The Joy of Unity Thru Humility Phil 2.1-5
Joy in a Joyless World • Sermon • Submitted
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· 11 viewsPaul wanted the church at Philippi to understand that humility is the way to unity.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Scripture Reading
Scripture Reading
Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,
fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
The Premise
The Premise
Jesus said you will know His disciples by their love for one another.
By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Disciples are unified.
Love is a trait of discipleship
Philippians is not a doctrinal epistle as in dealing with doctrinal violations per se but there is a problem slithering in the midst of the congregation.
Like Satan slithered into the garden through the serpent and deceived Eve and disrupted the unity between God and man the spirit of unity was slithering through the church at Philippi.
This problem is bracketed between 2 scriptures
Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,
I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.
And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life.
disunity had crept in through something that was not a disagreement over a doctrinal position per se but something of a subjective position.
And their dispute was slithering through the congregation through the form of disunity.
What causes disunity?
Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?
You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
People want things to happen for their happiness and when they cannot get those things they get anxious and unity dissipates and selfish ambition takes over.
Philippi had a problem with unity just like the church has today.
Paul bracketed the problem between these 2 passages
Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Unity or Disunity and Paul dealt with this in other epistles also!
Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.
Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,
endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity!
Unity is not people being attracted to people.
Unity is people pulled together their common attraction to Christ.
Illustration
A box of bbs opened and emptied onto a table will go all over the place
but a box of round magnets if emptied out onto a table will pull together
Why?
What holds the bbs together is the external box
What holds the magnetic balls is the magnetic for within.
The Motivation of Unity
The Motivation of Unity
Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,
(since there is) consolation - paraklesis
the greek prefix para means to come along side!
Jesus used this prefix referring to the Holy Spirit in John 14.16
And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—
paraklete
which means a a helper to come along side to help us
we use this prefix today as paramedic,
(since there is) comfort - paramuthion - come along side and consul.
(since there is) fellowship
(since there is) affection
Gratitude for
first class conditionals - It is where you have a fact
Paul is using if as to call each of them to examine themselves in sight of what God had done for them in Christ!
These statements actually mean that fact is there are these things through Christ!!
The Marks of Spiritual Unity
The Marks of Spiritual Unity
fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Like minded
10 of the 23 mentions of this verb in the New Testament are mentioned in this epistle!
same love
one accord
one mind
The Means of Unity (How do we get it)
The Means of Unity (How do we get it)
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
Conclusion
Conclusion