Intent on One Purpose - Philippians 2:1-4

We live in a world riddled with strife – political strife, racial strife, family strife, and even religious strife. I don’t remember any season in my lifetime where there was as much strife as now. We hear politicians call for unity, but a closer look reveals that real unity is not what they are after. We aren’t surprised when spiritually lost people are embattled in strife, but it becomes disconcerting when it happens among those who profess to follow Jesus.

This week the new congressional session opened, and as you may have heard, the man concluded his rote prayer with the familiar, Amen, and then added Awomen. The firestorm of reaction this sparked was not surprising, but what is troubling is reading the exchanges between Baptist pastors within our own state debate over the root of the problem.

It causes me to wonder if we have somehow lost our bearings; have we lost sight of our purpose? As we begin a new year, it is good for all of us to be reminded of our purpose. With the stresses and strains of life, we can get caught up in the fray and forget about our purpose.

Open your Bibles this morning to the NT book of Philippians chapter 2. The church at Philippi was a church riddled with strife. A desire to silence the strife and bring a spirit of unity is the primary motivation for Paul writing this letter. Here at the early portion of chapter 2, Paul is going to charge them, the same as I want to charge us to do here at the outset of 2021 – be intent on one purpose.

[We are planning as a church to focus on the “1” in 2021. This morning we are going to give our attention to being intent on one purpose. Beginning next week, we’ll be focusing on Who’s Your One. Throughout the remainder of the year we’ll see ONE great truth at a time as we explore God’s Word together.]

{Read Philippians 2:1-4}

These verses are jammed, solid packed. Paul says a lot here, so let’s unpack it a little bit.

· Paul makes four statements in (v. 1) all proceeded by the word “if”

o It would seem that Paul is talking about possibilities, when in reality he speaks of certainties

o The word “if” may be translated “since.” Paul is writing about realities, not questionable things

· What realities is Paul referring to? The blessings of being in a Christian community. Again, he mentions four

o First, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ {encouragement that comes from Christian commitment}

o Second, “if there is any consolation of love,” or “if there is any comfort from His love” {this is affirming Christ’s love for His people}

o Third, “if there is any fellowship of the Spirit”

§ The word “fellowship” is the familiar Greek word koinonia.

§ This is more than a partnership or business relationship. This refers to a common sharing in the Spirit

§ Followers of Jesus share in the Spirit – not we share a piece that makes up the whole, but we all possess and share in the fullness of the Spirit

o Fourth, “if any affection and compassion” or ‘since your lives have been touched by the tenderness of Christ’

§ Every born-again Christian’s life has been touched by the love of Christ

§ (1 John 4:10, Ephesians 2:4)

· In light of these great blessings, we come to the imperative of these verses at the outset of (v. 2) when Paul charges the Philippians to “make my joy complete”

o Paul’s joy would be complete when the Philippians stood together in unity

§ Notice the words Paul uses, all pointing to a unified church – same mind, same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose

§ The key word in the appeal is the Greek word phronēo – it appears 3 times in chapter 2 and 10 times in Philippians

§ Phronēo means to think; to set one’s mind on. It speaks to the intellect, but it goes beyond that

§ It incorporates the will and emotions into a comprehensive outlook which affects the attitude and our values

§ Phronēo is used twice in (v. 2) speaking of the mind of man and once in (v. 5) speaking of the mind of Christ

§ It is translated “being of the same mind” in the first part of (v. 2), and “intent on one purpose” in the latter part

o Paul knew that for there to be unity rather than strife in the body of Christ, followers of Jesus would have to ‘set their minds’ and be “intent on one purpose”

§ Let’s be clear – when Paul calls his friends to be “of the same mind,” he is not asking them to have the same thoughts and feelings about everything

§ They are not called to be ditto marks of each other.

§ Paul is not squelching human creativity nor is he prohibiting personal diversity

§ He is calling his friends to seek the same goal with the same mind

o What is the same goal they were to seek? To set their minds upon?

I. What is the One Purpose We Must be Intent Upon?

A. Very simply, it is Christlikeness. God’s goal for all of us is Christlikeness

1. When the Lord saved you, He put everything necessary for this to happen inside of you

a. To be sure, this is a process that takes time; it doesn’t happen overnight

b. We don’t get saved today and become Christlike by the afternoon

c. But the fact that it is a process should not be an excuse to be casual about it

d. That is why Paul says we are to be “intent” on it; set your mind on it

2. Being a disciple of Jesus means first of all being like Jesus

a. A disciple seeks to imitate whoever it is they follow

b. The most common command that Jesus gave to people was to “Follow Me”

c. He didn’t say, ‘Come and be religious.’

d. He didn’t say, ‘Come and learn how to answer questions about life.’

e. He didn’t say, ‘Come and be good people.’

f. He said, “Follow Me.”

B. In his last sermon in 2007, John Stott, one of great Christian thinkers, writers, and preachers of the modern age said, after all his biblical interpretation and explanation he said:

1. “I want to share with you where my mind has come to rest as I approach the end of my pilgrimage on earth and it is – God wants His people to become like Christ. Christ-likeness is the will of God for the people of God.”

2. You’ve probably known some very good people over the years. Some you might even call ‘saintly’ people

a. But is there a difference between being good and being Christ-like? I would say, yes

b. There are many people [church-going people] who want to be good, but who aren’t all too interested in being Christ-like

c. Too often people say, ‘I’m a good person. I’m a Christian person,’ and they may be good, but if they are not interested in following Jesus and learning about Him to become more like Him, they’ve missed what it means to be a Christian and the one purpose for which they should live for

C. The one purpose we should be intent upon as a Christian is to be Christ-like

II. How should we be Christ Like?

A. We should be like Christ in His service

1. Jesus lived a life of service to others

a. Jesus said in (Mark 10:45), “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

b. Throughout the Gospel accounts we see Jesus living a life of service

c. Perhaps nowhere more vividly than in (John 13) when He laid aside His outer garments, tied a towel around His waist, poured water in a basin, and washed the disciple’s feet

d. Jesus took the place of the lowest servant as an example to His followers, and told them as He finished, that they should do as He had done to them

2. While some have taken Jesus’s words to mean that we are to wash one another’s feet, Jesus was making a broader point

3. Just as Jesus performed in His culture what was the work of a slave, so we in our cultures must regard no task too menial or degrading to undertake for each other

B. We should be like Christ in His love

1. We are commanded in (Ephesians 5:2) to “walk in love, just as Christ also loved you”

a. The instruction is that all our behavior should be characterized by love

b. Love here is not an emotional thing. The Bible doesn’t tell us to ‘feel love,’ but to “walk in love”

c. Too often we allow our feelings to dictate our actions – [we do what we feel like and don’t do what we don’t feel like]

d. The Bible turns that order around. Here is what I’ve found – when you do what the Bible says the feelings will follow

e. [In other words, when you love as the Bible says we are to love, it is amazing how feelings of love begin to grow. When you serve others, it is amazing how a desire to serve grows within you]

2. We should be like Christ in His love expressed by our actions

C. We should be like Christ in His patient endurance

1. When you study the Gospels, you find Jesus serving; you find Him loving; you find Him giving; and you also find Him suffering

a. The suffering begins mostly with verbal persecution questioning His identity and attributing His power to demons

b. However, as the Gospels proceed the persecution and suffering is ratcheted up, culminating in His passion

2. None of Jesus’s suffering was just; it was all unjust

a. Some of our suffering is just, but much of it as a follower of Jesus is and will be unjust

b. This call to Christlikeness in suffering unjustly will likely become increasingly relevant as persecution increases in our culture and in other cultures in the world

c. [It is increasingly important for every Christian to have a biblical theology for suffering]

d. [Jesus’s suffering didn’t distract Him from His mission]

D. We should be like Christ in His mission

1. We just finished up celebrating Christmas, and God sending His Son, Jesus, into the world

a. In (John 20:21) Jesus says to His followers, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

b. In (John 17:18) as Jesus prays to the Father He says, “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world”

c. This is not just the Johannine version of the Great Commission, but also instruction that their mission in the world was to resemble Christ’s mission

d. What was His mission? (Luke 19:10)

2. How did Jesus seek and save the lost?

a. He entered our world. With loving sympathy He listened to the doubts of the doubters, the questions of the questioners, and the confusion of those who’d lost the way

b. Like Christ, we will have to listen and respond with loving compassion to the doubts, the questions, and even objections to Christianity

c. Perhaps the most important part of sharing in Christ’s mission to seek and to save the lost is that our lives look like the Christ we are proclaiming

d. This brings us full-circle; back to our main point.

e. In 2021, we must be intent on one purpose – to be like Christ

E. To be like Christ you must first of all know Him as your Lord and Savior? Do you know Him?

1. God’s purpose in saving us is to make us like Christ. Are you becoming more like Christ?

2. Christian, will you set your mind on one purpose this year – becoming more like Christ

FBC Tahlequah

Sunday morning

January 10, 2021

Bibliography

Fee, Gordon D. Philippians. Vol. 11. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series. Westmont, IL: IVP Academic, 1999.

Hansen, G. Walter. The Letter to the Philippians. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009.

Martin, Ralph P. Philippians: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 11. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987.

Melick, Richard R. Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. Vol. 32. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991.

O’Brien, Peter Thomas. The Epistle to the Philippians: A Commentary on the Greek Text. New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1991.

Walvoord, John F., and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.

Wiersbe, Warren W. The Bible Exposition Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/scotty-smith/dr-john-stott-the-model-becoming-more-like-christ-sermon-delivered-at-the-keswick-convention-july-17th-2007/

https://www.ligonier.org/blog/grace-fueled-obedience-absolutely-necessary-christlikeness/

http://stlaurencescalby.org.uk/growingsermons/sermon-growing-in-christlikeness/