Sermon Transcript Tone Analysis

Thank you.

It's been awhile since I've been up here, thankful for Pastor Rich, taking the time to open God's word for us and explain the history.

Where we got all the information in the Old Testament books.

I appreciate having a couple of weeks off being able to just read and study and work on this.

It seems like just a week or two ago that I was up here.

Joking about it being May already.

Now, it's August.

7th.

Is that right?

So another week or two and I'll be Thanksgiving, right?

What did I hear the days are long and the years are short.

Augustine.

Has anybody heard that name before?

Augustine was a theologian.

He lived around the 4th Century ad after Christ.

He's recognized as one of the great influences on the church and on the growth of the Christian faith.

As it grew after the apostolic era.

He's considered one of the church fathers.

Someone recognized his great influence and asked him a question.

They said, what do you believe are the three Central principles of the Christian Life?

I have to stop there and say, doesn't that sound a lot like our current thinking, Even though this is from the 4th Century, people want you just to cut to the chase.

Tell me what's really important.

What are the most important things that I need to be working on, right?

Let's just get to it, there's things in my life, there's details that I need to be paying attention to, but I do want to concentrate on some of the most important things.

So it doesn't look like I'm totally Walking In The flesh right?

Rest of my life, may not be all that it could be, but maybe if I hit the top three things got going to accept me, right?

Anyone else able to admit that sometimes they think that way.

Life is busy.

It's a mess but I'm just going to concentrate on some of the better things.

I'm going to work hard on doing the right thing.

The top three things, I'm going to get those good and then the rest of my life, you know, God's just going to forget about all that stuff.

It's a very natural tendency for us the flash overwhelms, our thoughts and our actions, but we don't want to completely walk in the flash.

So we give a nod to some spiritual things.

And if we list, what are the top, three spiritual things, and we work on those then.

The rest of our fleshly walk, maybe will be ignored.

I believe, Augustine saw the thinking it was behind the question that was being asked, he answered in this way, you might want to write these down.

Number one, Central principle of the Christian Life is humility.

The number two central principle of the Christian Life is humility.

The number three Central principle of the Christian life, according to Augustine in the 4th century.

Is you guessed it?

Humility.

This incredibly distinct virtue has all but vanished around us and it must be demonstrated by us.

In order to achieve the deepest desire of our savior and that is for us to be Unified.

The last time we were together in Philippians chapter 2, we saw that.

The whole theme of the chapter is about humility.

Paul has built these letter to these Believers in Philippi as a joyful Thanksgiving.

It's for their encouragement, for their support of both him and his ministry and for their Outreach where they are.

He recognizes their efforts in spreading the gospel and he also recognizes that there's a stress fracture.

There's an issue within the congregation that threatens to break the whole thing apart.

If it isn't dealt with and that's where Paul is going.

As he directs this letter to the Philippian believers,

we saw that their attention has been to walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel.

He says, I see that you're eager to share this gospel message.

He told them that in order for them to walk in a manner, worthy of the Gospel meant that they would stand firm together that they would drive together that they would share together and they would suffer together.

Paul encouraged them with the knowledge that God's gracious gift to them.

Was not only salvation but the privilege of suffering for his sake.

Now, Paul has brought them to the point that they have recognized, the many blessings that they have because they belong to Jesus.

And because they have the indwelling, Holy Spirit, they've experienced the encouragement of Christ, the consolation of Love, The Fellowship of the spirit and affection and compassion, and these things all prove to them that they are God's people and that they have the Holy Spirit living and active within them.

Because of those many blessings and proves Paul tells them what they are to do next and that is be humble and unified.

Jesus great.

Desire for his church is Unity that leads the world to believe.

Unity has the characteristics of loving intentionally, living in harmony longing.

For cooperation toward one, purpose of sharing the gospel message.

That's the Reader's Digest version of what we've covered over the last couple of weeks and the last few verses.

Now Paul goes on to paint the picture or the Philippian Believers and for us of what humility looks like when it's alive.

We know the characteristics of humility but how do we know that we're doing it?

Right?

What does humility look like when it's on display in our attitudes and our actions?

The problem for us is that the attitudes of humility are completely unnatural.

This is not the way that our flesh would have us live.

Let's pray.

And then we'll open Philippians chapter one again, chapter two again.

Heavenly father again, we come before you and we say thank you for the way that you are living and active word is presented to us so that we can take it.

We can apply it to our lives Lord and we can walk in a manner.

That's worthy of the Gospel.

We're thankful that we have this time.

We just pray that your word is opened well by the Holy Spirit applied by the Holy Spirit to our lives.

And then used by your spirit to make our lives worthy of this gospel.

In Jesus name, we ask these things.

Amen.

Philippians chapter 2. We're going to read verses 1 through 4.

This is from the Legacy Standard Bible translation.

So it might be a little different reading but not that much from what you have flipping 2:1.

Therefore, there is any encouragement in Christ if there is any consolation of love.

If there is any Fellowship of the spirit, if any affection and compassion, fulfill my joy that you think the same way by maintaining the same love being united in spirit thinking on one purpose, doing nothing from selfish ambition or vain Glory.

But with the humility of Mind, regarding one another as more important than yourselves, not merely looking out for your own personal interest but also for the interests of others, We see in these versus Paul presenting three- and two positive aspects that point us to what humility looks like when it's walking and active and talking in the church.

The first two aspects of humility have to do with our motivations.

The first one is to reject selfishness.

We know that selfishness is the root of every other sin and problem in life in the church, and in the pursuit of unity.

Self-centeredness is the sin of pride.

Placing ourselves above, others is selfishness and it's born of pride.

The problem we face is that selfishness is completely natural.

It's the way that our flesh would have us respond.

The inclination of our flesh is to seek what we desire above every other person and quite often above God.

Turn with me to Isaiah chapter 14.

Example is giving here of placing a wheel above.

God's will Isaiah chapter.

14 verses 12 and 15. 12 through 15.

Isaiah 14, starting at verse 12, it says how you have fallen from Heaven o star of the morning.

Son of the Dawn.