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Intro:
Intro:
Last week we talked about displaying unity to the world around us.
This week we are going to look at displaying unity in the church.
We are going to look at Jesus’ example and hopefully replicate it in our own lives and in our own church!
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So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 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. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Pray:
Phil 1:
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
It would read better as “since” or “because”.
Because we can have encouragement in Christ. Is there anything more encouraging that knowing Jesus and His resurrecting power? The fact that we can have eternal life in heaven because of what Jesus did for us should encourage us to do whatever it takes to glorify His holy and precious name!
Because of comfort from love- We can have comfort because we know that Jesus loves us more than anyone else ever could. He knew us before we were even born.
2 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 [a]affection and compassion, 2 make my joy complete [b]by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing [c]from [d]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 [e]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 [f]grasped, 7 but [g]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 [h]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.
Because of comfort from love-
Because of comfort from love-
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Paul starts out by saying “So” some translations say “therefore”. Paul is referring to the Scripture we looked at last week. Chapter 1 verses 27-30. He is referring to walking in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. To be in unity with each other. Now he is re enforcing unity. Especially unity in the church. It would seem that there must of been some disunity in Philippi. In chapter 4 Paul pleads with a couple ladies who seemed to have some kind of disagreement to get along, to “agree in the Lord”. Whenever we get people together whether it be in the church or outside of the church we will have disagreements. Everybody wants to things there own way. And sometimes its their way or the highway. If they don’t get what they want they get mad, and either don’t participate or they start to stir up trouble. folks that should not be the way things are done, especially in the church!
Share what Pastor John said about painting the church
Paul then goes on with four questions. (Say the questions)
Because of participation in the Spirit-
If in the English translations doesn’t really emphasize these conditions properly. They make it seem like the outcome is uncertain.
The outcome is certain. there is encouragement, there is comfort, there is participation in the Spirit, and there is affection and sympathy in Christ. but Paul is asking these questions to provoke the Philippians and us for that matter to reflect on our lives and see if these qualities are evident in us.
Because of affection & sympathy-
We must have these qualities in us for unity in the church and to display Christ to this dark world. It is not common now days for people to have these qualities not only in the world but also in the church. We must be careful to ALWAYS work together for the greater good to be a good example of what living for Jesus looks like.
When Paul says of “one mind” he is not saying that we must all be the same like robots, but that we would all use our different gifts in a cooperative spirit to magnify and glorify Jesus!
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
1 cor 12
What a boring place this would be if we were all the same. We can be different, have different gifts, be from different walks of life, but still have the same goal in mind! Our goal above all else should be to show Jesus in our lives so everyone we meet can see His love in us and our love for them!
If we work together, pray together, worship together, honor God together, with the Holy Spirit working through us, we can do great and mighty things for God and His Kingdom! What a different world this would be if just the church lived this way let alone the rest of the world!
But the problem is what verses 3 & 4 tell us. Lets look at them.
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.
If there wasn’t a problem here in Philippi Paul would not have to tell them not to be selfish or conceited. But just as we have today, if we are honest with ourselves we can have pride issues. I have heard it said we have a “I” problem. I want this, I want that, “I”, “I”, “I”. Everything is about me!
What kind of shape would we be in if that’s was how Jesus lived His life. Well I can tell you. We would be destined for hell with no chance of heaven. Jesus could have not went to the cross, or He could of not stayed on the cross, He could of called legions of angel to fight for Him, but He didn’t! There was not a more humble man that ever lived than Jesus Christ!
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Do you and I live our lives the way Jesus did? Do we in humility count others more significant than ourselves. Do we not only look out for ourselves but just as much look out for other people. When we do put other first is it out of love or out of “we have no other choice”. Pride is the root of disunity.
Pride is looking out for #1. In worldly standards that is looking out for me, myself, and I. There is that “I” problem again. Pride can make us do things that are unbecoming of us to say the least. It can make us lie, cheat, and steal. If we have to have the very best, or be the very best, if pride is what drives us, there is not much we won’t do to get it!
Humility says I am looking out for #1=Jesus
From an unknown source comes an article titled, "How To Be Miserable." It says, "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. Expect to be appreciated. Be suspicious. Be jealous and envious. Be sensitive to slights. Never forgive a criticism. Trust nobody but yourself. Insist on consideration and respect. Demand agreement with your own views on everything. Sulk if people are not grateful to you for favors shown them. Never forget a service you have rendered. Shirk your duties if you can. Do as little as possible for others." (Unknown)
On the opposite side of pride is humility. Humility says to lovingly put others first, to put their needs before yours. I can see in a marriage were we might even put our spouses wants before ours. I have heard others point out- humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.Humility is lifting other people up even if you don’t want to. Jesus asked the father to take the cup from Him, but Jesus also said not my will but yours be done! The ultimate picture or illustration of humility is Jesus!
Do we have “encouragement in Christ” and “comfort from love”
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
phil
State the encouragements and comforts
The NASB puts it like this-
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
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Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
Paul is saying that that we should think within ourselves, or in our hearts, just as Christ Jesus did when He became incarnate. Someone put it like this “Our thinking, our attitude, our opinion, our evaluation of the situation which faces us should be the same as Christ’s when He faced His supreme act of humiliation and death.
who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
phil 6:
Paul says who, though he was in the form of God-
He is not saying that Jesus only “appeared as God” Paul is referring to the preexistence of Jesus. He is the eternal Son, He was with the Father before -, He was born in the manger. Jesus continues being in the very nature of God. He is the Alpha & Omega, the First and the Last, The Beginning and the End, He always was and always will be!
Did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.
This phrase highlights the giving nature of Jesus. He did not consider being God grounds for getting but giving! He could have hung on to His rights, and blessings, and benefits as the King of kings and Lord of lords. But He lived in a way to show us what generosity and service should look like. We need to develop the mentality of going from a grasping to giving.
Next Paul says He emptied Himself.
Jesus veiled His deity but He never gave it up! He added a human nature without surrendering any of His divine attributes! He is 100% God and 100% man. He is the God -man. When I first became a Christian I wondered how Jesus could be 100% God and 100% man. It doesn,t add up. You cant be 200%. That is true, unless you are God. He is not limited by time or space, He is not limited to the way we think. Our minds just can’t comprehend all the things of God. If we could comprehend everything about God he wouldn’t be God!
by taking on the form of a servant-
Jesus emptied Himself “into” the for of a servant. Not just a man but a servant a slave. He left His heavenly home, to come to the earth He created not to be served but to serve.
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
God put on human flesh during His earthy ministry to save people from their sins. I read that Jesus washed the disciples feet which He created with the water He created to live the example He wants us, His children to live.
being born in the likeness of men-
Jesus is truly human. Likeness here means more than similarity. Jesus had to be completely human in order to die. And He had to die if He was going to atone for our sins. There is one big difference though between our humanity and Jesus’. Jesus never sinned. He was the perfect lamb, the unblemished sacrifice. Jesus lived a perfect human life.
being in human form-
Jesus really was a man. There was nothing fake or artificial about Him. He was flesh and bones just like us. He could be hungry, tired, sorrowful, angry (although His is a righteous anger) and every emotion that we have. Only He did not sin. His complete human nature and His complete divine nature united together.
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Nobody humbled Jesus, He humbled Himself. Not only did He humble Himself but He displayed
His obedience to the Fathers will by being obedient even to the point of death. We must recognise that being obedient to the Fathers will is more significant for the One who is equal to the Father than for anyone else. Not only did Jesus be obedient to the point of death, but death on a cross! Being crucified was the most despicable death you could die. Last week we talked about some of the benefits of being a Roman citizen. One of those benefits was you couldn’t be crucified. Lets not forget that before Jesus was obedient to the point of death He was obedient to the point of torture and ridicule. They beat Him beyond recognition. They spit on Him, they put a crown of thorns on Him and mocked him. After all that He still was obedient to the father and carried His own cross up that hill to then be crucified. I have heard it said and I’m sure you have to, that is wasn’t the nails that held Jesus to the cross but it was His love for us that held Him up there. Folks He did that for you, He did that for me, He did that for anyone who will call upon His name and ask Him for forgiveness of there sins. There is not a bigger display of humility than Jesus leaving the comfort of heaven to come down to His creation to die the worst kind of death for the ones He created. Thanks be to God it doesn’t end there!!
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
This verse starts out by showing the results of Jesus’ humility. As a result of Jesus’ work, His obedience the Father highly exalted Him. Highly exalted here means to super-elevate. No one else is exalted like this. Jesus is in a class all by Himself. He was back in glory with the Father where He was before the world even existed. He is seated at the right hand of the Father where we will sing Him praises forever in eternity.
the name that is above every name,
The specific name is not specified here, but most scholars believe it refers to the name Yahweh. Gods personal name. Jesus has the same exalted lordship as the Father. Someone said- He went all the way down to the cross and all the up as king of all!
Paul says this about Christ in Ephesians.
eph
far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
heb
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
Isn’t it amazing that we can know Jesus personally. Jesus who is above all things chooses us to love. Scripture says we love Him because He loved us first! The creator of the world and everything in it wants a personal loving relationship with each and everyone of us. He is not some distant deity just watching the world go round. He lives in us. There is no God like our God. When I think about that I start to think about the God that parted the Red sea, the God who reigned down fire for Elijah when he was with the prophets of Bale, or the God Noah, the God that calmed the sea, the God that turned water into wine, the God that walked on water! That is the God we serve and He loves us more than anyone else ever could!
so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
We worship the very name of Jesus. There is no name that carries the power that the name of Jesus has. We pray in Jesus’ name. There is power in Jesus’ name. We know that regardless if someone believes in Christ or not in this lifetime, they will for sure in the next. Those of us that are believers in Christ bow our knees and confess He is Lord out of our love and admiration for Him. But those of us that don’t know Him in this lifetime will bow their knee and confess He is Lord on their way to hell for eternity. That alone should make us want to tell everyone about Him. Jesus’ life, death, Resurrection, ascension, and exaltation bring glory to the Father. There is no rivalry in the Godhead, only delight and honor. Jesus Christ is the perfect example for us to follow. I pray that it is our goal to follow it.
The Test of a Truly Great Man
The Test of a Truly Great Man
It was John Riskin who said, “I believe the first test of a truly great man is his humility. I do not mean by humility, doubt of his own power, or hesitation in speaking his opinion. But really great men have a ... feeling that the greatness is not in them but through them; that they could not do or be anything else than God made them.” Andrew Murray said, “The humble man feels no jealousy or envy. He can praise God when others are preferred and blessed before him. He can bear to hear others praised while he is forgotten because ... he has received the spirit of Jesus, who pleased not Himself, and who sought not His own honor. Therefore, in putting on the Lord Jesus Christ he has put on the heart of compassion, kindness, meekness, longsuffering, and humility.”
M. R. De Haan used to say, “Humility is something we should constantly pray for, yet never thank God that we have.”
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