Working Out What God Has Worked In

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Introduction

Seeing clearly is imperative to follow Jesus well toward Christian maturity. But, different from physical eyesight, spiritual sight requires that everyone wear gospel lenses which enable us to:

Seeing clearly is imperative to follow Jesus well toward Christian maturity. But, different from physical eyesight, spiritual sight requires that everyone wear gospel lenses which enable us to:

see the Lord in all His brilliant detail

see ourselves with clarity that the Holy Spirit brings through the Word of God, so we can and gain for the first time, or regain, a perspective that is heavenly, or not of this world, to press on, straining toward what lies ahead for us in heaven.

Today we’re in our third week learning from the Apostle’s letter to the Philippians (and remember they’re a church). So far we’ve seen that:

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Week One

Our identity and union with Christ helps us know who we are, brings thanksgiving rooted in God's faithfulness, and motivates us to pray for and work toward increasing and maturing love for God and his glory; and

Our identity and union with Christ helps us know who we are, brings thanksgiving rooted in God's faithfulness, and motivates us to pray for and work toward increasing and maturing love for God and his glory; and

Week Two

Followers of Christ find their greatest joy through self-sacrificing, Christ-centered ministry. In fact, Paul wanted to much to go home and be with the Lord in heaven, but he knew that the Lord had work for him here still. This is the section of Scripture where we see the oft-quoted, “for to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain, I f I am to live on in the flesh it means fruitful labor for me.” This is why he found great joy — because it meant:

Fruitful labor for Paul as he

Working for their progress and joy in the faith

Week Three

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Today we’re in , and the Apostle Paul drives straight at the heart of the church in Philippi. He’s not messing around, he’s not wasting time. He brings a true, clear life-perspective to them. You ever had that happen? Experienced something in life that, all of a sudden, makes everything crystal clear?

You ever been out in the woods, maybe even camping, and seen different kinds of wildlife that you know you’ll never catch but it’s cute so you go after it. You tell your kids to chase squirrels, bunnies, even deer all - day - long because you know that they’ll never catch em.

But what if they were chasing these animals and then, about 50-feet in the distance, you saw a bear - or a bear with her cub?! Alright kids, time to pack up. Stop chasing the animals because the animals are about to be chasing you!

It’s the kind of reality that brings instant fear. Now, you know that if you keep your distance you’re likely to be alright. Don’t startle. Don’t move closer. Just let that bear go about its business and everything will be just fine. But you’re also going to keep one eye on that bear constantly, with your hand in your pocket ready to open your car door and run to safety.

It’s the kind of reality that brings instant fear. Now, you know that if you keep your distance you’re likely to be alright. Don’t startle. Don’t move closer. Just let that bear go about its business and everything will be just fine.

In the right environment, you have massive fear that comes from respect for what kind of animal it is. All-of-a-sudden the life brimming with confidence at “ruling” over this wildlife is diminished by the animal that now rules your decision-making and priorities.

With what we read today, we realize that all-of-a-sudden the Philippian Church is remembering how God flung open Paul’s prison doors, and how Paul delivered a slave girl from her oppressive spirit, and saved a business woman from her life of sin.

Paul is focusing their attention on the reality that the gospel works powerfully, joins us together and brings us

Paul is focusing their attention on the reality that the gospel works powerfully, joins us together and brings us together for powerful ministry where the weak are made strong, and diverging personalities are forged together to create a body stronger than any other organization in the world. The body of Christ is formed, and is a living organism moving about by the power of the Holy Spirit at work in each of our hearts.

And this working of God in our lives comes with a significant responsibility:

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Working Out What God Has Worked In

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Philippians 2:1–11 ESV

1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:1–4 ESV

1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Philippians 2:1-11

Philippians 2:1-

Joy rooted in shared life produced by the gospel (1-4)

Joy rooted in shared life produced by the gospel (1-4)

Do you remember?

Do you remember when sin had full control over your life? (Yes.)

Do you remember when you were full of friends and felt so alone? (Yes.)

Do you remember that you realized that one day you’d have to answer to someone - you may have called him a “higher power” but now you know that He’s God - the only God who would send his own son, the Lord Jesus Christ, take answer for your sin for you? (Yes.)

Do you remember that you found deep friendship, kinship, with people who shared a similar desire to help others know this love? (Yes.)

Of course you do. Because that’s an experience that you don’t forget: or at least not for too long, and only when you try to go-it-alone.

Experiencing the benefits of the gospel (1)

Maximize Our Joy

Paul: “Is there any encouragement in Christ?” The Philippians: “Yes.”

Paul: “Is there any comfort from love?” The Philippians: “Yes.”

Paul: “Is there any participation in the Spirit?” The Philippians: “Yes.”

Experiencing the benefits of the gospel

Paul: “Is there any affection?” The Philippians: “Yes.”

Paul: “Is there any sympathy?” The Philippians: “Yes.”

Pursuing Unity in Serving Others

Paul uses this series of “ifs,” to focus the church at Philippi on his one big idea. In other words, these are rhetorical questions, intended to draw the church’s attention to things he knew to be true of them, aspects of their fellowship with the Lord and one another they were experiencing.

It would be as if I sat down to have a talk with my sons about serving their mom and I began with a series of questions they knew the answer to. I would ask them anyway to focus their attention.

Have you experienced massive benefits in the way you mom cares for you? (Oh, yeah)

Do you love your mom more than you can say? (Of course we do.)

Then, make me the happiest dad and let’s serve your mom today (and then I begin to lay out the specifics of how).

They’re going to agree. And they’re going to serve her well that day.

They’re going to agree.

Paul: “Is there any encouragement in Christ?” The Philippians: “Yes.”

The Philippians: “Yes.”

Paul: “Is there any comfort from love?” The Philippians: “Yes.”

The Philippians: “Yes.”

Paul: “Is there any participation in the Spirit?” The Philippians: “Yes.”

Paul: “Is there any participation in the Spirit?”

The Philippians: “Yes.”

Paul: “Is there any affection?” The Philippians: “Yes.”

Paul: “Is there any affection?”

The Philippians: “Yes.”

Paul: “Is there any sympathy?” The Philippians: “Yes.”

Paul: “Is there any sympathy?”

The Philippians: “Yes.”

Paul is focusing their attention on the reality that the gospel joins us together and brings

Paul is focusing their attention on the reality that the gospel works powerfully, joins us together and brings us

Joy rooted in shared life produced by the gospel (1-4)

Do you remember? Do you remember when sin had full control over your life? (Yes.)

Pursuing Unity By Living with the Mind of Christ (2-4)

Six different ways a Christian mind should be expressed:

having the same love

being in full accord

being of one mind

doing nothing from selfish ambition or conceit

counting others more significant than yourselves, and

looking not only to one’s own interests but also to the interests of others.

Thinking God’s thoughts after Him.

This others-focused life is a gospel mindset. Listen, there are a lot of organizations around the world that do wonderful acts of service: they bring clean water to those who need it; they serve the poor; they counsel those who are hurting and confused in life.

But Paul calls the Philippians, and us, to something bigger. For the Christian, others-focused living has a greater goal - making much of God. When we serve together during Faith in Action, breaks are mandatory and if possible we break with homeowners, or those we’re serving. Why? Because our greater goal is deepening relationships of our church family, and initiating conversation with property owners that helps us communicate that we care about more than their house - we’re interested in the well-being of their soul!

In vv 1-4 Paul calls them to be in full accord (agreement) and of one mind. And now in v5 he says, it is yours in Jesus.

And now in v5 he says, it is yours in Jesus.

Philippians 2:5-11

Philippians 2:5–11 ESV

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Like-Minded Thinking in Christ

20/20 Vision: Seeing Clearly to Press On

Seeing clearly is imperative to follow Jesus well toward Christian maturity. But, different from physical eyesight, spiritual sight requires that everyone wear gospel lenses which enable us to:

see the Lord in all His brilliant detail

see ourselves with clarity that the Holy Spirit brings through the Word of God, so we can and gain for the first time, or regain, a perspective that is heavenly, or not of this world, to press on, straining toward what lies ahead for us in heaven.

Exhortation: Gospel Thinking (2:1–4)

a. Shared Gospel Blessings (2:1)

b. The Call for a Shared Gospel Thinking (2:2ab)

c. Specific Gospel Dos and Don’ts (2:2c–4)

Gospel Working (2:12–18)

Example: Christ (2:5–11)

II.B.3. Example: Christ (2:5–11)

a. The Call: Have the Mind of Christ (2:5)

b. The Example: Christ Made Himself Low (2:6–8)

c. The Response: God Raised Him High (2:9–11)

Exhortation: Gospel Working (2:12–18)

The Command: Work Out Your Salvation (2:12)

The Ground: God Is Working His Good Pleasure in You (2:13)

The Application: God’s Children Shine (2:14–18)

Benjamin L. Merkle et al., Ephesians–Philemon, ed. Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, vol. XI, ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018), 158.

Benjamin L. Merkle et al., Ephesians–Philemon, ed. Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, vol. XI, ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018), 152.

Benjamin L. Merkle et al., Ephesians–Philemon, ed. Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, vol. XI, ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018), 148.