Paul and the Jailhouse Ministry - Pt 3
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning everyone! I hope you are well and blessed today, so good to see you all in God’s house today.
I hope you’ve had a good week, I hope you’ve had opportunities to let others see Jesus in you this week.
Let me ask you a question, have you been reading through the book of Philippians?
I ask you that, because its a great way to prepare your heart is to be reading through this book as we walk through it in our Worship times. And it can benefit our personal devotion times as well.
Now just looking backward a bit we remember where Paul is, he is in Rome, He is under house arrest. He has appealed to Rome for the charges brought against him....
So there he is reaches out and teaches those under His care, He writes and ministers as best he can and is faithful to the Lord in all things.
And so we spent the last two weeks looking at chapter 1.
Today, we move into chapter 2.
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.
Paul and the people at Philippi have a special relationship. In face, they are the only church that has ministered to him during His time under house arrest. Why no one else, we are uncertain at this time, but they shared a special bond.
Paul is reaching out to them, and by example us as well … and as we walk though these 11 verses, I want to take the time to break all that Paul says down for us to examine.
So lets begin.. with these 3 topics or points this morning...
1. Let your Faith Live Among Each Other 2. Be like Christ
3. Give God the glory
Let’s begin.....
1. Let your Faith Live Among Each Other ...
1. Let your Faith Live Among Each Other ...
My friends as the church we can never allow self to selfish ways to stand in the way of the body of Christ.
We are called to work in harmony with each other for a common goal or good in mind. The greatest of which is that the gospel is preached and lives are changed.
As we open of the text of chapter 2, Paul is making an appeal to the church at Philippi, and that appeal calls for them to remember who they are to each other, and in Christ... and outwardly live by faith.
Remember He has already been talking about the outside forces that push against the body and the work they do.. now Paul changes direction and speaks to the body and the internal forces that can make or break the church.
And listen to what Paul says in verse 1…
1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,
Paul emphasizes 4 statements… what do they mean?
A. If there is any encouragement in Christ.... that is if you take comfort in knowing and walking with Christ..... if you are committed to Jesus Christ.
B. Any comfort from love.... If you take comfort in His love for you… Without a doubt Paul is reminding them of the love they experienced as they made Him Lord and Savior.
C. Any Participation in the Spirit… Without a doubt Paul is speaking about God’s Holy Spirit, and with it the participation speaks of a saved persons fellowship but also the leadership of the Spirit in their life.
D. Any Affection and Sympathy… Is there mercy evident in you because you have been shown mercy...
So why has Paul asked the believers at Philippi these questions?
Paul knows they are saved, they have walked Christ, but now he is calling on them to reflect inwardly,
You see as the body ages physically, it matures … so in the same way they must mature spiritually as well, and he is essentially asking them a question... Are you progressing in your walk with Christ?
My friends, Paul knew spiritual growth is essential in their walk with God and each other...
So He finishes up this exhortation, if you have these qualities… make my joy complete! Verse 2, look with me at the first part of verse 2..
2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
So reflecting on these things, Paul says make my joy as your teacher, as your elder complete by being unified and living out your faith..
And look at what he says… be of one(unified) or of the same mind.. this phrase is important, the same mind or like minded is used 23 times in Paul’s letters, but 10 times here, he uses that phrase with his letter to the Philippians.
Listen my friends this isn’t some drab saying, it isn’t some intellectual thought process, no!
They were to have their diverse gifts…and they were to use them together for the glory of God...
And then, they were to share the same love… having that agape love, that God driven love for one another.
Consider this, the last phrase, being in full accord and of one mind… love helps produce harmony and harmony helps sustain love… so they are kind of interdependent on one another…
But truly my friends, love helps us to cherish our brothers and sisters and want the absolute best for them in all things..
Now lets tie it all to verses 3-4
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.
Then Paul reminds them to not be conceited, to act in humility.... the lack of humility seeks ones own glory instead of God’s.... and thus they seek that which is empty instead of fulfilling..
True humility seeks the best for others.... As the body of Christ, we are to pursue humility in all that we do, submitting ourselves to Christ for God’s true glory and for the best of the body of Christ.
So with all this in mind, is your faith being lived out for the good of others?
What we say and do (and fail to do) my friends has a great impact on the lives of so many.
We must live for Jesus for ourself and for each other.... Live out your faith
Now lets explore this second thought as we pursue unity, loving one another and serving each other in humility....
2. Be Like Christ....
2. Be Like Christ....
One of the best descriptions of Christ’s humility and mission is seen in verses 5-8 here in Philippians chapter 2
And it is here that Paul places a challenge before the church… one for those at Philippi, and for the church in every point in time, Be like Jesus.
Lets look at verses 5-8
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.
Paul begins there in verse 5, pointing out what is to be the model of our faith. it is simply Jesus!
So as he has gone all through these verses thus far, he is calling on the church members to reflect… compare your life to Christ...
Now I realize we might think, well preacher that’s unfair, we cannot be like Christ. We cannot be the same as Jesus.... But I would challenge you to rethink that.. we can be like Christ. Not that we are going to be God or anything thing of the sort.
But we can take His ways, deeds, and actions and replicate them. We can love with a Christ like love, we can act in a Christ like way and so forth..
So Paul kicks it off in verse 5
“Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” So the call is to reflect, think about your life, and ask the question… am I living it for God or for self.
We my friends are united in Christ at the moment of our salvation, thus, we are then called to be like Him in how we live.
Are we loving, are we in unity and are we caring for others in all things? Christ did and we are called to as well.
Now Paul gives us a better description of the issue by looking completely at Christ and the example He left.
Verse 6, Paul says...
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
Before the incarnation, before Christ came into flesh into this world, He was in the form of God. Listen to these 3 verses from the Gospel of John
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
and
5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.
And
24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
So being in the form of God, enjoying all that He already, listen to Hebrews 1:3
3 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,
Being the image and form of God was not something He had to hold onto to use for His own gain or wishes, He was God and He would remain God, even wearing this veil of flesh. He simply laid aside His place to take the Father’s will upon himself.
Verses 7 and 8 complete Paul’s thought...
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.
This phrase emptied himself has caused a lot of controversy among theologian throughout time. So what is Paul saying here?
He is not saying that Christ laid aside who he was, that he became less than God or anything of the like.
Paul is simply saying that Christ stepped out of His magnificent role as King of the Universe, and became a Jewish Baby who would grow until adulthood that He mind submit Himself to death.
And that death being the substitutionary atonement for the sins of the world.
3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”
Focus:
My friends if Jesus can submit himself to the Fathers will, a will that would be hunger and thirst, hardship and sorrow … and even death.
Why can’t we surrender ourselves for His glory and for the good of the body?
There is a great picture...
Jesus did so much for us… will we not return it?
Now just one last thought as we conclude this message...
In all things, give God the glory
3. Give Jesus the Glory....
3. Give Jesus the Glory....
My friends, we can never allow ourselves to fail in giving God the glory for all He has done in our lives
In these last two verses, Paul is commending the church at Philippi to remember the same.. for if God has given the glory to the Son..
Look with me at verses 9-11
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.
Paul begins with that word, Therefore… because of what Christ did, because Jesus was obedient, followed the will of the Father in becoming the sacrifice for sin… and redeeming the whole world unto himself...
As such we see two things happening, two actions of God the Father in His delight of the Son
A. God has highly exalted Him
B. God has Given Him a name that is above every name...
So lets look at this...
First off: A. God has highly exalted Him God has exalted him to the highest place… It literally has a meaning of super exalted, more so than ever before if you will.
From the lowliness of the death on the cross, He has ben exalted to the highest place, his glory, His seat all that He once had was been restored.
He is there at the right hand of the Father, having defeated death, hell and the grave....
Secondly: B. God has Given Him a name that is above every name...
Jesus acted in humility, being the Son of man, he came to seek and to save that which was lost. Now the Son has received glory and honor for who He is and what He accomplished.
A name which is above every name refers to the title of Lord.
Do you remember when Peter preached at Pentecost, there before the 3000...
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Listen to Paul in Eph 1:20-23
20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 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. 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Since Jesus is both Lord and King, He is to be the object of our worship. But not only us, I believe that not only will every person who enters the Kingdom of God will fall at His feet, I believe that all the dead will as well one day… no matter if saved of lost, they will have to acknowledge Jesus Christ as the glorious Lord
So they will submit to His Lordship, but secondly they will allow confess who He is..
every tongue and every knee falls back to all...
Honoring Jesus in this way fulfills God’s plan… Why do I know this? The end of verse 11 says all this is to the glory of God the Father...
Oh my freinds even before the day we stand in front of Him personally, we shoudl learn to participate with others in the joy of thanking God and giving him praise for all he does in us..
Giving Jesus and the Holy Spirit praise for all they do in and through us.
Listen, aren’t you thankful God has chosen to not only save you but to use you?
I am
So this morning…
I would encourage you to trust in Him.
Are you full of self today, let it fall away and make yourself full of Him today.
lets pray together