Gospel Centered Unity
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Introduction
Introduction
Genesis 3:16
It is good to be back
Thank you Daniel
Anytime you put two people in a room - unity will be difficult
The primary reason for this is sin
It started in the Garden
To the woman he said,
“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be contrary to your husband,
but he shall rule over you.”
Charles Spurgeon says:
“The church of Christ is always quarreling, but did you ever hear that the devil and his confederates quarrel?
They are so united that if at any special moment the great prince of hell wishes to concentrate all the masses of his army at one particular point, it is done to the tick of the clock, and the temptation comes with its fullest force just when he sees it to be the most likely that he will prevail. If we had such unanimity as that in the church of God, if we all moved at the guidance of the finger of Christ, if all the church could move in one great mass to the attack of a certain evil, how much more easily might we prevail! But alas, the powers of hell far exceed us in unanimity.”
It was Abraham Lincoln who said
A house divided against itself cannot stand
In tonight’s text Paul is going to continue to admonish the church at Philippi regarding their primary congregational fault - unity.
We have diagnosed through our study of Chapter 1 that the primary problem facing the Philippians is unity.
We have so far characterized this letter as being primarily about the Gospel -
The Gospel drives our joy which drives our humility leading to unity.
If you recall from the last time we were together and from the sermon on Sunday Paul has been encouraging the Philippians to live their lives in a manner worthy of the Gospel by standing firm and striving together.
Tonight we’re going to look at how Paul continues his instruction
William Barclay wrote “ the one danger which threatened the Philippian church was that of disunity. There is a sense in which that is the danger of every healthy church. It is when people are really in earnest, when their beliefs really matter to them, that they are apt to get up against each other. The greater their enthusiasm, the greater the danger that they may collide. It is against that danger Paul wished to safeguard his friends.”
By way of outline we’re first going to look at the If, then the then, and finally the how of Paul’s arguments.
Open your Bibles to Philippians 2:1-4 and let’s read the text
Prayer
If....
If....
Philippians 2:1; John 1:1; Romans 5:1-2; Hebrews 6:18; Romans 5:8;
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,
It is amazing how much power the small words of the Bible have.
Conjunctions and articles play a huge role in the interpretation of many texts.
Whole theologies and theological systems have been built on the presence or lack of presence of an article, or the meaning of a conjunction
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The lack of an article, completely proper in the Greek language, resulted in the supplying of the article so that the text would read “and the Word was a God” leading the Jehovah’s Witnesses to have an incorrect view of Christ
In our text it is the small word if...
Paul starts out by saying therefore - demonstrating that this is a continuation of everything that has come before it
since it has been granted to you to not only believe in Christ but to suffer for Him act this way
Then Paul says “if”
If carries a lot of weight
Hopeful “if” - if the Padres get some pitching they could be in the World Series
Regretful “if” - if only I’d made this decision instead of that one I wouldn’t be in the situation I am now
Statement “if” - since or because of this condition then....
Paul is making the statement of fact that since there is encouragement in Christ, comfort from love, participation in the Spirit and affection and sympathy.
There is a note where Paul is building an argument for the whole Christian life
encouragement in Christ
do we have any hope in what Christ has done on our behalf?
Can carry with it the meaning of exhortation, comfort, or counsel
“Romeo is closed up....”
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.
In light of what Christ has done for you, taking on the consequences of your sin on the cross, we should feel compelled to maintain unity within His body out of gratitude.
any comfort from love
the love shared by Paul and the Philippians
basically do you receive any comfort from our relationship
more importantly the comfort of the love of the Father that gives the Philippians comfort and confidence that they don’t need to seek love elsewhere
illus. Fathers and daughters
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
We receive comfort from the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives
He is a comforter for the believer
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
and participation in the Spirit
koinonia - that same partnership that Paul spoke of regarding the Gospel
As Christians we have fellowship with one another through the Spirit
We are brought into the same body (the body of Christ) by the Spirit
The Spirit wakes us up from our dead state, convicts us of sin and
any affection or sympathy
But we cannot miss Paul’s efforts in this verse. Moises Silva in his commentary on Philippians writes “Verse 1 is not intended to function as a set of four rational, theological arguments but rather as impassioned pleading.”
Paul is pleading his heart for the Philippians and this requires a response on the part of the Philippians
Then....
Then....
Philippians 2:2; Philippians 4:1; 1 John 4:11
complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
Paul shocks the Philippians by saying “make my joy complete”
The Philippian church is a great source of joy to Paul
He makes his prayers with all joy Philippians 1:4
Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.
Paul has just told the Philippians that he has not been discouraged by the preachers who were preaching Christ out of envy and strife
But here he tells them to complete his joy - meaning the discouragement he is feeling is from the disunity in this church
My kids not getting along
Just as there were four exhortations at the beginning there are four responses - although two are the same
being of the same mind
Paul drives home the point that he has just made regarding living life in a manner worthy of the Gospel
Silva writes Unity of mind is therefore Paul’s pervasive concern in this exhortation.
This is not mindless “group think” - but instead is the idea that the shared convictions of Jesus Christ will unite us in our thought that will seek the best for the Kingdom and for the Gospel.
Group think is not Gospel thinking
We are not rescued from one dead automaton state to another - we are called to be sober in thought, word, deed and action
having the same love
This is the imperative to follow up on the prayer that Paul prays for the Philippians in verse 9
He tells them that his prayer is for their love to abound more and more
now they are to put that love in to practice
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
being in full accord
another way to translate this is “united in spirit”
Speaks to the exhortations the Paul provided regarding standing firm and striving in one spirit
everyone pulling in the same direction - for a unified purpose
How....
How....
Philippians 2:3-4; John 3:30; Ezekiel 28:12-17; Luke 10:25-37
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Paul again refers back to the preachers who were seeking to cause him stress (and presumably the Philippians as well)
He says that the preachers were proclaiming Christ out of “selfish ambition” and he now tells the Philippians to do nothing out of the same selfish motives
Essentially he is saying don’t be like these men but instead be humble in Christ
Conceit - or vain glory
The greatest desire of the Christian’s heart should be the glory of God.
He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Soli Deo Gloria was a core principle of the Reformation that gave us our faith
Vain glory or conceit is an attempt to place yourself above God and to usurp His glory
“Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord GOD:
“You were the signet of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of God;
every precious stone was your covering,
sardius, topaz, and diamond,
beryl, onyx, and jasper,
sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle;
and crafted in gold were your settings
and your engravings.
On the day that you were created
they were prepared.
You were an anointed guardian cherub.
I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God;
in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.
You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created,
till unrighteousness was found in you.
In the abundance of your trade
you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned;
so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God,
and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub,
from the midst of the stones of fire.
Your heart was proud because of your beauty;
you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.
I cast you to the ground;
I exposed you before kings,
to feast their eyes on you.
It is the sin of Satan to try to place ourselves in God’s rightful place
The greatest example of Biblical humility is Christ.
The best human example is found in a story that Christ told.
The Good Samaritan
Conclusion
Conclusion
300 Quotations for Preachers from the Modern Church The Great Influence of Christ
Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered more millions than Alexander, Caesar, Mohammed, and Napoleon; without science and learning, he shed more light on things human and divine than all philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of schools, he spoke such words of life as were never spoken before or since, and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator or poet; without writing a single line, he set more pens in motion, and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussions, learned volumes, works of art, and songs of praise, than the whole army of great men of ancient and modern times.… There never was in this world a life so unpretending, modest, and lowly in its outward form and condition, and yet producing such extraordinary effects upon all ages, nations, and classes of men.