The Mind of Christ (1): In Paul

The Mind of Christ (1): In Paul (Phil. 2:16-18) August 19, 2018 Read Phil 2:14-18: A quick review of Phil 2. Paul begins by urging unity through humility -- 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” ­­ Tough assignment. Then he gives the ultimate example – Jesus’ incarnation – the process by which God became man and humbled Himself to the point of a voluntary, sacrificial death to buy our redemption. So, v. 5 “Have the mind of Christ.” In light of Jesus’ sacrifice, he urges us to work out the salvation provided by Christ by living an exemplary life – obeying the prompting of the HS to will and to work His good pleasure – not my own, but His. Included in that, no grumbling or complaining! Not consistent with the example of Christ. So the question is, now that we know it – are we doing it? Growing? Confessing when we fail? Getting up and moving forward? But we might say, “But I can never measure up to Jesus. Don’t ask me that.” So, Paul says “Okay – here are 3 human examples,” -- himself, Timothy and Epaphroditus. Examples are helpful, right? Like Conan O’Brien once said, “I just taught my kids about taxes by eating 38% of their ice cream.” Made an impression, I’m sure. That’s Paul’s aim here – instruction by example! Paul knows he will soon report to Jesus. His earthly life will be scrutinized by the Lord – not to determine his salvation. That issue was settled long ago. But to determine his reward – his ability to enjoy the glory of Christ in heaven. II Cor 5:10: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” Paul doesn’t want to be embarrassed before His Savior. So, he’s holding the Philippians accountable! He wants them 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” This may sound a bit ego-centric – like Paul is only concerned about himself. But as we will see this is not the case at all. It is primarily for their sake that he wants to be sure he has not run in vain. So, by instruction and example, Paul’s life shows unity through humility. He’s working out his salvation as a wonderful example to them and us. I. Paul Exemplified and Encouraged Steadfastness 16 holding fast to the word of life.” What’s the word of life? It is the gospel – the message of eternal life in Christ. We all want immortality. But Rom 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death.” We want to live forever, but we know death lurks just around the corner, and we are powerless to stop it. As Russell Moore says, “There’s a cemetery plot out there somewhere waiting for your corpse. One day, no matter who you are, you will be quite dead. And in 100 years, chances are no one will remember your name – including the people carrying your genes in their bloodstreams. . . . The universe is trying to kill you. And soon, it will..” The best and brightest all die in the end. So is there an answer? Yes. Jesus overcame death. He was executed, but He rose again, proving His claim to be “the resurrection and the life” (Jn 11:25). And He died for our sins, so by faith we can share in His resurrection. Jn 11:25-26: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” Note the contradiction – “though he die, yet shall he live.” How? In Christ. That’s the good news – Jesus died our death so we can share His life – not 100-year life or 1,000-year life, but eternal life – a gift received by faith. That’s the “word of life” the Philippians were to hold fast – by faith. But what does “hold fast” mean? “Holding fast” means to “pay attention to”, “stay” – as in Acts 19:22, Paul “stayed in Asia for awhile.” Paul is saying, “I want you to camp out on the gospel – stay with it – hold fast to it – keep it at the forefront of your mind – live it out.” Having accepted the gift of eternal life, it is easy to get distracted by other things again. Pleasures beckon, some of which are not consistent with the character of Christ, others of which want top priority! Ambition beckons which claiming Christ might thwart! And in this case, persecution might cause some to reconsider – to fall away – demonstrating their faith had not been real in the first place. So Paul urges “hold fast.” And he not only instructed it, he exemplified it. There he sat in prison in Rome. He might have given way to discouragement. He might have wondered how God could allow this when he had been so faithful and so successful. He might have thrown in the towel. But he was holding fast – continuing to share Christ with whomever he could – even if it was just the next guard who came to be chained to him for his 8-hour shift. Yet he never lost his joy. Why? He was holding fast not to this life, but to the eternal life that he knew was coming. Even the threat of death could not discourage him. “Holding fast the word of life.” He was steadfast. It’s the same thing he urged when he was out of jail in I Cor 15:58: “Therefore [bc of the resurrection he’s been talking about for 57 wonderful verses, Therefore,] my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” In jail or out – good circumstances or awful – outward success or failure – didn’t matter to Paul. He exemplified and encouraged steadfastness. So are we holding fast the word of life? Are we working out our own salvation by clinging to it? Steadfast. Unmovable! An Aesop’s fable tells of a man lost in the woods who is found by a satyr who agrees to lodge him for the night and guide him out. In the cool night, the man blows on his hands. The satyr asks why. The man says, “My hands are cold and my breath warms them.” Arriving at the satyr’s den, he places a smoking dish of stew before the man who begins to blow on it. The satyr asks, “Why are you doing that?” The man explains, “The stew is too hot; my breath will cool it.” With that the satyr grabs the stew, points to the door and says, “Out you go. I’ll have nothing to do with a man who can blow hot and cold with the same breath.” So is that us. Do our actions and our words change depending on who we’re around? Are we holding fast the word of truth regardless of the cost, or do we fit our actions to our audience? If so, perhaps we don’t have any salvation to work out – for the actions of faith are consistent with the claims of faith. As Jesus was “obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (2:8), so must we follow His example, thus demonstrating we value the life to come over life now. “Be steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” It may not be easy, but it is worth it, and as Paul shows, it brings great joy under any circumstances. Steadfast. II. Paul Exemplified and Encouraged Selflessness Everybody wants to be somebody, right? We all want to be matter. It’s natural. What’s also natural is self-promotion to make that happen – seeking recognition, putting ourselves forward. To be somebody. Well, guess what? Paul wanted to be somebody, too. Now he had long ago given up caring about being somebody in this life. But he wanted recognition in the life to come. It’s right there. He wanted the Philippians to be 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ [the day of his evaluation before Jesus] I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” So, is Paul only concerned about Paul, wanting the Philippians to hold fast so he looks good? Looking at Paul’s life as a whole we know that can’t be the case. He is not just using them to make himself look good. But their faithfulness will in some sense reveal whether his labor has been in vain or not. And the very next verse qualifies what he means. 17) Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith.” Notice first that the primary emphasis here is on the “sacrificial offering of your [the Philippians’] faith.” There is the primary sacrifice of service. What is it? Some suggest that it is the gift of money they sent to Paul, and that is clearly part of it for they sent money they could not afford to send. But the sacrificial offering of their faith went deeper even than that for the Philippians. Paul instructed in Rom 12:1-2: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” In other words, as God has been merciful to you by dying in your place, you need to give back to Him by discerning and doing the good and acceptable will of God. To live God’s way instead of the world’s way. Present your bodies to Him for His use, not yours. But for the Philippians that instruction had deeper meaning. Paul had been beaten in Philippi, jailed and finally asked to leave town. But these believers were left behind to face the same hostile persecution that Paul had for the sake of Christ. They had enemies. We know that because Paul encourages them in 1:28a: “and not frightened in anything by your opponents.” Rather, he wants them to be “16 holding fast to the word of life”. That is their sacrifice of service – to be true to Christ regardless of the cost. And then Paul says, “On top of the primary thing – your sacrifice of service – your faithfulness sending to my needs and holding fast in the face of persecution – I am glad ‘to be poured out as a drink offering.’” A drink offering was a sort of add-on to the burnt or meal offerings – a little wine or oil poured out over the main offering of a bull or goat as an act of thanksgiving and commitment. The drink offering would quickly go up in steam and disappear. So Paul’s point is, “I’m glad to add my little sacrifice to your greater one as together we bring glory to Jesus Christ.” If their offering was their faith in action amidst their trials, what was Paul’s drink offering? Some have thought since he faced possible death that he meant he was more than willing to have that happen to encourage their faithfulness. And that certainly would have been true. But it is not the intent of this verse. Paul uses a present tense here. It could literally read: “17 Even if I am [being] poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all.” His reference is to his own trials in jail in Rome where he is facing jealousy from Roman Xns and prevention of his missionary work. But in an attitude of great humility he is saying, “I am so glad to add my little sacrifice from jail here in Rome to your greater sacrifice of faithful service in Philippi. It will show on the day of Christ that I did not labor in vain and neither are you.” But Paul sees their sacrifice as being much greater than his. He is exemplifying and encouraging a selfless humility that is at the heart of any believer working out their own salvation. The conductor of some symphony was once asked, “What is the most difficult instrument to play?” Oboe? Cello with spread legs? Know what he said? “Second violin. I can find plenty of first violinists, but to find someone who can play second violin with enthusiasm – that is a problem. But if we have no second violin, we have no harmony.” Paul could easily play second fiddle. Can we do that? Someone wrote once, “It take more grace than I can tell / To play the second fiddle well.” How we need some people who will take that challenge. III. Paul Exemplified and Encouraged Serenity 17c) I am glad and rejoice with you all. 18) Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me. Four times in a verse and a half Paul speaks of rejoicing. He did so they should. In fact, it’s a command. “Rejoice” is just an intensified form of “glad” (χαιρω and συγχαιρω). I rejoice on my own and I rejoice with you – so you ought to rejoice on your own and rejoice with me. Paul is driving home a point. Despite the hardship and persecution that Xn living brings – despite how difficult it may be to work out your own salvation – remember, it is God working in us to will and to do of His good pleasure. We’re into something bigger than ourselves here. We got a three-way bond in the fellowship of the gospel – you, me and God. This is extreme reality. What is hard now will soon look easy and wise. II Cor 4:17: “ For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” So, let the rejoicing begin. That’s Paul’s mantra. He encouraged and exemplified serenity. Circumstances didn’t matter because God does matter. Paul could say and mean in Phil 4:11b for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Put me in jail or put me in Caesar’s palace. I don’t care – so long as Jesus is lifted up. That’s a life of serenity. Is that your life? Listen, that doesn’t mean we’re going to get out the party hats and balloons every day, right? Life is hard. God knows that. Pain, suffering, disappointment and doubt weigh us down at times. But Paul’s point is that beneath it all is the certainty that God reigns – that salvation is real because Jesus is real – and in light of eternity, the troubles of this life will be seen as temporary and small. The big questions are settled. So be glad. Rejoice. What’s the opposite of rejoice? Worry, fear, anxiety. Frances Chan is very perceptive when he says, “When I am consumed by my problems – stressed out by my life, my family, and my job – I actually convey the belief that I think the circumstances are more important than God’s command to always rejoice. In other words, that I have a ‘right’ to disobey God because of the magnitude of my responsibilities.” Ever think of it that way? Worry reeks of arrogance – my problems are so big – they are bigger than God. Well, they are not, but our lack of faith may be. We forget life is short. We are headed for a place where we will never be lonely, afraid or hurt again. So, Paul urges – rejoice. Quit looking at the circumstances, look at God and rejoice. Conc – So what do we learn from Paul’s example? We learn steadfastness, selflessness and serenity. Steadfast, selfless, serene. The English writer, Evelyn Underhill once suggested that a Xn should be like a sheep dog. When the shepherd wants him to do something, he lies at his feet, looks intently into the shepherd’s eyes, listens without budging, straining to understand the mind of his master. Then he jumps to his feet and runs to obey. And the most important thing of all – at no point does the dog stop wagging its tail. Steadfast, selfless, serene. God help that to be us. Let’s pray.