Apprenticeship: Fellowship

Introduction:

Story around Jesus (before passover, knew time had come, washed their feet, commands them to do the same when he is gone…you could feel the tension in the room - ‘my children I will be with you only a little longer’)- “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” - John 13:34. Right at the heart of the Christian movement is the command that we, as Christ followers, are to love one another in such a way that we will stand out in the world.

This morning we are continuing with our series around the Shema, which states that we are to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, mind, strength, our neighbours and one another. Because its Camp Home weekend, we are dealing with ‘One Another’ today instead of loving God with all our strength, which we will get to next week. And our specified theme under the command to love one another is: Fellowship. (Invite them to open their own bibles).

In week 1 of the series we heard that one of the consequences of being filled with the Spirit is worship in the form of mutual submission. Where we live together in humility towards one another. This shows how God feels about our conduct towards one another. It is so important to him that we walk together in submission to each other that his Spirit inspires us to do so. Paul says a similar thing in Philippians 2:1-11 (our text for the week), that if we are united with Christ and walk in fellowship with the Spirit, then we should walk together humbly as Christians…being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose and in consideration of the needs/interests of each other.

Text: Philippians 2:1-11

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Commentary:

Philippi was a cosmopolitan city (I suppose similar to Vancouver). The composition of the church reflected great diversity, with people from a variety of backgrounds and walks of life. Acts 16 gives us some indication of the diverse makeup of this church. The church included Lydia, a Jewish convert from Asia and a wealthy businesswoman; the slave girl that got delivered, probably a native Greek; and the jailor serving his colony of the empire, probably a Roman. With so many different backgrounds among the members, unity must have been difficult to maintain. Although there is no evidence of division in the church (in fact in the previous chapter, he told them he prays that their love might “abound more and more.” Love, therefore, is not lacking in this community. The issue is the danger of it being eroded by friction or conflict), its unity had to be safeguarded.

Let’s be honest, many times where there is diversity, unity is threatened. In my limited experience Vancouver is the most culturally diverse place I have ever lived in…and so is this church.

NT Wright: “There’s an old Jewish joke (Yes, theologians can tell jokes) that says if you’ve got two rabbis you’ve probably got three opinions...and often the church seems like that as well. Not only are there big theological differences, smouldering resentments from historical events long ago, and radical variations in styles of worship. There are also personality cults, clashes over leadership style, arguments on issues of moral behaviour, cultural politics, and so on. How can we even begin to think that it might be possible to live the way Paul indicates here—thinking the same, loving each other completely, regarding everyone else (and their opinions!) as superior to you and your own?”

Well that’s the question we are seeking to address this morning.

Verse 1 - Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion…then make my joy complete by being like-minded

The Message Translation: “If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor...” THEN...Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends

In other words, if Christ is a reality in your life then show this by maintaining the unity…agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends.

1 John 2:9-11 (warning) 9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness.

How do you relate to other Christians? Are you one of those who say, ‘I love Jesus, but not the church’? Pause Well, actually that is not possible...

Transition: Paul is after something here…He is using “If-then” language. He is saying if you are part of the body of Christ, then…(and here is the main idea of this text) maintain the unity.

Unity (like-mindedness):

Verse 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind

Message translation: “then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends.” Isn’t this beautiful language? Agree with each other...love each other...be deep-spirited friends.

This is what Paul is after. His approach shifted from the blessings they shared in Christ to the Philippians’ responsibility to Paul, their spiritual father. Paul’s joy would be complete when they stood together in unity. The content of his exhortation is that they be “like-minded.”

Word Study “like-minded” - The verb used here occurs ten times in Philippians. It speaks to the intellect (a way of thinking), but it goes beyond that. It incorporates the will and emotions into a comprehensive outlook which affects the attitude. With this word and the contexts in which it occurs, Paul spoke of the values and ambitions which surface through the mind. This is unity. It is not found in an identical life-style or personality. It occurs when Christian people have the same values and loves. Paul sought that in this church. And this is what we should strive after in our church.

Transition: Three characteristics express the unity of the church. They are goals for which we as Southside are to strive, and they provide the measurement of success.

Same outlook:

The first is the same outlook. If we as Southside are to maintain our unity or like-mindedness we need to have the same outlook. Three ideas combine to emphasize its different aspects: having the same love as Christ did; having a harmonious affection; and valuing the same thing. The NIV translates “having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose” (2:2b). Together these speak to the unity found among those who are going the same direction. There is nothing superficial about it. This unity comes from the core of one’s being.

Paul is somewhat using a technique called the Roman repetition, whereby a similar thing is said three times to emphasize a point…In essence what he is saying in “have the same love, be one in spirit, be one in purpose”, is have the same outlook! Go in the same direction...

Do you know the purpose or vision of these group of people called Southside? Are you all in…running in the same direction…participating? Paul urges us this morning, for the sake of unity, do not sit on the fence?

Transition: Then there is a second characteristic that express the unity of the church.

Humility:

The second measurement is humility. Paul expressed this both negatively and positively.

Verse 3 - Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.

Negatively, the Philippians were to avoid “selfish ambition” and “vain conceit.” Selfish ambition motivated the preachers Paul described in 1:17. Perhaps that was fresh in his mind. It led him to think about conceit, a seeking of glory which is, in reality, empty because it focuses on the individual rather than on the Lord. Paul encourages us to guard against any selfishness, prejudice, or jealousy that might lead to disunity.

The positive side corrects improper attitudes. They were to act in humility.

Verse 3-4: Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,

Word Study - Humility: Before the New Testament era, the word “humility” had a negative connotation. The adjective related to it “was frequently employed, and especially so, to describe the mentality of a slave. It conveyed the ideas of being base, unfit, shabby, mean, of no account. Hence ‘humility’ could not have been regarded by the pagan as a virtue to be sought after.”

Gordon Fee - “Humility is a uniquely Christian virtue, which, like the message of a crucified Messiah, stands in utter contradiction to the values of the Greco-Roman world, which generally considered humility not a virtue but a shortcoming. Here, Paul’s roots are in the Old Testament—and in Christ.”

Gordon Fee (Pentecostal Scholar - explain) gives a helpful definition of what humility is, he says that Humility is not to be confused with false modesty (“I’m no good”). Rather it has to do with a proper estimation of oneself, the stance of the creature before the Creator, utterly dependent and trusting. Here one is well aware both of one’s weaknesses and of one’s glory (we are in God’s image, after all) but makes neither too much nor too little of either. True humility is therefore not self-focused at all but rather, as further defined by Paul, considers others better than yourselves.

Personal story: Illustration of what it is not - (Apologetic doormat)

Being humble involves having a true perspective about ourselves. It does not mean that we should put ourselves down. Before God, we are sinners, saved only by God’s grace, but we are saved and therefore have great worth in God’s kingdom. But we are to lay aside selfishness and treat others with respect and common courtesy.

R Melick - “Humility begins with a realistic appraisal of oneself and others as being in the image of God.”

Question: What do you see when you look in the mirror? Pause. (probably depends on the time of day). But, humility requires you to neither make too much nor too little of yourself. Friends, lets sort out the identity issue once and for all, so we can go on to maturity…so we can take the focus away from ourselves and place it on those around us.

Paul highlights the fact that we ought to consider others ‘better’ than ourselves and that we should not only take care of our own interests but also that of others. Now, this sounds familiar doesn’t it?

Story: You’ll remember the story of James and John’s mother going to Jesus asking him to have her sons sit on his left and right in heaven (positions of prominence). But Jesus replied, firstly those positions are for the Father to decide, and secondly, that is not the way of the kingdom. He reminded the disciples of this, he said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28). This is the way of the kingdom. A life of humble submission to one another where we serve one another and nobody lords it over another. Christianity is not meant to be a movement for celebrity status. It is not something to be used to gain a certain position or earn you a job. Yes, we must think rightly about ourselves as Image bearers of God, but our focus must not be on ourselves, but on the others. Christianity is a movement wherein we are called to “die to self” and follow Jesus in his example of humble dedication to God and each other.

Transition: Value others above yourself, for Paul, means more than just a posture, it means we take care of others and their interests…This is the third characteristic that express the unity of the church.

Consideration:

The third measurement is consideration. The Philippians were to “look out” for others’ interests as well as their own.

Verse 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Here one finds a kind of tension between the individual and the community that occurs throughout Paul’s writings. As always in such passages, the emphasis rests on the community; it is only as a people of God together that God’s people fulfill the divine purposes. But in the new covenant, persons become members of the people of God one at a time through faith in Christ. Therefore the concern is primarily with the community, but obedience must begin with the individual. Each one among us must have this care for the others among them. Care about each other’s interests: As someone said: “Love begins when someone else’s needs are more important than my own,” which is precisely what Paul urges these Christians to do.

It expresses the dynamics of church relationships and fits the example of Christ. Any concerns of others are to become the concerns of all! This means if one Southsider has an issue, we all have an issue. Being a church community means we belong to each other.

Transitional: The Philippians were to imitate Christ in this...Considering others’ interests as more important than our own links us with Christ, who was a true example of humility.

Jesus the example:

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

NT Wright - “How can we even begin to think that it might be possible to live the way Paul indicates here—thinking the same, loving each other completely, regarding everyone else (and their opinions!) as superior to you and your own?” The answer must be that everyone must be focused on something other than themselves; and that something is Jesus Christ himself, the king, the Lord, and the good news which has come to take the world over in his name.”

Jesus not only commanded his disciple to live this way, but demonstrated this way of living. The eternal pre-existent Son of God humbled himself by taking the form of a man. He then humbled himself even further by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. But God exalted Christ because of his sacrificial dedication. Think about how easy it would have been for Jesus to have lived his life on earth in prominence. NT Wright believes that Jesus’ greatest battles occurred in the wilderness (after his baptism) where he had to battle against the temptation to be a type of Messiah the culture expected (powerful and popular) and in the garden of Gethsemane where again he faced that similar temptation. He could have walked away…he could have taken his place of prominence among the people, but he chose to humble himself for the sake of others.

Jesus was humble, willing to give up his rights in order to obey God and serve people. Like Christ, we should have a servant’s attitude, serving out of love for God and others, not out of fear or guilt.

Question: Do you approach life expecting to be served, or do you look for opportunities to serve others?

Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Conclusion:

1 Peter 2:9-10 - “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Calling for verdict - What will you do?