I Am Saved, Now What? Week 1

Introduction to the Series

Show ‘Angels in the Outfield’ clip

In July 1961, Vince Lombardi kicked off the first day of training camp for the 38 players on his Green Bay Packers football team. The prior season had ended in a heartbreaking loss to the Philadelphia Eagles after blowing a lead in the 4th quarter of the NFL Championship Game. When the players came in to start training camp, they expected to immediately begin where they left off and work on ways to advance their game and learn fancy new ways to win the championship in the new season. When they sat down and began, Vince Lombardi held up a football and said, “Gentlemen, this is a football!” He then had everyone open up their playbooks and start on page one, where they began to learn the fundamentals – blocking, tackling, throwing, catching, etc. That was clearly not what they expected as players who were at the top of their game. This hyper-focus on fundamentals allowed them to win the NFL Championship that season 37-0 against the New York Giants.

Tonight, we start a series that goes back to the basics of Christianity. I am afraid that many Christians have forgotten the basics, it’s the basics that lead to success, not complexities

Introduction

Opening Line: Coach John Wooden was a very successful basketball coach at UCLA

Someone asked him what it took to build a successful team and he responded with three keys; 1. Get them in shape. 2. Teach them to play together. 3. Teach them basics of the game. (His record at UCLA: 620-147, .808%)

John Wooden knew what it took to build a successful team, and he might have gotten that formula from Philippians 2.

Tonight, we are starting a new series called “I Am Saved, Now What?”

We are going to look at what a Christian goals should be and how a Christian should live

Message

The Purpose of Philippians: Joy, Paul wants his readers to live in full joy despite circumstances. It is also part thank you letter and correction to the church in Philippi (Phil 2:1-4)

Exalting Jesus in Philippians (Serve One Another with Humble Compassion (Philippians 2:1–4))

Unity is still on Paul’s mind, though the focus shifts to internal unity. The church must not only take a stand against outside pressure, but they should also pursue particular attitudes and actions within the body of Christ in order to overcome division.

Philippians 2:1–4 (CSB)

If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.

Paul opens up with a series of “if” statements but they are better understood as “because” so, let’s read these verses again with their proper context:

Because, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, Because of consolation in love, because of fellowship with the spirit, because of affection and mercy

These are certainties and not possibilities.

Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 2

Paul is not questioning whether the Philippians have these things; he is using a rhetorical expression to say that, since the believers do in fact have these things, they should complete his joy by demonstrating unity.

If Christians cannot live in unity, the power of the Gospel is hurt because the Gospel loses credibility among unbelievers due to division

Main Point: Christians are to be unified

One mind, one love, one spirit, and one purpose=unity

The Purpose? The Gospel.

Christians don’t have much to fuss over when spreading the Gospel the main purpose

The Gospel will not advance if we are divided

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 2

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit,

Division comes in a church when people start looking out for their own interests instead of the purpose of the Gospel

You might have heard it like this before, “purpose over preference”

I don’t want you to think that unity means that we have to like the same things and want the same things, that is not unity. That is uniformity

Would a football team be very successful if every person on the team played QB? That is uniformity

No, a football team has different positions but the same goal and purpose, to win

As a group, we might have different ideas and different things we like but we come together in spite of what we like because advancing the Gospel is our main purpose

There was a growing problem with disunity in the church, regarding two women, Euodia and Syntyche (Phil 4:2-3)

Philippians 4:2–3 CSB

I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Yes, I also ask you, true partner, to help these women who have contended for the gospel at my side, along with Clement and the rest of my coworkers whose names are in the book of life.

Unity in Christ is not something to be achieved: it is something to be recognized.

A. W. Tozer

So how do we unify?

Consider others more important than you

In other words, humility

Exalting Jesus in Philippians The Expressions of Unity (2:2b–4)

There will never be unity in a congregation apart from people walking in humility

Exalting Jesus in Philippians The Expressions of Unity (2:2b–4)

John Stott says, “At every stage of our Christian development and in every sphere of our Christian discipleship, pride is the greatest enemy and humility our greatest friend” (“Pride, Humility and God,” 2–3)

It is very hard to be at each others throats if we are putting each other to be more important than us. When we are putting others ahead of ourselves, our purpose is carried out.

We are going to talk about the importance of humility more in depth next week, but until then

The Gospel is advanced through us

Closing

Are you walking in humility? Are you caring about other peoples needs before your own?

If you are then the Gospel will be carried out through us. It’s an amazing thing.

Do you know Jesus?

Jesus died for your sin, rose again on the third day, and ascended to Heaven and is preparing a place for us there.

Do you need to get baptized? Baptism is a commandment not a suggestion

Do you need to get right with Jesus?

Let’s pray