurrence of the phrase “if any” in verse 1.  The grammar is a “first class conditional” statement in the Greek.  It literally means “if, and it is so.”  You could translate it “since” (i.e. “since there is encouragement in Christ; since there is consolation of love”).

Now why did Paul put it that way?  He was inviting his readers to take spiritual inventory.  He was directing their thoughts to Christ and the blessings they enjoy in their relationship with Him.  He was calling upon them to take note of the way in which Christ relates to them.

And note this about unity.  In order for there is be any kind of unity there needs to be some basis for that unity.  A family enjoys that by way of their common identity as members of the same family.  For us as believers the basis for our unity is our common relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.  This is a positional truth, but it is a positional truth with practical implications.  Because we are “in Christ” and He is in us, we are in a relationship with Him.  These things mentioned in verse 1 are all blessings we enjoy in our relationship with Him.

Note the first of these.  “If there is any encouragement in Christ.”  What is meant be this word “encouragement?”  The term translates the Greek “paraklesis” which is variously translated “encouragement, comfort, or consolation.”  It means literally “a calling to one’s side.”  I like the term “encouragement” and it is befitting of Christ in our relationship with Him.  In salvation He’s come along side us.  He is with us, even “in us,” and is with us encouraging and exhorting us along in our walk with Him.  We’ve known something of what it means to encourage or be encouraged.  We are easily discouraged and distressed.  We were that way in sin before we looked to Jesus for salvation.  And ever since that day Jesus’ has been by our side.  As they hymn puts it: “Jesus! what a Friend for sinners…Jesus! What a Strength in weakness…Jesus! What a Help in sorrow…Jesus! What a Guide and Keeper!…Hallelujah! what a Savior! Hallelujah! What a Friend!  Saving, Helping, Keeping, Loving, He is with me to the end” (“Our Great Savior”).  Do a spiritual inventory of your own life.  Do you find any encouragement in Christ?  Of course, you do.

“If there is any consolation of love.”  The term “love” translates the Greek “agape” which speaks of that love which is founded in the person of God and revealed to us in Christ.  It is that love that has been richly poured out within our hearts by God in our salvation through the Spirit (Cf. Romans 5:5).  The term “consolation” translates a Greek term which means “the process of speaking closely to anyone.”  Kenneth Wuest translates the phrase, “since there is a certain tender persuasion that comes from divine love.”  So, as believers, we are recipients of this.  He loves us, and His love works in us and speaks to us and works to transform us.  We need never doubt His love for us.  He is always relating to us according to His love.  In our good times and bad—He loves us the same and nothing can work to diminish His love for us.  He always relates to us according to His love.  Check your spiritual inventory.  Do you have any consolation of love?  Of course, you do.

“If there is any fellowship of the Spirit.”  The word translated “fellowship” is the Greek “koinonia.”  It means a “communion, a sharing together.”  The Spirit is the divine person of the Holy Spirit.  Every believer in Christ is indwelt by the divine person of the Holy Spirit.  Romans 8:14, “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”  You’ve been born again by the Spirit and ever since that day the Holy Spirit has been at work to fulfill His appointed task.  His purpose?  To glorify Christ in mediating His presence in you.  What does this fellowship of the Spirit look like?  John 7:38-39 expresses it best: “He who believes in Me, as the Scriptures said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’  But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive.”  And this is your experience, believer, whether you realize it or not.  The ministry of the Spirit is compared to this river of living water flowing from your innermost being.  This life, which is as an inexhaustible fountain in Christ’s person, has been unleashed in your innermost being.  You are the recipient of this life.  In this spiritual wasteland, this desert, you have something that the unbeliever does not have—you have a relationship with God that works to fully satisfy your deepest longings.  Is there any “fellowship of the Spirit.”  Again, yes!  Of course!  We are incredibly blessed by the Helper’s ministry in us!

“If any affection and compassion.”  The first word is the same word used in Philippians 1:8.  It speaks of “tenderheartedness.”  The source of this “tenderheartedness” is Christ Himself.  The term was used repeatedly of Christ in His dealings with men.  You are a recipient of the “affection” of Christ Jesus.  He loves you in this way.  The second word is sometimes translated “mercy” (i.e. Romans 12:1).  He feels compassion towards you and is merciful in His dealings with you.  Taken together these two terms speak to how Christ cares for you and cares about what you are going through.  You have a friend in Jesus Christ who is always there for you and cares about what you are going through.

Are you experiencing the encouragement of Christ?  Are you comforted by His love?  Do you enjoy the fellowship of the Spirit?  Are you a recipient of Christ’s affection and compassion?  Of course you are!

God has loved you in this amazing fashion!  He loves you even now and is at work in your life. Now why are you so incredibly blessed?  What is God’s purpose in bestowing these blessings on you?

God has blessed you so that you might be a blessing to others.  God’s intent was not to save you so you could simply become a repository for His blessings.  He has called you to be a “channel of blessing” in your relationship to others.  You’ve been saved by Christ.  You are now loved by Christ in these various ways, so that you might relate to your brothers and sister in Christ “in kind” (i.e. according to Christ’s example).

There is a wonderful example of this in the land of Israel.  The river Jordan flows from north to south and empties itself in the Sea of Galilee.  By all accounts the Sea of Galilee is a beautiful place.  It is filled with an abundance of aquatic life.  Birds occupy its shores.  People vacation there.  Its full of life.  And a part of the reason for that is that it has a goes in and a goes out.  It both receives and gives.  The cleansing influence of the River Jordon does that.  The Dead Sea is a different story.  It receives from the Jordon River, but its low in elevation (the lowest elevation on dry land on earth), means that nothing goes out from it.  Its salinity is 33.7%.  It’s hypersalinity prevents macroscopic aquatic organisms such as fish and aquatic plants from living in it.  It’s dead.  God doesn’t want for you to be a “Dead Sea” Christian.  You were reborn in Christ to walk in “newness of life.”  That newness of life means that you are no longer to live as a sinful, selfish, consumer Christian.  You don’t come to the church with a “what’s in it for me” attitude?  God’s purpose is for you to be a channel of His blessing in your relationship to others.

2. Our Shared “In Christ” Unity

So, Christ relates to you in this way.  He encourages you.  He loves you.  You enjoy the blessings of fellowship with Him.  He cares for you and cares about you in all the details of your life.  How does this apply to our relationship with one another?

Note the emphasis on oneness in verse 2.  The term “same” occurs twice.  And then there are the terms “united” and “one.”  The basis of the unity we are to work to preserve is Christ and His example to us.

“Make my joy complete.”  Paul would rejoice to hear that the church in Philippi was experiencing the things spoken of in verse 2.  But, going back to Jesus’ prayer in John 17, these things are at the heart of Jesus’ desire for us as believers.

“By being of the same mind.”  The word “mind” translates a term which speaks to a “way of thinking.”  The tense of the verb speaks to an all the time activity.  One translator has it this way—“that you may be being disposed.”  Note the repeated use of this term.  You cannot tell in your English Bible, but the Greek term occurs repeatedly in this passage: mind (verse 2); purpose (verse 2); mind (verse 3); attitude (verse 5).  So, this “way of thinking” is obviously important.  Something else that is noteworthy here is the very fact that we are called to be of this “same way of thinking.”  Now this is incredible thing that God could work to do such a thing.  People can be stubborn and independent and have their own ways of thinking.  Sometimes getting people together in a common cause is like herding cats, something that it is impossible to do.  But God wants to work together in a similar way of thinking.  What is this way of thinking?  What is this “same mind.”  Well it’s not my way of thinking.  And it’s not your way of thinking.  Its Christ’s way of thinking.  It is to have the mind of Christ.   There’s a wonderful example of this in Matthew chapter 16.  Jesus had just explained to his disciples that He was going to suffer and die and be raised up on the third day.  And Peter rebuked him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord!  This shall never happen to you” (Matthew 16:22).  But (Jesus) turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan!  You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s” (Matthew 16:23).  In sin we set our minds of man’s interests.  We think in a worldly way.  And the only way that we can think rightly is to be born again and then to have our minds renewed by the Spirit of God through the Word of God (Cf. Romans 12:1-2).  The bottom line is this—to be of the same mind we must all have the mind of Christ.  And the only way that’s going to happen if we are zealous towards the Word that we might better know Christ.

“Maintaining the same love.”  The term translated “love” is the Greek “agape” (same as in verse 1).  The word “maintaining” speaks of the practice of this love.  But note, again, that we are to practice this “same” love.  What is the love spoken of?  It is love of the same nature of that which we have received.  Paul is going to speak to the nature of this love in Philippians 2:5-8.  It speaks there of that love that Christ demonstrated in purposing to die for our sins.  But the main point here is that we were never meant to be merely a repository for this love.  According to Romans 5:3 this love has been shed abroad in our hearts.  We’ve been filled up to overflowing with the love of God, so that this love might be extended to others and especially to our fellow believers in Christ.  Ephesians 5:1-2 puts it this way, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you.”  What is this same love?  It is the “just as” love we have received.

“United in spirit.”  Positionally speaking, we possess a “unity of spirit” inasmuch as we are each indwelt by the same Spirit of God.  Practically speaking, we need—each one of us—to be filled with the Spirit, and to walk by the Spirit, and to keep in step with the Spirit if we are to be united in spirit.  This unity of spirit is an incredibly important thing.  So much so that Paul elsewhere spoke of the need to be “diligent to perverse the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).  We do that as we are all commonly led by the Spirit and, on the other side of things, forthrightly pursue those attitudes and actions that work to resolve differences and promote unity.  I read that book, “The Boys in the Boat,” a year or so ago.  Great book which tells the story of the University Washington eight-oared crew team which represented the US in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.  The book tells the story how these team members, who came from lower middle class families and had to earn their way through school through the depths of the Depression, were coached and prepared to compete and win.  In the book you read about the importance of the synchronization of the eight rowers as they responded to the commands of the coxswain.  The coxswain was in the back of the boat yelling out the command.  The rowers sat one behind another on either side of the boat.  They each needed to listen carefully to the coxswain.  They needed to row according to his command and they needed to be in sync with their fellow oar men.  This is a wonderful analogy of what God intends for a local church.  Jesus is the Lord of His church.  He speaks to us through the Spirit through the Word.  And the Spirit lets us on a Christ-ward course.  And He yells out the commands.  And he bids us work in harmony with one another.  It will do the boat no good at all if one oar man decides that he won’t listen to the coxswain.  It will do the church no good at all if one of its members heads off in the flesh to cause division and strife.  No, they all need to be pulling together.  They all need to “keep in step with the Spirit.”  They all need to be actively working together by doing their part in using their own spiritual gifts in serving the body of Christ.

“Intent on one purpose.”  The word translated “purpose” is actually a different form of the same term used earlier in the verse and translated “mind.”  It has the idea of “being disposed to” something. The through of the phrase is “being disposed to one thing.”  And again, the concern here is what was spoken of in Philippians 1:27, “with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel.”  That’s the one purpose we are all intent on.

CONCLUSION

Brethren, you are there in verse 1.  You are so very blessed in Christ.  You have encouragement in Him.  You are loved by Him.  You enjoy the fellowship of the Spirit.  He cares for you with affection and compassion.  You might say—you should say—with the Psalmist—“my cup overflows” (Psalm 23:5).

But Christ’s purpose was never that you should be only a reservoir of His blessings.  He intends for you to relate to your brothers and sisters in Christ according to His example.  He has it for you to be renewed in the spirit of your mind that you might fully adopt His way of thinking—that you might have the mind of Christ.  See that great example of love—whereby Christ died for you—He has for you to relate to your brothers and sisters in Christ in that same manner.  You are indwelt by the Spirit; His purpose is that we all might be filled and led by the Spirit that we are united in spirit and intent on one purpose.  You ask what that purpose is?  It is there in verse 27, “with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel.”  It is the grandest purpose of all!  And God has enlisted you in this cause.

Now if these two verses are to be fulfilled in us we are going to have to change some things.  By faith we need to understand and appreciate how truly blessed we are!  We need to praise God and thank Him for all that He has done for us.  But beyond that we need to value our community.  We need to invest ourselves in it.  We need to be fully enjoined in it.

We need to value the church.  We need to reevaluate the way that we look at church.  Church is not something we go to—church is something that we are.  We are “members one of one another” (Romans 12:5).  You are a part of the grand assembly of believers.  God loves the church.  The church is the most important entity on this planet.  It alone possesses the answer, in the truth of the gospel, for what ails man.  It has a bright future inasmuch as God’s purpose in His church will not fail.

We need to value unity.  I always cringe if I hear a spouse saying something negative about their partner.  It’s painful to hear a family member criticize another member of their own family.  It’s no less disconcerting when a member of a church family criticizes a brother or sister in Christ.  These are things we must not do if we are to maintain the unity of spirit that God has called us to.  These things are not It is impossible for the church to fulfill its God’s appointed task apart if the members of a church family refuse to relate to one another in a Spirit-led, Christ-like manner.

We need to love one another according to Christ’s example.  That means showing forbearance.  That means exercising forgiveness.  That means actively pursuing opportunities to serve one another in love.  That means using our spiritual gifts for the common good of the body of Christ.  That means attending church with a degree of enthusiasm and genuine interest.  That means doing your part, pulling your weight, being a team player.  And doing all these things according to Christ’s example, to the glory of God.

Philippians 1:27-30

INTRODUCTION

The dictionary defines a cause as “a principle, aim, or movement that, because of a deep commitment, one is prepared to defend or advocate.”

Now there are a myriad of causes to which people devote themselves.  Some of these causes are noble and worthwhile.  Many are not.  Some of these causes are for temporal things that soon wither away.  Some of them endure longer than that.  Some people devote themselves to such causes with little ardor or devotion others give their all—their lives thoroughly devoted to a matter.

Of all the causes that have ever been fought for, no cause is more noble and more virtuous than the cause of the gospel.  It is a cause to which every believer in Christ has been enlisted.  And it is a cause to which we are to devote our lives and unite ourselves to.

Just a reminder of the context.  Paul is writing to the Philippians, a church which God had used Paul and his companions to start, from a prison.  The church in Philippi has sent a gift to him, and they were no doubt wondering how he was doing.  He responded with this epistle.  Most of the first chapter has to do with his own experience.  His prayer for them.  His optimistic understanding of his circumstances.  His question regarding what might happen to him and his optimistic perspective whether it be life or death.  So, we come to the end of the chapter, and the tenor changes from Paul’s experiences to the application of his own experiences to the Philippians in theirs.

MESSAGE

1. A Cause to Live For

There is a common misconception that exists in our day regarding the message of the gospel.  Many wrongly assume that the gospel message—that Christ died for sins and rose from the dead–is something that we simply believe and then we put the message behind us and move on to other things.  That’s a wrong way of thinking about the gospel.  We never put it aside as believers.

The ESV has it right in its translation of 1 Corinthians 15:2 when it says of the gospel that we “are being saved” by it (present tense).  The gospel message has not just worked to save us from our sins by way of forgiveness, it has also worked to unite to Jesus Christ and to His death and resurrection, so that we might walk in newness of life in Him (Romans 6:1-4).

That being said, there is a kind of conduct that is worthy of the gospel.  There are two important terms that we need to define in this phrase.

The first is the term “worthy,” which is related to our English term “axle” or “axis.”  The thought behind the term is “that which balances the scales.”  So, this verse is speaking of the kind of conduct that is consistent to the gospel message.  Put the gospel message on one side of the scale.  Put your conduct (your walk; the manner in which you live your life) on the other.  They should balance out.  The same term is used in Ephesians 4:1, “Walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.”  There needs to be a measure of consistency between one’s believe in Christ and their behavior in Christ.

The other important term is “conduct.”  An interesting term is used here which means literally “to live as a citizen.”  The term is related to our English terms “police” or “politics.”  The emphasis here, though, is not how we behave as citizens in the earthly realm, but as citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20).

The emphasis in the passage is on Christian unity as it goes on to speak of how we need to be of “one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel” (verse 27).  So, the focus here is on that conduct which is appropriate for fellow citizens on God’s heavenly kingdom.  It’s not surprising that Paul uses this particular term, for Philippi was, after all “a leading city of the district of Macedonia.”  The citizens of Philippi took pride in their Roman citizenship.  So, Paul applied a term that they would be familiar with to their spiritual situation.

And the term fits.  What makes for a good citizen in the earthly realm? In the heavenly realm?

A good citizen acknowledges governing authorities.  What is true in the earthly realm needs to be true of the citizens of heaven.  Our authority is Jesus Christ.  He is the head of the church.  We are those who acknowledge Him as Lord and seek, as His servants, to do His bidding (Cf. 2 Timothy 2:4).

A good citizen obeys the law.  And again, in the heavenly realm we are guided not by our own human wisdom, but by the Spirit of God and the Word of God.  We gladly subject ourselves to the Word and live our lives according to a “what does the Bible say?” way of thinking (Cf. 2 Timothy 2:5).

A good citizen relates properly to his or her fellow citizens.  He doesn’t disrupt the peace or seek to do harm to his fellow citizens.  Instead he proves himself to a beneficial member of a community.  And so, it is the heavenly realm.

When it comes to the earthly realm people most endeavor to live their lives as good citizens.  But when it comes to the church there is much conduct that is not befitting those who claim to be Christians.  There are plenty of professing believers who are not subjecting themselves to the Lord Jesus or to any God-given authority.  There are plenty who don’t endeavor to live their lives according to the Word.  And there are plenty who see little value in having a contributing role in the community of believers.

This is a real problem for the church.  There ought to be a discernible difference in our lives as believers in Christ.  That’s what Paul was speaking about in verse 27, “So that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I may hear of you.”  Whether I’m able to come to you or not, I’ll hear of the church in Philippi that they are living out the gospel.  We ought to live to the same purpose.  That when people hear of LCBC they might hear that our behavior is consistent to our testimony and that we are united in the cause of the gospel.

The gospel message is adorned when our behavior is consistent to the message.  Titus 2:9-10, “Urge bondslaves to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.”

The phrase applies not just to bondslaves, but to all of us.  There is a kind of behavior that adorns the gospel.  There is a kind of behavior that makes the gospel beautiful before others.  It is the kind of behavior that is the fruit of our relationship to Jesus.  It is people seeing Jesus in us—His love, His joy, His wisdom, His righteousness, His joy, His peace; the hope we have in Him.

If you are going to be contribution to the cause of Christ, you are going to have to conduct yourself in manner befitting to the cause of Christ.

2. A Cause to Unite Behind

The terms used in this passage are terms associated with warfare—“standing firm” and “striving together” (verse 27); “opponents” (28); “suffer” (29); “conflict” (30).  We are engaged in a spiritual conflict.

So, in this cause of the gospel we are engaged in a great conflict.  And it is important that we be united in the cause.  Let’s look at some of the terms are phrases that are used.

Note the terms “one spirit” and “one mind.”  It is possible for us to stand firm in “one spirit” and to have “one mind” because God has united us to the body of Christ.  The unity spoken of here is not a unity of human organization, it is a unity of divine relationship.  1 Corinthians 12:13, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.”  Ephesians 4:3, “Being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”  There is a song in our hymnal entitled “Our God has Made Us One,” and that’s the truth of it.

It’s a miraculous thing when you think about it.  You will find the Latin phrase, “E pluribus unum,” on US currency.  The phrase means literally, “Out of many, one.”  That’s a noble statement.  And there is some truth to it inasmuch of America is made up of people who originally came here from all parts of the world.  But there is another sense where there is not so much truth to it—because America could hardly be called “united” anymore.  But it’s different with the church.  God has worked to join folks from every possible identity and background to the body of Christ.  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.”  We all share the same Lord and are indwelt by the same Spirit.  You could fly anywhere in the world and find brothers and sisters in Christ whom you could readily identify with and enjoy fellowship with.  It is in the church that we find a genuine “E pluribus unum.”

Now we’ve been united by God in this common cause.  And it’s important for us to keep our focus.  Because we are all to prone to lose sight of that which unites us.  A.W. Tozer, “Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So, one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become ‘unity’ conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.”  We are united in Spirit to a common cause, the cause of the gospel.

The term “standing firm” is a warfare type of term.  A related term is used in Ephesians chapter 6 where it speaks of the spiritual conflict we are all engaged in and the need for us to take up the whole armor of God so that we might “stand firm.”  The idea in the military sense is to “not leave one’s post.”  To not abandon your place as a fellow soldier in the battle.  Now in the olden days of warfare it was important for an army to attack another army with a united front.  If a soldier were to leave his post that could mean disaster for his fellow soldiers.  The enemy would then attack at that point of weakness and gain a victory.  The same kind of thing happens within the church.  The enemy is always looking for a weakness in the Christian community from which to launch his attacks.

Make note of another phrase which is equally important—“striving together for the faith of the gospel.”  The phrase “striving together” translates the Greek term “sunathleo.”  Did you catch the last part of the word, “athleo?”  It a term related to our term “athletic.”  It means to “contend in games.”  But here it speaks of how we contend together for a certain thing.  Put simply, its speaking of teamwork.  We are to labor together as a team in this great cause.  We see something of the value of teamwork in the earthly realm.  I’m a big basketball fan.  And it’s the start of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.  Recently the Oregon Ducks defeated the Arizona Wildcats in the Pac-12 basketball tournament.  The coach of Arizona complimented the Oregon team.  He called them one of the best teams in America.  He said that they weren’t the most talented team, but because of their teamwork the sum of their parts was greater.  Teamwork can do that for a group of people.  It’s amazing what a group of people can do if they will simply work together.  What can a people led and empowered by the Spirit of God do if they were to work together?  Amazing things!  That’s what the early church was doing.  That’s what God has called us to do.

If you are going to succeed according to that formula, there are couple of things that are necessary:

From the negative standpoint you are going to have to deal with conduct that is detrimental to the team.  Ephesians 4:2-3 speaks to this: “With all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

From the positive standpoint you need for every member to find their God-given place in service.  “Ephesians 4:16, “From whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part.”

Note that the concern is that we would be striving together for a specific cause, “the faith of the gospel.”  It is not…

• Striving together for a political party.
• Striving together for a social cause.
• Striving together for world peace or any other kind of earth-bound agenda.

The cause for which we are to strive together is the faith of the gospel.  Mark Dever, “When Christians unite around something other than the gospel, they create community that would likely exist even if God didn’t.”  But we’re united in a common cause and that cause is the gospel.

That’s the cause of which Christ spoke when He said, “And you shall be My witnesses” (Acts 1:8).  It is the cause which Paul called the “matter of first importance” (1 Corinthians 15:1).  It is the cause represented to us to be “the glorious gospel of the blessed God” (1 Timothy 1:11) and “the power of God for salvation for all who believe” (Romans 1:16).  It is a cause

3. A Cause Worth Suffering For

The Apostle Paul speaks of opponents.  The word speaks of those who lie opposed to the cause of Christ.  Later in the epistle we read of those who are “enemies of the cross of Christ” (Philippians 3:18).

We should not be surprised by this. So, Jesus had forewarned His disciples, “I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it” (Matthew 16:18).  He also told them, “A slave is not greater than his master.  If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20).

Opposition and persecution are not an anomaly for the believer in Christ, it is to be expected: “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Philippians 1:29).  Perhaps you didn’t realize that when you trusted in Christ for salvation?  We live in a society with a great degree of freedom, so our experience is not the same as those early believers or of people who live in oppressed regions of the world today.  But persecution and opposition are the norm for the believer.  2 Timothy 3:12, “And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

That is the legacy of the church.  From Stephen’s martyrdom to the one who died this very day in some persecuted region of the world.  Paul likewise faced opposition (Philippians 1:30).  He too had to deal with those seeking to cause trouble for him (Philippians 1:17).  There is a growing antagonism against Christianity in our world.  So, it’s important for us to understand that our cause will be met with opposition.  It’s always been that way.  It will be that way until Christ’s church is raptured into heaven.  God’s work done God’s way will always be met with opposition.

But it is important for us to respond to it in a God-honoring way.  Don’t be “alarmed” by your opponents.  The term “alarmed” translates a seldom used Greek word which means to be terrified or scared.  Don’t be scared by them.  You’ve got no reason to be?

You’ve got God on your side.  Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who is against us?

1 John 4:3, “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”

I came across this delightful Scottish chorus the other day:

 

Cheer up ye saints of God,

There’s nothing to worry about;

Nothing to make you feel afraid,

Nothing to make you doubt;

Remember Jesus saves you;

So why not trust him and shout,

You’ll be sorry you worried at all, tomorrow morning.

1 Peter 3:15 speaks to how we ought to respond to those who seek to do us harm: “But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.”

• Submit yourself in your heart to the Lordship of Christ. Trust Him.  Determine to obey Him.
• Your hope is in the Lord. Don’t be moved from that.
• Make your defense. Your testimony regarding Christ.
• Respond to your opponents in gentleness and reverence.

It matters how we respond.  Paul says that our response is a “sign of destruction to them.”  The term speaks to a “showing, or point out, or demonstration.”  So, your trusting response (i.e. Stephen when he was martyred) demonstrates the rightness of the cause and warns of the ultimate destruction of those who will remain opposed to the gospel.

2 Corinthians 2:14-16, “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.  For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life.”

All that being said, the cause of the gospel is a cause worth suffering for.  People devote themselves to all sorts of causes.  Many of them are unworthy.  But in the cause of the gospel we have a noble and eternal cause worth fighting for and worth suffering for.

CONCLUSION

Someone wrote the following (taken from the Hymn “Onward, Christian Soldiers).  It is meant to be humorous, but there is far too much truth to it.  And we need to recognize this, repent of these wrong ways of thinking, and determine by God’s grace to head in a better direction:

Backward Christian soldiers, fleeing from the fight

With the cross of Jesus nearly out of sight.

Christ, our rightful master, stands against the foe

But forward into battle, we are loathe to go.

Like a mighty tortoise moves the Church of God

Brothers we are treading where we’ve always trod.

We are much divided, many bodies we

Having many doctrines, not much charity.

Crowns and thorns may perish, kingdoms rise and wane,

But the Church of Jesus hidden does remain.

Gates of hell should never ‘gainst the Church prevail

We have Christ’s own promise, but think that it will fail.

Sit here then ye people, join our useless throng

Blend with ours your voices in a feeble song.

Blessings, ease and comfort, ask from Christ the King

With our modern thinking, we don’t do a thing.

If you are a believer in Christ you’ve been enlisted into this common cause, the cause of the gospel.

And Paul uses three wonderful analogies to speak of the spirit in which we are to devote ourselves to the cause:

As fellow citizens.  Our allegiance is the Lord Jesus Christ.  We are led by the Spirit to trust Him and obey Him.  We work together as fellow citizens.

As fellow soldiers.  We are to stand firm in one mind.  That mind is the “mind of Christ.”  As fellow soldiers we are bonded together in this cause.  Our success is dependent upon the mutual support of each one of us for our brother in Christ and our sister in Christ.  There can be no Lone-Ranger Christians.  You need me.  I need you.  We all need each other.

As fellow athletes.  We are all part of a team.  Our success necessitates teamwork.  On the negative side it is important that we do all that we can to preserve the unity of the Spirit.  On the positive side it is equally important that we find our own particular role in serving the body of Christ.

Philippians 1:19-26

INTRODUCTION

Hamlet: “To be, or not to be- that is the question:

Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

And by opposing end them. To die- to sleep-

No more; and by a sleep to say we end

The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to. ‘Tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wish’d. To die- to sleep.”

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet experiences deep feelings of grief following the death of his father.  He confesses his uncertainty—in responding to his troubles–as to whether it is better to go on living, or to die.

In our passage the Apostle Paul addresses the “to be or not to be” question.  But his perspective is entirely different.  He knows Jesus Christ.  And in his relationship with Christ he does not deal with the matter from a negative or sorrowful standpoint.  The passage is summarized in verse 21, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”  In Christ, he acknowledges that there are advantages in either case, “whether by life or by death” (verse 20).

Remember the context…Paul was used by God to found the church in Philippi on his second missionary journey.  A decade or so later, he was in jail in Rome on trial for his life.  In those intervening years, the church in Philippi had supported Paul in his ministry.  They loved Paul and Paul loved them.  When they found out that he was in jail, on trial for his life, they sent Epaphroditus with gifts to support him.  In response Paul wrote to them regarding his situation.  His purpose was to instruct and encourage them.  And that’s the context of what we read here.

Paul is uncertain to what the future holds.  Some five years later he will write, in his letter to Timothy, “The time for my departure has come” (2 Timothy 4:6).  But as he writes to the Philippians, with a decision regarding his case still pending, he doesn’t know for sure what will happen.

So, there is this question before Paul.  He wants for Christ to be exalted in his body, “BY LIFE OR BY DEATH” (verse 20).  He says, “FOR ME TO LIVE IS CHRIST, AND TO DIE IS GAIN” (verse 21).  He speaks of how he is “HARD PRESSED FROM BOTH DIRECTIONS” (verse 23).

So, it’s as if Paul puts the two things on either side of a balance scale.  He weighs the advantages of both.  What is the advantage if he were to go on living?  What is gained if he is to die?

You know we give special attention to the last words of a person.  In the face of death people sometimes bare their souls and speak to what lies deep in their hearts.  Now Paul here is not immediately facing death, but he’s contemplating it.  And as he speaks of it we are given insight into his perspective on life and death.  On what truly mattered to him.  We have his perspective on life or death.  It’s as if he has weighed both alternative on a balance scale.  And as he does so he considers the advantages of each.

MESSAGE

 1. TO LIVE IS CHRIST

Paul said, “To live is Christ” (verse 21).

Now this statement stands out in that it is not something that is typical in this world.  Few would say “For to me, to live is Christ.”  They might say, “For to me, to live is to accumulate wealth.”  Or, they might say, “For to me, to live is to pursue fame and power.”  Or, they might say, “For to me, to live is to be happy and experience pleasure.”  They would fill in that statement in a host of ways that express the wide variety of sinful pursuits that are common to man in his rebellion against God.

But this statement of Paul’s is not something that is or should be exclusive to Paul.  This statement should express the belief and understanding of every born-again believer.  We should all say the same.

What did Paul mean by what he said?  F. B. Meyer wrote of the various ways this is true of the believer.

• To live is Christ, because He is the Origin of our Life (Ephesians 2:10, “Created in Christ Jesus”).
• To live is Christ, because He is the Essence of our Life (Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”).
• To live is Christ, because He is the Model of our Life (1 Corinthians 11:1, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ”).
• To live is Christ, because He is the Aim of our Life (Philippians 3:10, “That I may know Him”).
• To live is Christ, because He is the Solace of our Life (Hebrews 4:15, 7:25, 13:5; He sympathizes with us, He intercedes for us, He will never leave us nor forsake us).
• To live is Christ, because He is the Reward of our Life (Colossians 3:4, “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.”).

So, in all these ways, and more, Christ is the life of the believer.  Think of it this way—people who were around Paul would have had a hard time discerning any separation between Paul and the Lord Jesus.  His relationship with Jesus was such that it was hard to discern where Paul stopped, and Jesus began.  His thoughts, deeds, and words were Christ-like and nothing mattered more to Paul than knowing Jesus better.

Paul understood that to die and be with Christ was something that was “very much better,” but he understood also the value of remaining on in the flesh.  What were the advantageous of doing that?

To glorify Christ.  “But that with all boldness, Christ shall even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death” (verse 20).

Paul’s chief concern in life was that Christ might be glorified.  He lived his life to this end.  We were created to glorify God.  That is the purpose for which we were made.  Sin debilitates in this sense—it prevents us from doing that which we were created to do.  But Christ died for sins and rose from the dead that he might save us and transform us and equip and enable us to fulfill our God-given purpose.  We’ve been saved to glorify our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To glorify Christ is our eternal destiny.  So, as Paul considered his circumstances, not knowing for certain what might happen, his concern was that no matter what happened that he would not be put to shame in anything, but that Christ would be exalted.  You read of the testimonies of our persecuted brothers and sisters in other parts of the world.  And you hear how they plead for us to pray for them, and chief amongst their concerns?  That they might remain bold in their testimony regarding Christ.

There was a Norwegian theologian, Ole Hallesby that prayed: “Lord, if it will be to your glory, heal suddenly. If it will glorify you more, heal gradually; if it will glorify you even more, may your servant remain sick awhile; and if it will glorify your name still more, take me to yourself in heaven.”

To serve Christ.  Paul knew that to depart and be with Christ was very much better, but to remain on would mean “fruitful labor” for him (verse 22).  He was speaking of serving Christ.  If he were to remain on he would continue to do that which he was given already to do, serve Christ.  Remember how Paul began his epistle?  “Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:1).  By choice he was a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.  He understood that life on earth is but for a short time.

2 Corinthians 5:7-10, “For we walk by faith, not by sight—we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and present with the Lord.  Therefore, also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

C. T. Studd was a missionary who devoted his life to serving Christ in difficult regions. He once wrote a poem entitled “Only One Life.” This is a part of that:

Only One Life

By C.T. Studd

“Two little lines I heard one day,

Traveling along life’s busy way;

Bringing conviction to my heart,

And from my mind would not depart;

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one,

Soon will its fleeting hours be done;

Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet,

And stand before His Judgement seat;

Only one life,’twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

To serve Christ by serving others.

“Yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.  And convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith” (verses 24-25).

What’s Paul saying?  He would prefer to depart and be with Christ, but if he is to remain on living this is all that matters to him—to serve Christ by serving others, and especially his Christian brothers and sisters.

He understood that God had called him and equipped him to serve the body of Christ so that they might grow in Christ and experience joy in Him.

Later is this epistle, in chapter 2, Paul speaks of the example of Christ.  Thou He is the Divine Son of God, He left the glory of heaven and came to this earth as a servant.  The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.  And we are to follow in His example.  Paul lived his life in this manner.

Now modern Christianity has this turned all around.  Our self-centered culture looks at life from the opposite perspective.  We are taught from childhood that our lives have meaning to the extent that we are made happy by others.  We are here to be served.  But the high calling of the believer is not to be served, it is to serve Jesus.  And we serve Jesus by serving others.

The Virginia Tech massacre took place in April 2007—almost 10 years ago.  Tragically, 32 people were killed and 17 were wounded.  Among those who were killed was a freshman girl by the name of Lauren McCain.  Lauren was a believer in Christ.  Shortly before her murder she had written the following prayer in her diary: “Show me your purpose for me at Tech, and on this earth.  But, if you choose not to, I will still praise you and walk where you lead, not because I am selfless, or holy, or ‘determined to sacrifice myself to do what is right’ but because you are the delight of my heart and I cannot live without you.”

Lauren didn’t realize when she wrote that prayer that God would soon be calling her home.  But she was likely aware of our text in Philippians.  Perhaps she had read it and thought about it.  She certainly shared in Paul’s Christ-centered approach to his life.  His concern was that Christ would be exalted in his body “whether by life of by death.”  That was the case for Paul.  That was the case for Lauren.  God would have the same to be true of all of us, as believers in Jesus Christ.

2. TO DIE IS GAIN

A deliverance.

I want to draw your attention to a word that we find in verse 19, the word “deliverance.”  The word translates the term that is usually translated “salvation.”  Paul is not speaking, of course, of salvation in the sense in which we commonly use the term (i.e. salvation from sin).  And we should recall that salvation is in three tenses—past (justification), present (sanctification; i.e. growth in Christ), and future (glorification).

It would be fair to say that in this sense, the believer in Christ has been delivered, is being delivered, and will be delivered.  The term is used in various texts in reference to every tense of salvation.  Now deliverance in any of those ways is founded in Christ and His finished work on the cross.  By faith in Christ the believer in Christ experiences a salvation “to the uttermost,” or literally, “to save completely” (Hebrews 7:25).  So, Paul has no doubt as to his “deliverance,” the only question is whether that will be in his life or by his death.  This is in keeping with what Paul wrote to the Romans: “But in all these things (tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword) we overwhelming conquer through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).

A departure.

Note the term Paul uses the term “depart” to describe death.  In secular Greek the term described the loosing of the anchor or mooring of a ship, so it could depart port and set sail.  It was also used of striking one’s tent as one would do in the military when “breaking camp.”  The same term is used in 2 Timothy 4:6, “The time of my departure has come.”

The death of a believer may be a cause of sorrow for those who love that person.  But that person is not lost.  The body which is their earthly tent is torn down, but then they have a building from God in the heavenly places (Cf. 2 Corinthians 5:1).

Gone From My Sight

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship, at my side,

spreads her white sails to the moving breeze and starts

for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength.

I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck

of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then, someone at my side says, “There, she is gone.”

Gone where?

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast,

hull and spar as she was when she left my side.

And, she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me — not in her.

And, just at the moment when someone says, “There, she is gone,”

there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices

ready to take up the glad shout, “Here she comes!”

And that is dying…

A desirable thing.

“To die is gain” (verse 21).

“Having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better” (verse 23).

The word gain means simply “gain or profit.”  Paul’s saying that death would be advantageous for him.

The phrase “very much better” might literally be translated “very much indeed more better.”

Not just better.  But much better.  No just much better.  But very much better.

Paul viewed his own death in this manner.  Why?

We sometimes think of heaven in terms of the “no longers.”  Revelation 21:4 tells us that in heaven there will no longer be any death, or mourning, or crying, or pain.  2 Peter 3:13 speaks of heaven as the place where there will “no longer” be any sin.

And all of this is true.  And we can weigh that on the balance scale and consider that death (or the rapture) will be an escape from all that is wrong in our lives now.  There is truth in that.  As believers we will depart from this earth either through our death or the rapture—“I know not when my Lord will come at night or noon day fair, or if I’ll cross the veil with Him or meet Him in the air.”  We don’t know whether it will be in the one way or the other, but we do know that on that day we will escape this sin-cursed place.  And, as I’ve said, the rapture (or a person’s death for that matter) is the ultimate answer to every prayer request.  Because when we are brought into Christ’s presence there will be nothing left to pray about.

But that’s looking at the matter from the negative side.  Paul was thinking in the positive.

This is part conjecture on my part, but I think there is good reason to believe it.  Paul had an experience where he was caught up to the “third heaven” and heard and saw inexpressible things.  He saw something of what God has prepared for us in heaven.  So great was this vision, Paul was given a thorn in the flesh to keep him humble (Cf. 2 Corinthians 12:1f).

But, apart from that, we can see in Scripture the reason that Paul viewed death as he did.

His preeminent desire was to know Jesus (Philippians 3:10).  In death, that desire would be perfectly fulfilled.  1 John 3:2, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be.  We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.”

He had written elsewhere: 2 Corinthians 5:8, “We are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.”

And a marvelous thing will take place on that day.  A glorious transformation!  Look past this dark night to the morning of Christ’s revelation to you.  By faith imagine what it will be when God erases all that’s wrong and restores completely, in you, all that was lost to man in the fall.  God has something incredible planned for you.  It is a thing that is exceeding, abundantly beyond all that we can ask or think.  Paul writes of it in Philippians 3:19-21.  And we need to make note of it.  We are not of those who set their minds on earthly things.  Our citizenship is in heaven.  We are eagerly waiting for the Lord Jesus Christ.  There will come a day when He will do a remarkable thing.  By His incomparable power He is going to take your humble body and transform into conformity with the body of His glory.  He’s going to do that!

CONCLUSION

Now, if you are like me, you might be dismayed as you consider the Apostle Paul’s approach to life and death.  You see in your own life too many times where you find yourself serving self instead of serving Christ.  You are too prone to fall back into “setting your mind on earthly things” way of thinking.

Now if that’s the case, I’ve got some good news for you.  Paul had some things going for him that helped to keep pointed in the right direction.  And you have these same things.

Paul’s confidence regarding his future deliverance was sourced in two things—“your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (verse 19).

Paul valued the prayers of the believers in Philippi.  He saw the need for them.  He understood that such prayers, in a mysterious way that we cannot fully understand, played a role in that which God was doing in Paul’s life.  Paul elsewhere wrote, “Brethren, pray for us” (1 Thessalonians 5:25).  Now if Paul coveted the prayers of his fellow believers, that he might fulfill God’s purpose and will in his own life, how much do we need the prayers of our fellow believers?  Ephesians 6:18 speaks to the need for us to prayer for one another.  Obviously, this is an important thing for us to do.

Paul’s confidence was founded on another reality.  “The Spirit of Jesus Christ” (verse 19).  That’s simply another title given to the Holy Spirit.  The word provision translates a term which means to lavishly provision or furnish.  Paul was indwelt and filled by the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit was leading and instructing and transforming and working in Paul in a host of ways.  We’ve said it before, if we compare the Christian life to a journey, then the Holy Spirit is our well-qualified guide to lead us to our heavenly destination.  It would be impossible for us to get there apart from Him.  But, because the Helper indwells us, we can be confident that God is going to work to finish what He started in us.

While walking through the forest one day, a man found a young eagle who had fallen out of his nest.  He took it home and put it in his barnyard where it soon learned to eat and behave like the chickens.  One day a naturalist passed by the farm and asked why it was that the king of all birds should be confined to live in the barnyard with the chickens.  The farmer replied that since he had given it chicken feed and trained it to be a chicken, it had never learned to fly.  Since it now behaved as the chickens, it was no longer an eagle.

“Still it has the heart of an eagle,” replied the naturalist, “and can surely be taught to fly.”  He lifted the eagle toward the sky and said, “You belong to the sky and not to the earth.  Stretch forth your wings and fly.”  The eagle, however, was confused.  He did not know who he was, and seeing the chickens eating their food, he jumped down to be with them again.  The naturalist took the bird to the roof of the house and urged him again, saying, “You are an eagle.  Stretch forth your wings and fly.”

But the eagle was afraid of his unknown self and world and jumped down once more for the chicken food.  Finally, the naturalist took the eagle out of the barnyard to a high mountain.  There he held the king of the birds high above him and encouraged him again, saying, “You are an eagle.  You belong to the sky.  Stretch forth your wings and fly.”  The eagle looked around, back towards the barnyard and up to the sky.  Then the naturalist lifted him straight towards the sun and it happened that the eagle began to tremble.  Slowly he stretched his wings, and with a triumphant cry, soared away into the heavens.

You, believer in Christ, were “created in Christ Jesus” to fly.  God has not saved you so that you could muddle around in the chicken yard fighting over scraps in your own selfishness.  He has created you in Christ Jesus so that you might live in Christ Jesus—exalting Him, serving Him, serving Him by serving others.  Your destiny is not to have your head chopped off and be diced up for chicken soup.  Your destiny is to fly away and to be with Christ in the heavenly places forever more.  Paul lived that kind of heavenly life on earth as he waited for the time when God would take him home.  God has called us to do the same.

 

 

 

Philippians 1:12-18

One of the most memorized of all Scripture verses is Romans 8:28.  Rightly so, as it reminds us of how God works through our circumstances to accomplish His purpose.  Romans 8:28, “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.”

The main point of the passage is that God is sovereignly working in the lives of His children to accomplish His purpose in them.  And note that there are a couple of qualifiers or conditions associated with this verse.

The promise is to those who love God.  I.e. those who have been called by God unto salvation and as result love God.  No such promise is given to those who stand outside of the gospel.  They face difficult circumstances too, but it cannot be said of them “that God causes all things to work together for good.”  Their trials are but a precursor of the greater and eternal trial that they will face when they are condemned to hell in a Christ-less eternity.

The second qualifier is this…the good spoken of in the passage is specific.  It is defined for us in verse 29.  God is at work in the life of the believer to conform him to the image of His Son.  Now that is a grand and magnificent purpose!  And it a purpose that will surely come to pass, even as we have seen in our study in Philippians 1:6, “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Now both of these verses are true because of who God is.  God is wise, loving, and powerful.  He is not limited in what He does by the circumstances that we face.  Indeed, He is able to use our difficult circumstances in a positive way.  The God who raised Jesus from the dead is able to bring good out of our bad.  That’s the way God works.  And because of that we can be and we should be optimistic as Christians.

Webster’s defines “optimism” as “an inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome.”  The passage before fits that definition to a tee.  Paul is inclined to put the most favorable construction on the events of his life.  But Paul is not able to do that because he is a member of the optimist club.  His optimism is well-founded in his relationship with Jesus Christ and the triumphant nature of His plan.  He’s optimistic in Christ.

Note that Paul is writing to the Philippians from prison.  There is good reason to believe that this is the imprisonment that is referred to in Acts chapter 28.  And it should not escape our notice that this is not the first imprisonment of the Apostle Paul.  In fact, when Paul first brought the gospel to Philippi, a riot ensued, and he and Silas were locked up in a prison.  Remember that?  And what happened on that occasion?  Paul and Silas were “praying and singing praise to God” (Acts 16:25).  And the prisoners were listening to them.  And God caused a great earthquake.  And the jailer, terrified because he himself would be executed if he were to lose his prisoners—was ready to take his own life.  But Paul shared the gospel with him, and he and his family was saved.  Now our text says that Paul’s later imprisonment worked out for the “greater progress of the gospel,” but what was true of the second was also true in the first.

So Paul is again in prison.  Why is he there?  You can read the details of how his imprisonment in Rome came to pass in the book of Acts.  Put simply, he was in prison because he had preached the gospel of grace and in preaching that message he upset the Jews.  In other words, he was in prison not because he had done anything wrong.  His enemies—enemies of the gospel of grace—had seemingly won a victory in their working to have him imprisoned.

Now we should note in our text that Paul was not all deterred in his ministry efforts though he was in prison.  His enemies probably assumed that would be the case.  But it wasn’t.  No doubt the believers in Philippi were wondering how things were going for Paul, he wrote to reassure them.  But note what happened as a result of Paul being in prison:

1. His circumstances turned out for the greater progress of the gospel (12). The cause of the gospel was not at all hindered when the Apostle to the Gentiles was imprisoned.  Instead it prospered.  Just as Paul writes in 2 Timothy 2:8-9, “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel, for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.”  You can lock up the messenger, but you can’t lock up the message.
2. Because of his circumstances (his imprisonment) he was able to reach people with the gospel who otherwise would not have been reached. Paul’s “imprisonment in the cause of Chris (became) well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else” (13).  Paul was no ordinary captive.  His relationship to Christ became clear to those who guarded him.  And some of them no doubt trusted in Jesus.  Others were likewise exposed to the gospel—Jews (Acts 28:17f); at least one Gentile, Onesimus, though likely many more (Philemon 1:10); and members of Caesar’s household (Philippians 4:22).
3. Because of his imprisonment, and specifically because of his godly and courageous response to it, others had “far more courage to speak the word without fear” (Philippians 1:14). In other words, Christian brothers looked at Paul and what he was going through and said, “If Paul can speak out boldly regarding Christ in his circumstances, why should I fear in doing the same.”
4. Because of his imprisonment, some opponents were taking advantage of him. They were preaching Christ, but were doing so out of selfish ambition attempting to take advantage of Paul in his circumstances.  Being envious of Paul, they were misguidedly attempting to gain a larger following for themselves.  But even in this Paul found reason to rejoice, saying, “What then?  Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice, yes, and I will rejoice.”  By the way, in speaking to this particular aspect of Paul’s response—there is far too much competition between churches in America.  It is dishonoring to God and detrimental to our Christian testimony.  The story is told of three churches, located on different corners of the same intersection, who didn’t get along together. One Sunday each of them opened their meeting with a rousing song service. It was a warm day and all the doors and windows were wide open. One congregation began singing the old hymn, “Will There Be Any Stars in My Crown?” The strains had barely faded away when the congregation across the street started singing, “No, Not One, No, Not One!” They had scarcely finished when the third church began singing, “Oh, That Will Be Glory for Me.”  That’s just a story, but it speaks to the divisive spirit that exists among some churches.  Naturally, we want to support our own church and pray for it and rejoice in its growth.  But we need to refrain from that spirit that would rejoice when other churches struggle or falter.
5. Because of his imprisonment the believers in Philippi had opportunity to show their loving concern for Paul in sending a gift to him. How encouraged Paul must have been in receiving that gift.  And it said something about the love and spiritual maturity of those believers in Philippi.

We could go on.  There were other ways, no doubt, in which God worked in Paul’s difficult circumstances to bless Paul and his ministry.  But the main point is this—Paul’s difficult circumstances were no deterrent to God in what He was doing in Paul’s life and in Paul’s ministry.  Contrarily—they worked to prosper Paul in his ministry.

God is not deterred at all by our difficult circumstances.  He delights in bringing good out of bad.  The cross is the ultimate example of this.  But then again in Acts 8 we read of how a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem following the martyrdom of Stephen.  But that great persecution did not hinder the growth of the church.  Instead, as a result, believers were scattered “throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria” (Acts 8:1).

There are some great historical examples of such things.

• John Bunyan was imprisoned because he stood firm in contending for the faith. From that prison cell he wrote “Pilgrim’s Progress,” That wonderful allegory regarding suffering that has encouraged millions of believers.
• It was in a Japanese prison cell that Jacob DeShazer, one of “Doolittle’s Raiders, came to know Jesus. God not only saved Jacob, He called him—while he was still in prison–to be a missionary to the Japanese.  After the war he returned to Japan and many people were saved through his ministry.
• I’ve heard of the testimony of the pastors in the house churches in China. These pastors were sometimes arrested and imprisoned.  But according to their testimony their circumstances worked out for the greater progress of the gospel because they would spend their time in prison evangelizing fellow inmates and preparing them to be pastors.

Now none of our circumstances are as dire as any of these examples, but we sometimes feel imprisoned.  But we need to realize that we serve a God who is much greater than our circumstances.  I’ve got a little sign in my office that says, “Our great problems are small to God’s power.  Our small problems are great to God’s love.”  In other words—in our difficult circumstances we need to remember that God knows and God cares and God is able.

Remember that definition of optimism?  Optimism is an “inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome.”

That’s what Paul was doing.  But we need to ask the question “Why?”  Why was Paul able to do that?  What was at work in his life that he could remain so optimistic in those difficult circumstances?

The short answer to that question is “Jesus.”  But let’s try to flesh that out a little bit.

Know the Risen Christ.  What made the difference for Paul?  There were no doubt plenty of other prisoners in Rome.  Few if any would be able to say what Paul said, “my circumstances have worked things out for the better.”

And so it is in life.  We all face trials.  Unbelievers face trials and difficult circumstances.  Believers face trials and difficult circumstances.  The difference for believers is that God causes all things to work together for good in their lives.  That difference exists because of their relationship to Christ.

Paul knew Jesus Christ (Cf. Galatians 2:20).  His great purpose in his life was to know Him better (Philippians 3:10).

Stop to consider this for a moment…if you are a believer your life is in His hands.

• Christ died for your sins.
• He rose from the dead.
• He ascended to the right hand of God.
• From heaven He even now intercedes for you.
• His purpose and plan for you cannot be thwarted. He will never leave you or forsake you.  Nothing can work to separate you from His love.
• He’s coming again for you. To take you home to be with Him forever.

These truths are unalterable.  Nobody and nothing can work to change any of these things.  Paul was not alone in that prison cell.  The risen Christ was right there with him (Cf. 2 Timothy 4:17).  And because of that he was able to respond to his trials in a godly and courageous manner.

Serve Him in His Triumphant Plan.  Note Paul’s focus here.  The term “gospel” appears twice (12 and 16).  Then you find these phrases: “speak the word of God” (14); “preaching Christ” (15); “proclaim Christ” (17); “Christ is proclaimed” (18).

While he was free he lived his life according to one purpose—to know Jesus and to make Him known.  When he was in prison he lived his life according to that same purpose—to know Jesus and to make Him known.

He was serving God in His plan.  Remember what Jesus said regarding His church?  Matthew 16:18, “I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it.”  Remember what Jesus’ mandate in Acts 1:8, “…you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”  God has a plan and His plan will not be thwarted.  So a key to being an optimistic Christian is making sure that we are onboard with God’s plan because we know that God’s plan will not fail.

What does this mean for us as individuals?  God’s great plan for you as a believer is to make you to be like Jesus.  He has purposed to conform you to the image of His Son. Bad circumstances are no deterrent to His plan.  In fact, He can and will use your difficult circumstances to accomplish His purpose.

There are many passages which speak to this—James 1:3; 1 Peter 1:6-7, etc.  Let me quote just one.  Romans 5:3-5, “And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

Jesus Christ will never disappoint you.  So make knowing and serving Him your chief concern.

Be Filled with His Spirit-imparted Joy.  Even though Paul was in prison.  Even though some were taking advantage of him in his imprisonment seeking to cause him distress.  Paul rejoiced and determined that he would keep on rejoicing.

This is a recurring theme in the book of Philippians.  The words “joy” and “rejoice” are found repeatedly in the book.

The word speaks to a joy or gladness that is derived, not from our circumstances, but from our relationship with Jesus Christ.

It is helpful to distinguish between the words “joy” and “happiness.”  The word happiness is related to the word “happenstance.”  What is a “happenstance?”  It is a matter of circumstance.  We think of happiness in terms of circumstances.  We might sometimes say, “Whatever makes you happy.”  According to that way of thinking there are certain circumstances or activities that can make us “happy.”  The problem with that way of thinking is that that kind of “happiness” is a fleeting thing.  We find that it doesn’t truly satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts.  People can exist in the best of circumstances and still not be happy.

And many live their lives according to this “if only” approach to life:

• If only I win the lottery…then I’d be happy.
• If only I had a better husband or better wife…then I’d be happy.
• If only I had a better job…then I’d be happy.
• If only so-and-so wasn’t so difficult to get along with…then I’ll be happy.
• If only I could find a better church….then I’ll be happy.
• If only so-and-so is elected President…then I’ll be happy.

But a true and lasting joy, independent of our circumstances, is availed to the believer in Christ by the Holy Spirit.  This joy is not dependent on our existing in a prescribed set of circumstances, this joy can be ours no matter where we are or what we do.

• It is availed to us by God: Romans 15:13, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing…”
• It is the fruit of the Spirit: Galatians 5:22, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy…”
• It is a joy which we experience in our relationship with Jesus Christ. Peter was writing to persecuted believers when he said, “And though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8).

So let me ask you a question…are you happy in Jesus?  Are you even now experiencing the joy of Christ?  And let me ask another question…are you holding on to some of those “if onlys?”  What’s your “if only?”  The key to finding happiness is not in pursuing happiness.  True Joy is bound up in the person of Jesus Christ.  We find true joy in knowing and serving Him.

CONCLUSION

The account of Joseph’s life has to be one of the most remarkable and inspiring in all the Bible.

• Joseph’s troubled began when his father showed favoritism for him and gave him the vary-colored tunic.
• Then Joseph had the dreams where he saw first all his brothers bowing down to him and then his father and mother and brothers bowing down to him.
• After his brothers found out about his dreams, they plotted against him to murder him. But ended up selling him off into slavery.
• He was a slave in Potiphar’s house.
• Potiphar’s wife falsely accused him of making advances on her.
• He was thrown in prison.
• While in prison he had opportunity to interpret the dreams of the Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker—who had both been thrown in prison for displeasing their master. The interpretation of their dream came to pass, just like Joseph had said.
• Pharaoh had a dream. The cupbearer remembered how Joseph had interpreted his own dream, so he advised Pharaoh to send for Joseph.
• Joseph was able not only to interpret Pharaoh’s dream but advise Pharaoh as to what should be done. A famine was to come upon the land—for seven years.  Joseph had a plan to provide for the people.
• And ultimately that’s what happened. As Prime Minister of Egypt Joseph was in a position to provide not only for the people of Egypt, but ultimately for the Jews.  That had been God’s purpose from the beginning.  And though Joseph could not have known that—when he was hated by his brothers, or sold off into slavery, or stuck in a prison—God was working in Joseph’s life all along.
• So, we read Joseph’s assessment of the matter at the end of the book. Genesis 50:20, “And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.”

Now Joseph did not understand exactly what God was doing when he was thrown into the pit, or sold off into slavery, or falsely accused, or sat languishing in prison.  He came to that conclusion after the fact.  He was able to look back on the events of his life and see how God’s hand was at work to bring about that good result.

Maybe in your present circumstances are making you feel like you are imprisoned.  I’ve got some good news for you, God is able to set you free.  And no matter how difficult your circumstances, you can be and should be optimistic as a Christian:

• Know the Risen Christ.  Do you know Him?
• Serve Him in His Triumphant Plan?  Is God’s plan your plan?
• Be filled with His Joy?  God has availed a true and lasting joy—independent of our circumstances—in His Son Jesus Christ.

 

Philippians 1:7-11

INTRODUCTION

Why pray?

What should we pray for?

Eight prayers of the Apostle Paul are found in his epistles:

• Ephesians 1:17-23; 3:14-21
• Colossians 1:9-14
• 1 Thessalonians 3:10-13
• 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12; 2:16-17; 3:16
• Philippians 1:9-11

What can we learn from these prayers?

These are things of great importance.  A commentator on this prayer, found in Philippians chapter one, said this: “What an excellent prayer this is! In our day when we tend to voice prayer requests for physical needs primarily we need to follow Paul’s example of putting the spiritual needs of others high on our prayer lists. Christians still need God’s supernatural enablement to value highly the things of greatest importance as revealed in Scripture. Only then will we make choices that will prepare us to give a good account of ourselves at the judgment seat of Christ.”

They are things that we should pray for, for ourselves.  James 4:3.

These are things that we should pray for, for others.  Ephesians 6:18

What motivated Paul to pray?

He loved the believers in Philippi.  He had them in his heart.  He longed to be with them.  He cared for them with the “affection (lit. inward parts) of Christ Jesus.

He understood that he and the Philippians were both partakers of grace.  We are partakers of grace.  We all share in God’s grace.  God is rich in grace.  He has lavished His grace upon us.  He sits on a throne of grace and bids us come that we might receive His grace and mercy.  Paul prayed knowing that, as much as He cared for the believers in Philippi, His prayers ascended to heaven itself to the One who loved the Philippians even more.

He had a heavenward perspective to his prayers.  He was looking forward to the “day of Christ.”  He understood that the church is the bride of Christ that will be presented to Him that day “in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such things” (Ephesians 5:27).  He was looking past the everyday concerns that occupy our earthly existence.  He understood that God is doing a good work in preparing us for heaven and he prayed that way.

He had a “glory to God” perspective.  He prayed what he prayed because he was ultimately concerned that these believers might bring glory to God.  So oftentimes we pray in a “God please fix this” sort of way.  But Paul’s prayer ascended to a higher plane.  These believers had been saved unto the glory of God.  The transformation that He had worked in them was to His glory.  They were all His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.  God had done this work “to the praise of the glory of His grace.”

MESSAGE

1. That We Would Be loving

It should not escape our notice that Paul’s first matter of concern in his prayer that they would be loving.  The command to us “to love one another” is God’s great command to us.  We’ve been studying this matter in Sunday School.

Love = agape.

Love (agape) comes from God.

We are born again to this kind of love.  Agape is the “mark of the Christian.”

It is the fruit of the Spirit.

Agape love purposefully, sacrificially and consistently seeks what is best for its object.

Agape love is exemplified for us in the Lord Jesus Christ.  1 John 3:16.

It is best described for us in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.  It is not a feeling, it is an act of the will whereby we deliberately seek not our own interests, but those of others.

The love Paul had in mind is not some kind of “slippery, slurpy, sloppy, agape”—as J. Vernon McGee once said—it is a love that is instructed by “true knowledge.”

Note this about love.  According to 1 Corinthians 13:2, if a person has knowledge without love he is NOTHING.  The other side of that equation is likewise true.  Love exercised apart from the knowledge of the truth is likewise of no value.  There is much said and done in the name of love that is not “with knowledge.”  How dependent we are on the Spirit of God in this matter.  Love is not something we figure out or something we grow in by trying harder to be better.  Love is in us as the fruit of the Spirit.  Or, according to 1 Thessalonians 4:9, we must be taught by God to love one another.  In that sense Paul was in effect praying that we might be good students in God’s classroom.  We are all enrolled in LOVE 101 having God Himself as our instructor.

Note that this love is a love exercised with discernment.  Now any Christian whose been around for a while, knows something about this matter.  You are in a difficult situation.  How are you to respond?  What is the loving thing to do?  The loving thing is oftentimes not the easy thing.  Sometimes we want to fight.  Sometimes we flee.  Sometimes we respond, especially when it comes to children, by catering to their demands.  Sometimes in the name of love people do things that enable others in sinful behaviors.  But what is the best response?  What is the wise response?  That is not always easy to discern.  In discerning love, the Apostle Paul once wrote an incredibly difficult letter to the church in Corinth.  In discerning love, the Apostle Paul rebuked the Apostle Peter to his face.  In discerning love, he will urge two women in the church in Philippi to get along with each other, calling them out by name.  Love exercised in discernment is not easy.  The best example of discerning love is the Lord Jesus Himself.  He always knew exactly what to say and do in responding to others.

Now Paul’s prayer was that they might abound more and more in this kind of discerning love.  The standard to which we measure ourselves when it comes to the practice of agape love is Christ Himself.  There will always be room to grow.  Paul commended the church in Thessalonica, saying, “Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia.  But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more” (1 Thess. 4:9-10).  Now the reason why this is possible is that we are immersed in an inexhaustible stream of love which flows from the heart of God.  We are merely channels through which God’s love flows.  God has already poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5).  The limits to the exercise of Christian love are never on the Divine side of the equation.  They have to do with us and our reluctance to be submitted to God and to allow Him the freedom to work in our lives.

Paul will speak to this matter later in his epistle.  Our example when it comes to agape love is Jesus.  And Paul will speak to Christ’s example—in one of the most beautifully, descriptive passages in all of Scripture—in Philippians chapter 2.  And he will exhort us to “have this mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”

2. That We Would Exercise Discernment

“So that you may approve the things that are excellent.”

Literally “distinguish between the things that differ.”

The term “approve” was used of the testing of metals.  Back in the gold rush days there were some who mined and panned for gold who were not able to distinguish between true gold and fool’s gold.  They’d scoop up a bunch of fool’s gold and take it to the assayer only to find out that what they had wasn’t worth a thing.  They had no ability to “approve the things that are excellent” when it came to gold.

The phrase here is related to that.  To approve through testing.

To “affirm and practice what is excellent” is the idea.

We are talking about discernment.  What is discernment?  Webster’s defines the term discern this way: “to recognize or identify as separate and distinct.”

So, Paul is praying that these believers in Philippi might be able to exercise discernment.  Why is that important?

Well on the opposite side of discernment is being naïve and gullible.  It is to believe what anybody tells you.  It is to be led astray in wrong beliefs and practices.

Ephesians 5:14, “As a result, we are not longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming.”

2 Corinthians 11:2-4.  Paul’s goal for the Corinthians here coincides with what he prayed for with respect to the believers in Philippi.  He wanted to be able to present them to Christ and a pure virgin.  The challenge was that the Devil was at work trying to move them away from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.  And the false teachers came, preaching another Jesus or different spirit or a different gospel, and the believers in Corinth had no ability to “approve the things that are excellent.”  They had no ability to discern.

That’s one of the reasons why is important for every believer in Christ not just to hear the word taught but to endeavor to study the Word of God for himself.  It’s not good enough simply to believe what you hear from a pastor or Sunday School teacher or someone on the radio or TV.  You need to possess the truth for yourself.

Hebrews 4:12-14, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.  For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.  But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.”

Paul prayed that they might possess discernment.  It is through putting the Word of God into practice that we grow in our ability to discern.

Now discernment is not an end unto itself.  The exercise of discernment leads to a desirable result.  “That you may be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ.”

There are two terms used in speaking of the objective, “sincere” and “blameless.”  You will find similar terms used in Philippians 2:15. Why two terms?  One speaks to what’s inside, the other to what’s on the outside.

The term translated “sincere” means “unalloyed, pure.”

The term translated “blameless” means simply “void of offence.”

Pure inside and out.  If you keep on approving the things that is excellent eventually anything that is not “excellent” will no longer be a part of you.  This all has to do with preparing you for heaven.  In heaven there will be no need for discernment.  Why not?  Only what is excellent will be there!

3. That We Might Bear Fruit to the Glory of God

Much attention is given, in the Scriptures, to the issue of bearing fruit.

The OT Jews were compared to a vineyard from which a harvest was expected, but none came forth.

A key NT text on fruit bearing is found in John chapter 15, verses 1-16.  The terms “abide”, and “fruit” appear numerous times in the passage, leading us to conclude that the key to bearing fruit is abiding, abiding in Christ.

The heart of Jesus towards His disciples is evident.  His desire is that we bear fruit (15:2), more fruit (15:2), much fruit (15:5, 8), and lasting fruit (15:16).

The analogy Jesus used instructs us on both the means of fruit-bearing and the nature by which it happens.  Jesus is the vine and we are the branches.  Just as a branch bears physical fruit through its connection to the vine, so the believer can only bear fruit by abiding in Jesus.  The one who abides in Jesus, is one who has Jesus’ words abiding in him also (15:7).

Apart from Jesus we can do nothing (15:5).  No fruit-bearing, in the God-approved and God-pleasing sense, can take place apart from intimate fellowship with and dependence on Jesus.

What is this “fruit” of which Jesus speaks?  The passage speaks of keeping Jesus’ commands (15:10), and preeminently, His command to “love one another” (15:12), so fruit then can be defined, to some extent, to an obedience to Jesus, and especially in demonstrating Christ-like love towards other members of the body of Christ.

Paul’s prayer deals directly with an issue of preeminent concern to all.  We’ve a short stay on this earth.  What matters most, as we live our lives here looking forward to Christ’s return and that day when we will appear at the judgment seat of Christ?  What will stand the test of his judgment and be as “gold, silver and precious stones?”  What will be burned up, as “wood, hay, or stubble” (1 Corinthians 3:12)?  Paul’s prayer was that these believers would bear lasting fruit.

That great missionary, C. T. Studd, put it this way:

“Two little lines I heard one day,
Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart,
And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one,
Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet,
And stand before His Judgement seat;
Only one life,’ twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.”

CONCLUSION

Ultimately, Paul was praying that his beloved friends in Philippi would grow in Christlikeness.  This is God’s chief concern for every believer in Christ.

Is this where your heart lies?  To grow up in Christ.  To love, as He loved.  To exercise “Spirit and Word” borne discernment in your walk with Him?  To bear lasting fruit, to the glory of God, as you abide in intimate fellowship with Him?

Is this how you pray for yourself and your family and friends?  So many of our prayers are “earth-bound,” when they need instead to soar to the heights of God’s eternal plan and purpose for us.  Paul’s prayer here is a reminder to us of the need to elevate our prayers in a heavenward direction.

The story is told of Michelangelo.  How a big piece of marble had been provided for a sculpture of David at the Cathedral in Florence.  Michelangelo was hired after two previous sculptors failed to finish the project.  So, Michelangelo was there before this huge block of marble with his hammers and chisels and various tools.  Someone came up to him and asked him “But how are you possibly going to turn that huge chunk of marble into a statue of David?  His reply?  By chipping away all that is “not David.”  So, God has this work in us to chip away in us all that is “not Christ.”  And we have a part in this work.  With God’s objective in mind, we pray towards that end.  God works in us, and we are transformed into Christ’s image “from glory to glory” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

1 John 3:2-3, “Beloved, now we are the children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be.  We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.  And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”

 

 

Philippians 1:6

INTRODUCTION

Did you see this headline in the news this past week?  “Physicists have announced the discovery of gravitational waves, ripples in the fabric of spacetime that were first anticipated by Albert Einstein a century ago.”  Here’s the rest of that story…

Albert Einstein, on his deathbed, asked for his glasses so that he could continue working on a project he believed would be his greatest work of all. He was not interested in mere phenomena anymore. He wanted, as he put it, “to know God’s thoughts.” Everything else was details. This “theory of everything,” as it came to be known, was based on Einstein’s believe that physics was an “expression of the divine.” He believed there was an explanation for everything, that God did not create chaos but order. He spent thirty years on this project, working on it until the very last day of his life.  He never finished that project.

Though it was an important work.  And though he had done all that he could.  Einstein never finished his project.  Have you ever started something that you didn’t go on to finish?

Unfinished projects are common to man.  The landscape of human history is littered with an immeasurable number of unfinished projects.  And even if they are “quote, unquote” “finished,” they are never brought to the point of true perfection, because true perfection in any matter lies in the realm of the Divine.  On this side of heaven things are intrinsically mired in the curse.

Things are different with God.  God finishes what He starts.  He always does.

That was true of God in creation.  He began a work in creation which we read about in Genesis chapter 1.  Then we read in Chapter 2, verse 1, “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed.”

That was true of God in His deliverance of His people from Egypt.  He promised to do it.  And we read in Exodus 14:30, “Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians.”

That was true in the saving work of Jesus Christ.  Hebrews 1:3, “When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

And there are, of course, countless other examples in Scripture.  God finishes what He starts.  That’s a part of who God is.  And there is a word for this particular attribute of God—God is faithful.

The term means “to be trusted, reliable.”  God is faithful inasmuch as He is absolutely trustworthy in all that He does.  No promise of His can ever fail. No purpose of His will fail to come to fruition.  The context of that great hymn we sang earlier, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” speaks to this truth.  Jeremiah the prophet writes in the book of Lamentations regarding the complete and utter destruction of Jerusalem, of which he was a witness.  It brought great despair and discouragement to His heart.  But then He recalled to mind this truth about God, God is faithful (Lamentations 3:23).  His purpose for His covenant people would not fail.  That same prophet who witnessed Judah’s destruction is the prophet through whom God spoke when He said, “’For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place.  For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope’” (Jeremiah 29:10-11).

Philippians 1:6 needs to be understood in this context.  The verse speaks to the work that God does in the lives of those who trust in Him for salvation.  God will finish the work that He starts in them.  To put it another way, “Those who are truly saved will be kept saved by God and God will finish the work that He started in them.”

Note that in our verse there is a beginning and an end.  There is the start of a work and then there is the finished product.  And that reminds us of the nature of salvation.  Some fail to recognize that salvation is in three tenses, past, present and future.  We call the past aspect, justification (salvation from the penalty for sin).  We call the present aspect, sanctification (salvation from the practice of sin).  That’s a progressive work that knows of degrees.  We call the future aspect glorification (salvation from the presence of sin).

Salvation is God’s work.  It is a work that God does, by His grace based solely on Christ’s saving work on the cross.  Salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross.  Salvation is not a matter of us trying harder to be or do better.  Salvation is a work of God whereby He, by grace, works to forgive us, transform us, and eventually deliver us safely into His heavenly kingdom.

So, let’s look at our text!

MESSAGE

1. God Begins the Work

The term translated “began” means literally “to make a beginning.”  Its only other usage in the NT is in Galatians 3:3, where Paul asks, “Are you so foolish?  Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”

Note here: Salvation is a work begun by God.  He is the one must begin the work.  The work would never start with us.

Romans 3:11, “There is none who seeks for God.”

God must therefore draw them.  John 6:44, “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws Him.”

The lost man is blinded to the truth of the gospel.  2 Corinthians 4:4, “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving.”

The Holy Spirit must therefore convict of sins and open blinded eyes to the truth.

Christianity is not a religion where men do this or that in the attempt to gain favor or merit from God.  A Biblical Christian is one who has been born again as a result of having trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation.  That’s a work that God must do.  Let me ask you a question?  How much did you have to do with your first birth?  Don’t remember?  Your mother did all the work in delivering you into the world.  Just like that, a man is not born again of the spirit with life from above in God’s family divine as a result of his own self efforts.  John 1:12, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”

How did God begin this good work in the lives of these believers in Philippi?  We studied it in Acts 16. There was religious Lydia, at the place of prayer.  Paul and his companions came to her preaching the gospel. And it tells us how she was saved.  “The Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.”  The Lord began that work.  And then there was the demon-possessed, slave-girl, fortune-teller.  She didn’t even ask to be saved, but using Paul the Lord exorcised the demon from her.  And then there was the Philiippian jailer.  A pagan.  God orchestrated everything that took place in his prison so that he might be brought to salvation.  God began a good work in their lives.  What was true of them is true of all those who are saved by God.  Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.”

Now some get this turned around.  They speak in terms that fail to understand this dynamic when it comes to salvation.  Their testimonies speak not so much of what Christ has done, but what they have done.  I went forward.  I said a prayer.  I was baptized.  I was raised in a Christian family.  I go to church.  I’m a good person.  But that misunderstands this fundamental aspect of salvation.  God is the one who saves.  It’s not a matter of our doing, but God’s intervention.  John 1:12-13, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

I said earlier that we could summarize this text this way: Those who are truly saved will be kept saved and God will finish the work that He started in them.  But for the second and third parts of that statement to be true, the first part must first be true.  Have you been born again as a result of sincerely trusting in Christ alone and what He has done on the cross for you?  That’s the way that God begins His saving work in the life of a person.  Anything less or else is mere religion.

2. God Finishes the Work

The word translated “perfect” means to “completely fulfill, finish.”

It is the same term used in Galatians 3:3, where Paul asks, “Are you so foolish?  Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”

He will finish the work that He started.

Now this is an important point and we need to spend a little bit of time on it so that we understand.  What is God’s plan for you, believer in Christ?  What has He purposed to do?  I think that there is much confusion today regarding salvation because we fail to understand this fundamental question—From what does God save us from?  And, of course, the simply answer to that question is SIN.

In salvation the believer has been justified before God (Romans 5:1, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”).  What is justification?  Freedom from the penalty of sin.

In salvation the believer is being sanctified (2 Thess. 2:13, “God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.).  What is sanctification?  Freedom from the practice of sin.

In salvation the believer will be glorified (Philippians 3:21, “(He) will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.).  What is glorification?  Freedom from the presence of sin.

All these aspects of salvation need to be included in our understanding of salvation.  It is as Hebrews 7:25 puts it: “Hence, also He is able to save forever (or to the uttermost, or completely, or finally) those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

The “end point” (and I used this phrase reluctantly because there is really no end point in the eternity of God) of salvation is being brought “holy” into the presence of our holy God.  To be like Christ.  This was Paul’s great purpose: Philippians 3:10, “That I may know Him.”  This is the work that God will complete: 1 John 3:2, “Beloved, now we are the children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be.  We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.”  We will be like Him.

Now other Scriptures speak of this “end point” using a variety of related expressions:

Romans 8:28, “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 whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son.”

1 Corinthians 1:8, “Who shall also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Ephesians 3:19, “Filled up to all the fullness of God.  Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think.”

Ephesians 5:27, “that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.”

Philippians 3:21, “(He) will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.”

1 Thessalonanians 5:23-24, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.”

2 Timothy 1:12, “For I know whom I have believed and convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.”

The reason Paul was convinced that God would finish the work He began in the Philippians is because He understood the truth of who God is.  God is faithful.  He is able.  He will do what He purposed to do.  He will do what He promised to do.

3. God does the Work

God begins the work in salvation.  He finishes the work.  But what about what happens in the time in between?

We call this aspect of salvation sanctification.  We refer to it as progressive sanctification because it knows of degrees, from one state of glory to the next (Cf. 2 Corinthians 3:18).

Now let’s turn attention to Philippians 2:12-13, “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.”

This is a great “sanctification” text.  And it speaks to both our roles and God’s role.  The verse is misunderstood by many.  It does not say “Work for your salvation with fear and trembling.”  That would be an erroneous understanding and contrary to what the rest of Scripture has to say about this matter of salvation (note for example Ephesians 3:8-9 and Titus 3:5).

We are to work out our salvation.  But to rightly understand what the verse is saying we need to read on to the next verse, Philippians 2:14, “For it is God who is at work in your, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

The term translated “work” here is a different Greek term which means “to work efficiently, be effective.”  So God is efficiently and effectively at work in the life of the believer.

The same term is used of God in Ephesians 1:11, “(He) works all things after the counsel of His will.”

The same term us used of the Word of God in 1 Thessalonians 2:13, “the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe (KJV).”

So God is at work in the believer and because He is at work, to will and to work, the believer is able to work out his salvation.

Look with me at another text.  Colossians 1:28-29.  Here we have Paul’s stated purpose and goal in his ministry.  His goal?  “To present every man complete in Christ.”  The term translated “complete” is a term which means “finished or perfect.”  So Paul’s goal in ministry coincided with God’s purpose.  God’s purpose?  To finish the work that He starts in the believer.  Paul’s purpose?  To present every man complete in Christ.

Note something else in this text.  Paul worked hard in ministry.  The term translated “labor” means speaks of “toil resulting in weariness.”  So Paul worked hard.  But he did not work in his own strength.  He labored according to God’s power.

While we are still in Colossians, look down to Colossians 2:10.  The verse says that in Him we’ve been made “complete.”  Now this is a different Greek term than the term used in Colossians 1:28.  The term means “full.”  It was used in that day of a ship that was fully provisioned and made ready for departure or an army that was fully supplied and made ready for war.  The idea behind the term is that everything necessary has been provided for.  The thought is akin to what it says in 2 Peter 1:3, “(He) has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness.”

So, while we are to work out our salvation, the only reason we can do such a thing is because God is at work in us both to will and to work.  He has fully provisioned us with everything we need.  The indwelling Spirit.  The Word of God.  The fellowship of believers.  He—faithful, wise, loving and powerful as He is—is at work in us.  And because He is at work, we can be confident that He will finish the work that He has started.

We work dependent on Him.  And He has provided everything we need—the Spirit of God, the Word of God, the fellowship of believers.

We work dependent on His power.  The work God began in us by the Spirit is perfected in us by the Spirit.

We work by His grace.  The good works that He intends for us to do are works He prepared ahead of time for us to do.

We work by faith in Him.  He does the work in us.  Are part is to trust Him and obey Him.

Let me try to illustrate what we are talking about.  About a year ago we took our grandson, Urijah, to the zoo.  Now he was 2 years old and had never been to the zoo.  But Anna had talked to him about it and he was all excited to go and see the animals.  Now his little 2 year old mind could hardly imagine all that was involved in making a tour of the zoo—seeing all of the animals and riding on the zoo train.  And if we simply left him at the ticket counter by himself and said to him, “Go Urijah.  Buy your ticket.  Follow the signs.  Go see all the animals and ride the train.  We will be waiting for you here when you get done.”  How do you suppose that would have worked out for him?  Not so good.  We paid for the tickets.  We led him along.  We carried him when he got tired.  We encouraged him when he grew weary.  We bought him food when he was hungry.  We were excited when he got excited and we cared for him when he got tired.

And it’s kind of like that with us in our relationship with God.

CONCLUSION

God will finish the work that He started in you.

Has He started that work in you?  Have you been born again through faith in Jesus who died for your sins and rose from the dead?  If not, that’s something you need to do right now.

If you are in Philippians 1:6, you should praise and thank God for this truth.

And you should apply yourself to the work that He is doing.  Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

We face opposition, obstacles, challenges, defeats, setbacks, regrets, trials of various kinds—the path is not easy.  How important is this truth—that God will finish the work that He started in you!  Romans 8:28 speaks to this.  We rejoice in the truth that God is at work and since God is for us there is no one who can work to thwart the good work that He has purposed to do.

Steve Green had a song, “He who began a good work in you.”  Here’s some of what He said in that song:

 

He who started a work Will be faithful to complete it in you

If the struggle you’re facing Is slowly replacing your hope With despair

Or the process is long And you’re losing your song In the night

You can be sure that the Lord Has His hand on you

Safe and secure He will never abandon you

You are His treasure And He finds His pleasure in you

He who started the work Will be faithful to complete it in you

Philippians 1:1-3

INTRODUCTION

Today is Super Bowl Sunday.  Super Bowl 50 will take place later today in Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.  Two teams, the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers, will do battle for the right to claim the title of Super Bowl champions.

An estimated 184 million Americans are expected to watch.

43 million people plan to host Super Bowl parties.

Approximately $14.3 billion will be spent on Super Bowl related activities.

$4.2 billion will be wagered.

As of Thursday, the lowest price for a Super Bowl ticket on the official NFL website was $10,375.

Super Bowl Sunday is a bad day for chickens.  Today Americans will devour 1.3 billion chicken wings.

And holy guacamole!  139.4 million pounds of avocados and 14 and ½ tons of chips will be consumed.

All of this revolving around the question of who can get a 15 oz. ball past the opponents’ goal line (or over their goal posts) more times than the other team.  Whichever team can do that will be crowned Super Bowl champions and will forever more hold their place in history as the Super Bowl 50 NFL Champions.

It’s a big deal.  And a lot of people are going to participate.  I’ll probably watch some of the game myself, though I don’t really care much who wins the game.

A lot of people—players, coaches, assistants, executives, referees, broadcasters, advertisers, entertainers, commentators, spectators, merchandisers, restaurant owners, etc. etc.—will participate in the event in one way or another.

But as important as the event is—there is a participation that matters far more than that.  Participation in this matter matters not for a day and not merely in the earthly realm.  Participation in this matter is a participation sourced in God Himself.  It is a participation having eternal consequences.  And it is a participation that happens not once a year, but every single day.  It is the “participation in the gospel” of which Paul speaks of in Philippians 1:5.

I would draw your attention to the heart of the Apostle Paul in this as he writes from a prison cell.  Note how he speaks: “I have you in my heart” (1:7).  He thinks of them: “In all my remembrance of you” (1:3).  And as he thinks of them he thanks God and rejoices in prayer (1:3-4).

These folks mattered to Paul.  Nothing mattered more to the Apostle Paul than sharing the gospel with folks and seeing them grow up in Christ.  Colossians 1:28-29 speaks to this: “And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ.  And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”

So, as he writes from his prison cell, he writes with joy in his heart and thanksgiving to God as he thinks about how God has worked to both bring these people to saving knowledge of Christ, and then, to grow them in Christlike maturity.

And as he thinks of them and writes of the specific reason for his remembering and thanking God and rejoicing: “in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now” (1:5).

From the “first day until now” they had participated in the gospel with Paul.  And we’ve looked to Acts chapter 16 and have seen how God worked to bring the gospel to Philippi.  Remember the stated purpose of the mission team in going there.  Acts 16:10, “And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”

And so they went there and preached the gospel.  And the Lord opened Lydia’s heart to the gospel and she and her household were saved.  And then the Lord saved the slave-girl, fortune-teller.  And then through a God-orchestrated chain of events, the Lord worked through the gospel to save the Philippian jailer and his household.  And a church was born in Philippi through the preaching of the gospel.

And now, 10 years later, as Paul is again in prison, and has been led by the Spirit to write to these dear friends, he writes of their ongoing participation in the gospel.

The word translated “participation” is the Greek “koinonia,” which means “communion, fellowship, sharing in common.”  Some translations translate it that way.  KJV says “For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.”  But the word “participation” is a suitable translation in this context.

One of the definitions of our English word “participate” is simply “to have a part or share in something.”  So a participation speaks of a shared interest of a group of people in a common thing.  In this case they were (we are, as believers) partipants in the gospel.  Philippians 1:27 speaks to this spirit of this phrase: “Standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”

So note that we are not spectators with respect to the gospel.  It is not as if we are fans in the stands watching.  We are participants in the gospel.  God has privileged us to have a participation in the gospel.  We were made participants by Him when we believed in the gospel and placed our faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross.  We are participants by definition.  We might not be very good participants.  We might not be giving much devotion or attention to the cause, but we are nevertheless participants because God has made us so.

What’s involved in this participation?  That’s an important question.  If we are participants—which we are—it is important for us to understand what’s involved.

MESSAGE

1.PARTICIPANTS: HAVING BELIEVED THE GOSPEL

The term “gospel” appears repeatedly in this little epistle.  9X.  It is here in the beginning of the book (1:5) and appears again at the end (4:15).  In between Paul speaks much of gospel truths.  This is a “Together for the Gospel” book.

The term “gospel” translates the Greek “euangelion,” which means literally “good news” or “good message.”  Vine’s Expository Dictionary explains how it refers in the NT to the “good tidings of the kingdom of God and of salvation through Christ, to be received by faith, on the basis of His expiatory death, His burial, resurrection, and ascension.”

That’s the truth of 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.  The gospel is a matter of first importance.  It is the message through which a person is saved.  It is the message “that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”

Note that there is some bad news in that good news.  Christ died for OUR SINS.  The bad news is that we are all born sinners (Romans 3:23; 5:12).  The bad news is that the wages of sin is death.  The worse news is that if something isn’t done about a person’s sins, that person will spend eternity “away from the presence of the Lord” and pay the penalty of eternal destruction (2 Thessalonians 1:9).

But then there is the good news.  The good news is the truth about Jesus Christ had what He has done.  Jesus Christ, the Divine Son of God purposefully died for our sins.  Then, having defeated sin and death and the devil himself, He rose from the dead.  Salvation by grace through faith is availed to all who receive this message of the gospel.

This gospel message is not merely a message.  It is not a set of facts to which we merely assent as some kind of mental exercise.  According to Romans 1:16, “it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”  The power of God lies behind the message.  And the salvation spoken of involves more than just the forgiveness of sins.  The one who believes “is born of the Spirit with life from above into God’s family divine.”

There is a Divine alteration of things that takes place at the moment of saving faith.  The rebellious child of the devil is not just forgiven, he is brought into a real and eternal fellowship with God through Christ.  He is born again and made to be a new creature in Christ.  His affections and interests are changed.  He is delivered from the domain of darkness and transferred to the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now we want to make something clear.  When it comes to the Super Bowl you can be a spectator.  You don’t have to choose sides.  You don’t have to decide whether you are for the Denver Broncos or for the Carolina Panthers.  You can be for one or both or neither.  It doesn’t matter.  But it doesn’t work that way with the gospel.  You are either on one side of the other.  1 John 3:10 speaks to two different groups of people—the children of God and the children of the devil.  Those are the only two categories.  We are all children of the devil by birth.  The only way we can be made children of God is through receiving the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation.  But no one can remain ambivalent.  You can’t be a spectator.

And if you’ve believed, you’ve been made a participant.  A participant with God, with Christ, with the Holy Spirit, with brothers and sisters in Christ around the world.  A participation in the good news, the “glorious gospel of the blessed God” (1 Timothy 1:11).

2. PARTICIPANTS: LIVING OUT THE GOSPEL TOGETHER

When is it okay for a believer in Christ to stop caring about the gospel?  Never.

Look again at 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.  Look at the verbs that are used with respect to the gospel:

• Paul preached it.
• They received it.
• They stood in it.
• They were being saved by it (ESV translates this phrase “being saved”). The verb is in the present tense.
• They needed to hold fast to it.

The gospel is not just a message to be received, it is a message to be lived out.

We find the same thing in Philippians 1:27, “Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel.”  So here we have it.  Participation in the gospel involves more than just believing the message, it has something to do with the way we live our lives.

There is a kind of conduct that is in a “manner worthy” of the gospel.  The Greek term translated “worthy” means literally “that which balances the scales.”  So the picture is like this.  You have one of those double-sided balance scales.  On the one side you have the gospel.  This message of how Christ has worked to save us from our sins.  On the other side of the scales there is our conduct.  The nature of the walk needs to be consistent to the content of the message.

The gospel is not just something we believe, it is something that we live.  Romans 6:1-4.  The person who has genuinely believed in Christ is a person who has been baptized into Christ Jesus.  They have been completely identified with Him and in His death and resurrection.  The Risen Christ now lives in them, so that “they might walk in newness of life.”  And it is that “Christ in us” kind of walk that is in a manner worthy.

Philippians 2:14-16 speaks to the kind of conduct that is worthy of the gospel.  No grumbling.  No disputing.  Proven to be blameless children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.  Holding forth the word of life.  We’ve been called to this kind of conduct.  This is the kind of conduct that is worthy of the gospel.

Note how we are called in this salvation to strive together in this common cause—to live out the gospel.  Philippians 1:27. “Standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”  The Lord’s Supper is in there.  It reminds us of our common belief in our common Lord and the common sacrifice through which we have been saved and our common identity and our common purpose.  That’s one of the reasons why it is so important for us to observe it in community.

That’s what this divine participation in the gospel looks like.  It looks like teamwork.  It looks like cooperation.  It looks like be led by the Spirit according to the mind of Christ.  It looks like the pursuit of Christ-likeness and Christ-like love.  It looks like doing that together.

Those two Superbowl teams have gotten to where they are today because of teamwork.  Their coaches have preached teamwork. They’ve adopted that mentality.  They are all, as individuals, willing to put aside and sacrifice of personal prerogatives for the sake of the team.  And when we look at the church today, we don’t find enough of that.  There is far too much divisiveness and strife and competition and that sort of thing.  God has called us to a divine participation in the gospel, but instead we fight amongst each other.  There are far too many casualties that are the result of friendly fire.  But God has called us to love one another and to work as a team in the divine participation of the cause of Christ.

3. PARTICIPANTS: SHARING THE GOSPEL TOGETHER

And finally, this gospel is a message which we share.  We are participants together in belief in the gospel, in living out the gospel, and in sharing the gospel.

Paul’s life was devoted to the cause of sharing the gospel.  That’s why he went to Philippi in the first place.  And now, as he writes from a prison cell, that is still his utmost concern.  Notice what he says.  Philippians 1:12-14.  Though he writes from prison, that hasn’t deterred his ability to reach others with the gospel.  Some of the praetorian guard were reached.  Others were emboldened by Paul’s example to share the gospel.  All of these things were working “for the greater progress of the gospel” (Philippians 1:12).

This was not just Paul’s concern, it is God’s concern.  1 Timothy 2:4, “Who desires all men to be saved.”

And God’s concern expressed through the Lord Jesus when He told His disciples: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

“The greater progress of the gospel.”  That is God’s concern.  That is Christ’s concern.  That was Paul’s concern.  That was the concern of the folks in that Philippian church.  That is to be our concern.

We are participants together in this glorious God-given cause.  And this participation applies to all that we do.

As participants we share the gospel.  Now we need to correct a subtle but wrong way of thinking.  The church is not primarily a place where lost people go to be saved.  The church is a place where saved people are encouraged and instructed and sent out to take the gospel to lost people.  The church gathers for edification and scatters for evangelism.  And you take the gospel with you wherever you go.  And that’s one thing that participants in the gospel do.

As participants we work together with others in gospel outreach.  We are not that big of a church, but you might be surprised by how much goes on by way of outreach in our community:

• Care Center Ministry.
• Clatsop Care Memory Community.
• Gideon’s.
• Astoria Rescue Mission.
• CEF and Good News Clubs.
• Warrenton Senior Center.
• Coast Pregnancy Clinic.

People go and serve.  And other people pray for those going.  We participate together in the gospel.

As participants we work together in supporting missionary endeavors around the world.

And that’s at the heart of all that we do in worshipping the Lord Jesus.

CONCLUSION

If you are a believer in Christ, you’ve been called to a participation in the gospel.

Your participation began when you first trusted in Jesus Christ.  You believed in Christ, confessing Him to be Lord.  You were baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ and enjoined to a host of other folks who’ve likewise been called and have been engaged in the cause of the gospel since the beginning of the church.

You are not a spectator.  God has not called you to sit in the stands and cheer and boo.  You are on the field.  You’ve been called to “fight the good fight.”  The gospel message is not just something you believe, it is a walk that God called you to.  There is such a thing as “adorning the gospel.”  We do that as we conduct ourselves and the affairs of our lives in a manner consistent with the message.  What is the message?  That Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead to save us from our sins.  It will do us little good to share the gospel if our walk is

 

 

 

STUDY THROUGH PHILIPPIANS

Philippians 1:1-2

INTRODUCTION

“What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought since Jesus came into my heart.”

Jesus Christ changes lives.  For those who trust in Him for salvation, He works a dramatic change.  Not only are they forgiven, He works to change them in an amazing way.  He alone has the power to do that.

We’ve seen some of this in Acts chapter 16 as we considered what happened when the gospel first came to Philippi.

Philippi was located in Macedonia (modern day Greece).  It was a Roman colony.  It lay on a main highway leading from east to west.  The people of that day were pagan worshippers.  They worshipped false gods of nature and believed the gods could do to them either good or bad depending on how they worked to appease them.  They were also worshippers of Caesar.  They were people in darkness without God and without hope in the world.

Paul was on his 2^nd missionary journey.  He and his team would travel hundreds of miles sharing the gospel.  He was joined by Silas, Timothy and Luke.  Their original intent was to go to Asia, but the Holy Spirit said no to Asia.  They intended them to go to Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus wouldn’t let them.  Then Paul had a vision.  A “Man of Macedonia” was pleading for their help.  So they headed for Macedonia.  They visited a place of prayer.  A God-fearing Gentile by the name of Lydia was there.  The Lord opened her heart to respond to the gospel.  She and her household were saved.  They went on preaching the gospel.  A demon-possessed slave-girl fortune-teller was working to distract Paul in his preaching.  So the Lord delivered that girl of her demon and she was saved.  That caused quite a stir as her masters were then upset that they lost their source of profit in her fortune-telling.  They drug Paul and Silas to the magistrates.  Paul and Silas were arrested and beaten and imprisoned.  But then God caused and earthquake that worked to set everyone free.   The jailer, facing the penalty of execution for losing his prisoners, was about to kill himself.  But Paul intervened.  The jailer asked “What must I do to be saved?”  And Paul told him, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved.”  And he and his household all believed.

And this was the group with which God began the work in Philippi—a businesswoman and her household; a former slave-girl, fortune-teller, and a jailer and his household.  We read in Acts 16:40 of how they all met in Lydia’s house.  We can’t know for sure, but it’s likely that the church was founded there.

Fast-forward a decade or so.  Paul had subsequently finished that 2^nd missionary journey and made another.  Along the way he had visited the church in Philippi a couple of times.  At the time of the writing of this epistle he was in prison.  Just like on that first visit.  Only this time he’s in Rome.  And his imprisonment is for 2 years.  Read Acts 28:30-31.

And he writes to the church in Philippi.  And in the first two verses we have his greeting to the church.  A number of persons or groups are mentioned in the greeting.  Paul.  Timothy.  The saints in Philippi.  The overseers.  The deacons.  But the most important person mentioned is Jesus Christ.  He is referred to three times in these two verses.  In fact, Jesus Christ is referred to by name (in various ways) 51 times in the 104 verses of this epistle.   We have in this short little epistle one of the most Christ-centered of all of the books of the Bible.  The entire Bible is, of course, about Jesus.  But here it’s as if Paul can’t say or write anything without referring to His Lord and Savior.  And he does so in a very personal way.  Philippians 1:21 and 3:7 are examples of this.

MESSAGE

1. AN ENEMY MADE TO BE A SERVANT

“Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus.”

Paul is the author of the epistle.  Timothy is included in the greeting also, not because he was a co-author, but because of his relationship both to Paul and to the church in Philippi (Cf. 2:22).

Note that Paul doesn’t refer to himself as an apostle here in this greeting.  That’s what we typically find in his epistles.  And it might very well be the case because of what he has to share with them.  Servanthood is a main theme in this epistle.  And that theme is apparent from the very first verse.

Servant translates the Greek “doulos.”

Vine’s, “doulos, an adjective…frequently indicating subjection without bondage.”

So a bond-servant is one who gladly puts himself in the position of being a servant.  We have an example in Exodus 21:1-6 of the idea.  According to the OT law a slave would serve for six years and go free on the seventh.  But that slave could decide, if he loved his master, to voluntariy submit himself to serve his master permanently.  The master would bring him to God, then to a door.  Then he would pierce his ear with an awl.

Now Paul is not a reluctant servant.  He is a willing servant.  He is glad to be a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.  It was Paul himself who wrote, “You are not your own, for you have been bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

There is an old Bob Dylan song which had this line, “You’ve got to serve somebody.”  The lost person, whether he recognizes it or not, serves the prince of the power of the air.  He dwells in the domain of darkness and does the bidding of the devil.  He may think himself to be his own man, but he is not.

Now what was true of Paul then wasn’t true of Paul before.  About 25 years previously the Lord Jesus intervened in his life.

Before that day he was a ruthless persecutor of the church of Christ.

In this respect it is amazing to consider who Paul (Saul) was before he was saved.  Every lost person is radically depraved and undeserving with respect to salvation, but that is not always as obvious as it was in Paul’s case (Cf. Ephesians 2:1-3; Colossians 1:21).  He was “breathing threats and murders against the disciples” (Acts 9:1-2).  When they were being “put to death (he) cast (his vote against them” (Acts 26:10).  In “raging fury against them (he) persecuted them” (Acts 26:11).  “(He) persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it” (Galatians 1:13).  He was “a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent” (1 Timothy 1:13).

What brought about this change in Paul?  The short answer—Jesus did.  Read 1 Timothy 1:11-17.

He saved him and transformed him and made that persecutor of Christ to be a servant of Christ instead.

And here he is writing to the church in Philippi from a prison cell.  And is not so much concerned with his own personal welfare.  His concern is in serving Christ.  From that prison cells he shares the gospel with others.  From that prison cell he is encouraged that others are emboldened by his example to share the gospel without fear.  From that prison cell he speaks about how much better it would be to go and be with Christ, but how, at the same time, if he stays it will mean fruitful labor for him in serving the Philippians.  From that prison cell he speaks of how his life is being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of their faith.  He’s a servant of Christ Jesus.

Timothy is too.  Paul testifies to Timothy’s example.  Philippians 2:19-22.

Now, you might say I don’t care much for serving.  I don’t even like the concept.  But the fact is that if you are a believer you’ve been called to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.  And it is not something to shy away from, it is something to embrace.

Jesus is our example.  The church in Philippi was born on that day when the Lord opened the heart of a woman named Lydia to the gospel.  She was saved.  And you know what she did once she was saved.  She served.  She was saved to serve.  We all are.  And the book of Philippians will have much to say about that.  Note in particular what it says in Philippians 2:3-5 about having the mind of Christ.

But go with me to Mark 10:43-45.  The world has its own way of looking at things—sin and selfishness reign.  And people aspire to greatness in their possessions, sinful pleasures, and power.  But God deems servanthood to equal greatness.  And Christ is our example.  He came to serve.  His entire life was a life of service.  And when He had given up everything but His own life, He gave that to.  He said, “I did not come to be served, but to serve.”

Now, believer in Christ let me ask you.  Are you living your life to be served, or to serve?  Are you in your marriage to be served, or to serve?  Are you here at church today to be served, or to serve?  Do you relate to others to be served, or to serve?  God would have you to serve.  Christlikeness looks like servanthood—and it’s a beautiful thing.

Most would not have envied Paul in his position.  He was writing from a prison cell.  He had devoted his life to preaching the gospel of grace and it was because of that he was where he was.  But that’s looking at things from man’s perspective.  He was looking instead to the day when He would be brought into God’s presence.  He was longing to hear those words from His master, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23).

And we need to realize this about our lives.  Only one day, ‘Twil soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.”  If you want to live a life without regrets, endeavor to live your life to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. SINNERS MADE SAINTS

Paul addresess his epistle to the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi.

The word saints means literally “holy ones.”  That’s a term we are familiar with.  God is a holy God.  We have a Holy Bible.  There are holy angels.  But how is it that any person—born sinners as we are—could be called a holy one.

The short answer to that question is “in Christ Jesus.”  But let me explain.

How men make saints (according to the Catholic Church):

1. Normally a person is recommended for sainthood by a bishop.
   2. This usually takes place no sooner than five years following their death.
   3. A thorough investigation is made of the person’s writings, speeches and sermons.
   4. A detailed biography, based on eyewitness accounts, is prepared.
   5. A certification is made that no superstitious or heretical worship has grown up around the person or his tomb.
   6. A recommendation is made to the pope that the person be proclaimed “heroic in virtue.”
   7. Prayer cards and other materials are printed to encourage the faithful to pray for a miracle to be wrought by the person.
   8. To be canonized as a saint at least two miracles must have been performed by the deceased person.
   9. The canonized saint is assigned a feast day, parish churches may be built in his honor, and the faithful may freely honor him.

How does God make saints?

By a sovereign work of grace.  1 Corinthians 6:9-11.  They are made saints through the saving work of Jesus Christ.  They are identified as saints from the moment they place their trust in Him unto salvation.

So Paul writes to the church.  These were not perfect people.  But he writes to them as saints because that is what they are.  They are holy ones.  They are holy in their position.

Now he writes to them because God wants these holy ones to be holy in their practice.  Philippians 2:14-15.

And he writes to them because their destiny is a holy place.  Philippians 3:20-21.

But, again, these sinners were made saints by the work of Christ.  Jesus Christ changes lives.’

3. AN INFANT CHURCH GROWS UP

A decade or so earlier the church in Philippi was born.  It was small.  It had no leadership.  What would happen to that small work that had begun?

Now as Paul writes to them, that little church has grown.  It has matured.  We should note this about the epistle.  The closest thing we can find to a rebuke is Paul’s admonition for two sisters in Christ to get along with each other and a warning regarding the need to beware of false teachers.  The church had demonstrated maturity in providing for Paul in his physical needs.  And the church had an established leadership.

Its interesting to note that Paul addressed the church and the leaders.  He didn’t want to speak to the people apart from the leaders.  He probably might have done that if the leaders had been in error in some teaching.  But that wasn’t the case.

So he addresses the leaders.  And note the language.  Overseers and Deacons.

The word “overseers” translates a Greek term “episkopos” from which we get the English term Episcopalian.  It means to watch over.  The same term is used of Jesus in 1 Peter 2:25 as he is the One who is the “Guardian” (literally “overseer”) of our souls.  Two other terms are used synonymously to describe these men, “elders” (presbuteros) and “shepherds” (“poimen”).  All three terms are used in reference to the elders in Ephesus in Acts chapter 20 (verses 17 and 28).  This is the way that God has designed things.  That the church should be governed by a plurality of overseers who are called by God to serve in that role.

The other group spoken of is the deacons.  That particular word means literally “servants.”  The Greek “diakonos.”  These are men who attend to the physical needs of the congregation.  Men with an aptitude to serve.

So we have a church grown up from its infancy.  And if we ask the question, how did that happen?  The answer is Christ did it.  The same One who said “I will build My church,” grew up His church in Philippi.

Note in the close of Paul’s greeting—Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace is unmerited favor.  God is rich in grace and He bestows His grace not only in salvation, but ongoingly unto His children from His throne of grace.  We are always in need of His strengthening and sustaining grace.  And Paul prayed for that for these believers.

And peace.  The term needs to be understood in three dimensions—peace with God, peace with others, and peace in our hearts.  The believer has been reconciled to God through Christ’s she blood.  We are exhorted to “preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” in the fellowship of believers.  And God is able to impart His peace to our hearts in even the most troublesome of circumstances.

CONCLUSION

So, what do we find in this greeting.  Jesus Christ changes lives.

He took a Christian persecution (a servant of the Devil) and turned him around and made a servant of him.  And Oh My, what a servant.  It is doubtful that anyone has ever had a greater influence for good in this world, besides Christ Himself, that that man.  How did it happen?  Christ did it.

He took a group of sinners and made saints, holy ones, out of them.  He set them on a heavenly course to a place where there will be no more sin.  How did it happen?  Christ did that.

He took an infant church, populated by a business woman, a former slave-girl fortuneteller, and a jailer and his household, and grew that church up so that it possessed a Biblical leadership and some degree of maturity.  How did it happen?  Jesus Christ did that.

Jesus Christ changes lives.  Do you know Him?  Have you trusted in Him for salvation?  Acts 16:30.

If Paul were still around.  If he wrote an epistle to our church.  And we were to read the greeting.  It would sound no different than the one that he wrote to that church in Philippi a couple of thousand years ago.  A servant to the saints and the leaders.  Grace and peace to you.  Praise God for the work He does is saving and transforming lives.