The Life of Christ Continues #3 (Studies in Philippians)
Text: Philippians 2:1-18
Good morning to everyone who is gathered here today because of what God did so long ago by sending His one and only Son Jesus to die on the cross for us. You know the importance of the table was brought home to me once by the story of a priest by the name of Maximillion (I believe). In the days of the Nazi cruelties in Poland a man with children was destined to be executed. The day came when his name was called and the priest took stock of everything and looking at this young man with children and a family stood up and took his place. The story gets good when years later there was a memorial given for this priest and in the crowd that day was a grandson of the man that should have died instead.
Why was he at that memorial?
Wouldn’t you have to be?
When we think of Jesus and the death he died for us all—where else would you want to be then at his memorial? Doesn’t everything else become much less important?
When we think about Jesus, we see love in its fullest form. It demands of us our devotion above everything else doesn’t it?
What we see that love effected for us was that at a great cost he brought to man a new destiny. For the apostle Paul this love of Jesus was the compass for how Christians are to live in this life. Jesus brought to us the Kingdom of God and that is where Christians have their citizenship and so as citizens of God’s kingdom we live appropriately.
One of the most important statements Jesus ever made was in response to the question of what is most important and he replied ‘love God with everything—(Put Him first) and then love your neighbour as yourself’. He is calling us to love as he loved—(to love God that we will seek His will above everything else & to love our neighbours that we will lay down our rights for theirs).
We live in a world that is so short on love. We have witnessed societies where ethnic groups simply hate each other, where people who behave immorally are despised and unless you give me what I want or can make me feel really good & relaxed I don’t need to do anything out of my way for you. We see homes where love is the last thing that would describe the feelings between husbands and wives and parents and children.
What do we do?
We try to bring everybody together through our governments. We strive to make laws so we have things like hate crimes because after all if you just put a piece of legislation in place then everyone will change their hearts.
One of the things the church needs to understand is that our courts or governments in these worldly kingdoms are not going to make us one—only love will! When those who are citizens in the kingdom of God can display the love of God will barriers and divisions be broken down.
‘For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility.’ Ephesians 2:14
The church must be the light of the world in this regard.
What should a Christian be?
The apostle has been writing to his friends and basically showed them by his own example that even though you might be going through tough times it can be seen as opportunities for God to work something out greater both for you and His whole cause. He told them they were to behave properly then as citizens worthy of the gospel—that means being worthy of the death of Jesus Christ. We can never be worthy of such a thing but this thing—Jesus giving up everything for us is to be our compass in the decisions we make about how to live.
One of the greatest temptations that we ever face is the one to fight for our right to live as we want to live. We want to indulge a preference for a religion that goes easy. In the kingdom of God though this temptation must be withstood—we understand when we look at our world that when we’re all living for #1—not everyone gets to.
Turn to Philippians 2:1-18 and read how the apostle deals with getting these Christians to be the type of people where love for others unites instead of selfish love dividing.
2:1-4- remember this letter is to all the saints—everyone needs to hear this. Paul begins this section with 4 conditions that he automatically assumes is true. I love Paul here the great logician:
- Encouragement in Christ
- Comfort from love
- Participation in the Spirit
- Affection and sympathy
What Paul is saying is basically if you really believe this…then! He is setting them up for something here.
I want you to notice first of all that without saying a word all 4 unite every Christian together. When you are tempted to disagree you still share some of the most important things in common.
Also, when rivalry & discord are working these are diminished. Do you feel the comfort from love when you feel hate?
Does your affection & sympathy increase or decrease when you fight?
So, Paul says if you have these things then and he brings a 5th clause in:
fulfill my joy!
Why does he do this? I would suggest a couple of reasons:
- He is confident of their care for him! Do you guys want to make me sad or glad? Look at where he is bringing them: don’t just think of yourselves think of me!
- After all he’s done for them, how can they reject this? Last week- he gave up being with Jesus to be with them, can they really not give up certain things for him?
How can we fulfill your joy Paul?
Be united! Be one!
Let that love that you receive comfort from be displayed among you. Take seriously what Jesus said about how we should love each other.
Let there be no rivalry or conceit among you. Don’t be competitive; don’t look to put your own wills ahead of others. You know when we grasp for ourselves we end up disregarding others? Self-seeking and self-exaltation are two of the greatest enemies to how God wants us to be. We cannot have the kind of unity God desires us to have when either of these two are present.
Where is Paul going with this?
Vs.4- look to the interests of others!
Isn’t this one of the most difficult commands?
Count others more significant than yourselves.
Like he did in choosing between life and death he calls on these Christians to as well—not what’s better for me but what’s better for others. (This by the way is different than just appeasing!) Paul is not saying to simply do what the others want but to do what is best for the others. There is a difference.
If the only reason we want to do something or don’t want to is because we personally like or dislike something are we not simply self-seeking and haven’t yet reached the maturity God wants?
Instead we are called to humility & love. We are called to consider other people’s needs as equal to ours and then to love them enough to put them first. ‘Greater love has no one than this, that a man should lay down his life for his friends’ (John 15:13)
How can these Christians though be shakened to love & humility?
Why should we Paul?
Why should we live not just for ourselves but for others?
2:5-11- look at Jesus!
Remember the gospel now—live as if you are worthy of it. Jesus died and was buried on your behalf. If you have trouble with humility and love let me tell you about Jesus.
What is Christianity?
For Paul it is Jesus. What did Jesus actually do and why did he do it?
He was in the form of God. Listen, if all he wanted to do was tell us he was equal to God there would be nothing wrong but he did much more than that. This is not what he wanted to do. He chose to become a man. Now Paul says he humbled himself how?
Humility doesn’t always simply imply thinking less of yourself. No, he was equal with God. What did he do?
He gave up his rightful place in glory and became a slave. Jesus voluntarily humiliated himself. If you’re reading this letter and think you can’t lend a hand for a brother (if Jesus would do this…) Jesus went from the glory of God to death on the cross.
Jesus had self-forgetting love. He was condemned and cursed for our behalf. It says he was a servant—to who? To God?
For sure but I would say he also was our servant. Matt.20:28. He lived for us. Look back at Paul’s 4 conditions—if there is any encouragement in Christ….then you seek to be one: how? Forget about yourself! (Homes, workplaces, churches).
Because of this humility—Jesus was exalted and given the name by which there will be universal acknowledgement of his majesty and power. All one day shall own him as Lord. We see because of his humility our Lord is the basis and object of worship.
2:12-18- Paul could have ended the letter right there and there would be sufficient food for them to chew on for a long while, but like every preacher he seems to just get wound up and continues on.
What does all this mean?
Seeing what you have in Christ—despite all the problems in life—and then looking at what Jesus did to show how the ultimate humiliation led to the ultimate exaltation—obey!
You need to be able to obey when I’m not around. Remember he is in prison and he may be on the death block. He needs to know that these Christians will continue to do what is right without him.
I can’t save you- work out your own salvation with fear & trembling. Instead of strife & arrogance—put fear & trembling in its place. You should be fearful of what selfishness leads to!
Is salvation our responsibility or God’s?
Who is working?
Paul says both are. We are saved today in Jesus Christ—but the inward process of salvation—God does everything and man does everything—God takes precedence. Basically, work because God is working (1:6). What does God do?
He places inside us the desire and ability to perform. If you really want to do God’s will, you will be able to.
Now, Paul gets to a very important part of his letter- he has been in prison but has learned to rejoice. He has told them that he chooses what is better for them. He has told them that Jesus gave up everything for us and then asks them to obey. What does really happen when we are self-seeking?
When we place so high of value on our ease, our will, our opinion or our party?
Eventually it leads to grumbling & disputing. We find places to blame and when we begin to blame it leads to division.
Listen to Paul—do all things without grumbling or disputing. James 4:2b-‘you covet and cannot obtain so you fight and quarrel.’
Okay, let’s get this right, Jesus gave up glory to be a slave and then to die that horrible death for me—but… Kind of sounds shallow doesn’t it?
Why is Paul concerned?
For them and the world. Make a right impression on the world—but when you murmur and fight you cannot make that impression. You don’t do something for Jesus because you ‘have’ to—you want to. Is it too much to ask from a guy who died on the cross?
The world needs to see this. The kingdoms of this world are crooked and twisted- they are perverted they don’t know what true life is about. You must show them the way. You must be stars in a dark world. What does it say to someone who is caught in sin to see a Christian caught in selfishness—or a constant complainer?
Become a Christian so you can be as unhappy with life like me!
We are citizens of a heavenly state but we are in a very sin hurt world. Show them what Christianity is. Christianity is not about doing great big projects so we look big but it is about being a shining star in the darkness where you are. How?
Be blameless and innocent children of God without blemish.
Listen to how Paul clinches this:
I may still be sacrificed on your behalf—but if you learn to do this—learn to not be selfish or proud—learn to put others first and to count their needs as great as yours—I can rejoice and you will rejoice with me.
How to live for others?
What would the world be like if they saw the church as a self-giving, self-forgetting society?
How would the home be affected?
The workplace?
The schoolyard?
What would our church be like if others needs were put first?
What would the church be like if the Kingdom of God became a greater reality in our midst?
Where Jesus’ instruction of loving our neighbours as much as ourselves was the rule and not the exception?
Paul tells us what it would be like:
It would be a blameless and innocent place that shined as light for the world in all its distortion to see.
Every knee to bow…Let’s stand and sing…
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