One Body United in Christ
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Introduction
Introduction
1 Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by stages from the wilderness of Sin, according to the command of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink.
2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water that we may drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?”
3 But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”
4 So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What shall I do to this people? A little more and they will stone me.”
5 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.
6 “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.
7 He named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us, or not?”
The children of Israel, collectively, griped against the Lord for water
1 Listen, O my people, to my instruction;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings of old,
3 Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.
4 We will not conceal them from their children,
But tell to the generation to come the praises of the Lord,
And His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.
,
12 He wrought wonders before their fathers
In the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
13 He divided the sea and caused them to pass through,
And He made the waters stand up like a heap.
14 Then He led them with the cloud by day
And all the night with a light of fire.
15 He split the rocks in the wilderness
And gave them abundant drink like the ocean depths.
16 He brought forth streams also from the rock
And caused waters to run down like rivers.
1 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,
2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
12 So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;
13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Introduction
The church in Philippi They probably also sent word to Paul of their current state of affairs. It becomes apparent in the letter that there are those who oppose Paul’s authority and teaching in Philippi and are speaking ill of him and the fact that he is now in prison. The church is checking on him and asking how to respond. Paul writes back to encourage unity and joy in the face of persecution.
What does it mean to be a Christian? To be a member of the body of Christ? Some believe that coming to church, reading Scripture, or paying tithes makes them a Christian. To some, pray a simple prayer makes one a Christian. Yet, the word “Christian” is Greek for “Christ-like.” Our passage in Philippians will help us understand what it means to be a Christian.
I would like to paint a contextual picture real quick. The church at Philippi, which Paul had planted (around 52 A.D.), hears that Paul has been arrested and they have sent encouragement and gifts to him through a man named Epaphroditus. Now, while giving him encouragement, they also tell him that there are those in Philippi trying to break up the church by tearing down Paul’s teaching and reputation and oh yeah some of us in Philippi might be facing jail time soon for our faith as well. Paul responds with this letter while in prison in Rome around 62 A.D. (five years before he is imprisoned again and beheaded). Paul writes back to encourage unity and joy in the face of persecution.
vv. 1-2 - Our passage opens with a callback (“therefore”) to his statement that believers suffer for Christ’s sake because of our faith (.
As such, first and foremost, we must acknowledge that as a Christian, we are called to suffer as Christ suffered. We all experience trials and we all suffer. That’s part of being human and it does not end when we come to know Jesus.
If there is any encouragement in Christ ... consolation of love, fellowship of the Spirit … make my joy complete by being of the same mind, same love … united in spirit and purpose.
Here Paul explains that there in Christ we have encouragement, love, and fellowship, but it is not just with Jesus, but with a community of others who are of the same mind, same love, united in spirit and purpose.
vv.3-4: Part of being a Christian means we are called out of selfishness into humility. What is does it mean to be humble? Paul provides us a definition: “to think of another human being as more important than yourself.”
v. 5: We are to have the “mind of Christ.”
The Kenosis-Christ Hymn (vv. 5-11)
Paul recites what apparently is an early creedal hymn in these verses. In this song, we see the truth of the gospel. A creed guides believers. A creed was a statement one confesses before baptism that encapsulated the central truths of the Christian faith. This creed captures the attitude and actions of Christ…the mind of Christ.
v. 5-8 - Have the mind of Christ .... though he was God, he emptied himself… taking form of a servant … as a human being … even unto death.
We must be careful here. Of what did Christ empty himself? His divinity? No, for he was still God. He set did not really even set aside his glory as we see glimpses of that throughout the gospel. In this sense, kenosis is not the subtracting from, but the adding to. God became human. More than that, God became the lowest form of a human … a servant .... one who died for the rest of humanity.
V. 9 - The first sentence begins with death. The second sentence of the hymn begins with Christ’s resurrection … his exaltation above all others.
v. 10-11 - The story of God: creation, incarnation, recreation! One day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!
St. Athanasius, an early church father who helped defend the church from the Arian heresy, believed the fulness of salvation was wrapped up in the incarnation of the Word, not just for humanity, but for all of creation.
vv. 12-13 The Christ hymn points to a proclamation, an application.
A creedal statement is nice. Believing something does not really serve its purpose if it is just a recitation of statements. It must lead to action. Faith without works is dead (James 2:17).
vv.12-13
v. 12- Therefore, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling ...
v. 13 - … for God is at work in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure.
Didn’t Paul just tell us in that our salvation comes from God (also ; )? In , Paul describes salvation as a past event in our lives. In , he describes it as a future yet to come. Here, Paul uses a present tense verb: κατεργάζομαι (katergazomai) “to bring about, produce, or create” … your own salvation.
katergazomai) “to bring about, produce, or create.” As believers, we are called to live our lives … live out our salvation … in relationship with Christ as he transforms us and our relationships.
20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;
21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
22 “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;
23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
24 “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
25 “O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me;
26 and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;
21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
22 “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;
23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
24 “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
25 “O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me;
26 and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
23 When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?”
24 Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.
25 “The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?” And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’
26 “But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet.”
27 And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” He also said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
28 “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’
29 “And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went.
30 “The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go.
31 “Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you.
32 “For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him.
Paul is not speaking of anyone’s individual salvation here, per se. He is speaking of the salvation of the Philippian church.
Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Letter to the Philippians D. Work out Your Salvation (2:12–18)
stand firm in one Spirit, striving together with one accord (1:27); make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind (2:2)
make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
PHilippians 1:27
Paul is speaking out against the fear and the spiritual sickness that was trying to infect this local body in Philippi. The spirit of this age has constantly been infecting the church since its birth … trying to break apart this divine community with fear, hatred, bigotry, pride, and selfishness. Unfortunately, some have allowed the enemy to do just that.
As believers, we are called to live our lives … live out our salvation … in relationship with Christ as he transforms and unites us to love God and to love each other.
Jesus’ prayer for unity
Jesus’ prayer for unity
20 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word;
21 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
22 “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one;
23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.
In , Jesus tells the Parable of the Two Sons. One son initially disobeyed his father’s command to work the vineyard, but was drawn to repentance. The other so said he would, but disobeyed and did work the vineyard. Who did the Father’s will? As a church, in the midst of a society divided by racism, injustice, poverty, violence … how will we respond? Will we join the world in their division or will we participate in the desire of Christ to be united in spirit and body?
'What is common in community is not shared values or common understanding so much as the fact that members of a community are engaged in the same argument... in which alternative strategies, misunderstandings, conflicting goals and values are thrashed out."
Think about that for a minute. What defines us as a community is not those things that make us different. We are defined by that which unites us … the blood and body of Christ.
The church around the world today is a family. We are the family of God - a family formed by our common desire to follow Christ Jesus, who is both our brother and our Lord. We are the people of God, called together and given life, through Christ Jesus our Lord.
It is communion that is realized - one that is known deep inside us - when in humility and with gentleness and patience, we bear with one another in love and accept God's gifts with grateful and humble prayer.
Praise be Our God - to Christ Jesus his Son - who has called us here today and invites us to commune with him and with one another in love. Amen