"The Cure for Disunity!" Philippians 2:3-4

“The Cure for Disunity!"

Captivated by Christ: An expositional sermon series on Paul's Letter to the Church in Philippi (message #13)

Pastor Jerry Ingalls

July 18, 2010

The purpose of FBC is to build the Kingdom of God! From the Great Commission we derive our mission statement, to intentionally follow Jesus Christ by making disciples! This is why we exist! To obediently follow the commands of our master! Do you know what I think the hardest part of discipleship is? I think it is learning how to love people who are unlovable; people who do and say stupid things that jeopardize the unity of the Church! It is learning how to forgive people who intentionally say and do things that are not Christ-like. The most challenging call we have as Christ-followers is to reconcile with those who have hurt us or others.

This is why I declare to you this morning that I have a dream and that dream is the vision of God for His Church--to be a house of reconciliation! What does that mean? I dream of FBC being a safe place for all people to experience the love, forgiveness, and reconciliation of God through Jesus Christ! And not only experience it for themselves, but to then become the ministers of reconciliation by carrying this great love into the world, one relationship at a time, through word and deed! Friends, this is our call; this is our mandate; this is the hardest work we will ever do! And we must be intentional because this is the pathway to build unity in the Church; not just at FBC, but beyond!

I have been teaching you by walking verse by verse through Paul's letter to the Philippians, and it is not by accident that the weeks prior to our Centennial Celebration and now the weeks afterwards I find God's word directly and without hesitation teaching us that the way you live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ is by living in unity! We will never be a house of reconciliation if it does not start with our unity within our relationships and as the body of Christ, the Church! God's word makes no exception for disunity in His Church; we are the one body of Christ!

Let's dive into God's word; please open your Bible to Philippians 2:3-5 (NIV), "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus" [prayer]

In previous weeks, I have taught extensively on the life of unity. Today, let us continue with the Apostle Paul as he turns our eyes to the cure for disunity!

THE CURE FOR DISUNITY IS HUMILITY!

Proverbs 11:2 teaches us this age old truth, "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." Pride will destroy our fellowship and diminish the light of our witness to Henry County and to the nations; my pride or your pride! There is nothing attractive about spiritual pride, intellectual pride, classism, elitism, or any other 'ism.' They are each a cancer from the Devil that causes disunity! God has given us the antidote to this cancer of disunity and it is humility modeled for us in and through His Son Jesus Christ! Let's look again to our Scripture lesson, Philippians 2:3, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition [eritheia] or vain conceit [kenodoxia], but in humility [tapeinophrosyne] consider others better than yourselves.”

Paul says we are to do nothing (no word should be spoken and no deed done!) out of selfish ambition or vain conceit!

What does he mean by selfish ambition? Paul pens the Greek word eritheia translated "selfish ambition." We have seen this word earlier in Philippians 1:17, “The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.”

This word has in its sight a person who worked for pay; a careerist. This is a person who wants influence and leadership in order to build himself/herself up. The word conjures images of a politician canvassing for office; an image with negative connotations from thousands of years ago. This word points to self-seeking and selfish ambition where as the motive was to advance oneself to an extent that what they perceive as well-intentioned ends justified their means. Paul is highlighting this ungodly motive for the 2nd time in a short letter. We need to hear this; it is that important!

Paul continues with the Greek word kenodoxia which literally means 'empty glory' or 'empty pride'. This word has connotations of someone who gives themselves glory; in other words someone who has delusions of greatness. The problem with delusional people is that they rarely know that about themselves depending on the depth of their self-deception. The devil is the great deceiver and his deception knows no bounds...one of his greatest tools is when he can deceive us about ourselves! That is why it is necessary for us to love one another and hold one another accountable when we feel someone is thinking, speaking, or acting in a conceited manner! It is the most loving thing you can do to confront their empty pride, because this is a battle not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities!

Unity is found when we hold one another accountable to the motives of our own hearts. Paul commanded in Galatians 5:26, “Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.” Do you find yourself provoking other people in how you communicate or behave? Do you desire something that someone else has? Do you build others up or yourself up?

If we are to have unity within the body of Christ, then we cannot be torn between the unity of the Church, and our own selfishness or pride. Our message is tainted when there is any other motive than love, forgiveness, and reconciliation to the body of Christ!

UNITY IS HARD WORK FROM THE INSIDE OUT! And we must be aware of our own feelings and motives. You may think that you are building unity with what you are saying and doing, but you must look at the fruit of your actions! Who is your focus?

Paul continues by saying, "in humility [tapeinophrosyne] consider others better than yourselves." Paul speaks to the heart of unity--let your mindset toward others be humble and that means a total lifestyle of humility! Paul is building up to the triumphant Christ hymn of verses 6-11 where he describes the lifestyle of humility of Jesus Christ visibly displayed in his ravaged body on the Cross of Calvary so that you and I, and all the world, can be reconciled to God. The Cross is the center of history and the focus of our faith and fellowship!

Paul directs in Ephesians 4:2, “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”

What is humility? Humility is a word we hear a lot, especially in Christian circles. But what does it mean? The Greco-Roman world that Paul was writing in generally did not see humility as a virtue, but as a shortcoming. Biblically, humility is shown in a person's ability to rest their situation with God rather than trusting their own strength and schemes. We are not talking false modesty where we attempt to appear humble because in looking humble we think we look good. No! A humble person does not direct his/her attention on him/herself at all; rather a humble person knows who he is in relationship to God; God is God and I am not; therefore I am completely dependent on God. It is God that I trust, not myself! Humility requires that we have a sober estimate of ourselves, knowing both our weaknesses and our strengths, but not making either too much or too little out of either.

Humility is not self-focused, but looks to the interests of others! The Apostle Peter commands in 1 Peter 5:5b “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”

Humility is directional! Pride directs its attention at itself whereas humility directs its attention at others!

This is not just a command from the Apostles, this is the very attitude of Jesus Christ. This is how Jesus Christ was able to carry our burden upon the Cross so that we can have eternal life. He bore our punishment because he looked to our interests! Jesus Christ has an attitude that saves! Our attitude should reflect His attitude!

Humility is not only seen in the quality of Jesus' life, but he clearly teaches about what humility looks like and the results of a humble life. From Luke 14:10-11, “But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, 'Friend, move up to a better place.' Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus is teaching us that in looking after the interest of others before our own that we will be exalted. But, if we take the seat of honor thinking we deserve it, then we will be humbled by God! How does this apply to you and me today? How does this apply to how we conduct ourselves as God's Church?

If God's house is the house of reconciliation, then we must be open to fellowship with every person who sincerely calls upon the name of Jesus Christ; regardless of what they look like, how they dress, what they smell like, how many tats and piercings they have, regardless! We must be humble and not see ourselves as better than anyone else because of our temporary status on this earth. We must love one another and not see ourselves as more important because of some man-made cultural division. As Paul taught the Romans who judged other people severely for not being Roman citizens, who classified people according to their worldly status, “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited" (Romans 12:16).

The church should not be disunited by the things that bring disunity to the rest of the world. The cure for disunity is humility! How do you see yourself? How do you see other people?

But it is not enough to have the antidote to disunity. We must then build the unity of the Church and that has 2 requirements: First, UNITY REQUIRES LOVE!

Colossians 3:14 states, "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." It is only in love that we can be united in the obedient life as intentional followers of Jesus Christ. Without love we have nothing! We must know what is most important in this life! It is not my or your degrees, my or your accomplishments, nor even my or your head knowledge that is important!

What we should deeply care about the most is our love for one another! This is how the world will know that we are followers of Jesus Christ!

In Philippians 2:4, Paul defines what a humble life looks like, “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

The humble life is a life of love! Paul teaches us about love in 1 Corinthians 13:5, “[Love] is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”

Unity requires this depth of love that captures the heart of humility, the attitude of Jesus Christ. This is the depth of love that causes us to do as Jesus Christ did--we have to put our interests aside so that people can be saved through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That means we may not get to do or say everything we want or even think we are rightly justified to say or do.

Paul teaches this sacrificial lesson in 1 Corinthians 10:32-33, “Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God—even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved."

Brothers and sisters in Christ, if we are to be a house of reconciliation then we must act in love toward others. Asking: Am I showing this person the love and grace of God? Am I forgiving them as Christ forgave me? Am I willing to put aside what I want, to help this person know and experience the love of God?

And that leads us to the second requirement! UNITY REQUIRES AN ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT!

Paul unapologetically declares, "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).

Unity requires you to be born again because if you continue to think the same as you once did, hold the same values as you once did; prefer the life that you once had, then we will never experience unity! This is especially difficult for people who grew up in the church and cannot make a distinction between their culture and the gospel of Jesus Christ!

The fruit of a relationship with God through Jesus Christ is life transformation! When we ask Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior we are given the Holy Spirit and we are forever changed in our core being. We become children of God and that requires us to be different from those who have not yet been saved by grace. We cannot be conformed to the image of culture and the image of Christ at the same time!

Listen to the words of Jesus Christ found in the Gospel of Matthew 20:25-29, "Jesus called them together and 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.’"

Unity requires an attitude adjustment because Jesus Christ has commanded us, "Not so with you!" We are not to lord over the world the gift of our faith; the grace and love that forever secured us in the hands of God that we may be His children. We are God's chosen children because of the humility of Jesus Christ to unite us to the Father through the Cross!

If your life has been transformed by the gospel of reconciliation, then you must be united to the body of Christ. You cannot let your secular-sensibilities and cultural-characteristics determine your attitude toward other Christ-followers.

You must take on the attitude of Jesus Christ who as the Christ hymn proclaims, "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:6-11).

Who do you say Jesus Christ is? The eternal word of God states that every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Today is the day for salvation! You may never get another chance to receive eternal life. Pray with me to receive this gift.

Altar Call and Response Time

"Jesus Christ must become greater; I must become less." - John 3:30

The 2020 Vision Initiative!

First Baptist Church of New Castle, Indiana is prayerfully stepping into the future, knowing that God has a mission and vision for our congregation.

Our Purpose is to build the Kingdom of God. We draw our action from the direction Jesus Christ gave His disciples (Matthew 28:16-20). From this our mission is clear: To intentionally follow Jesus Christ by making disciples.

Who do we dream of being? That is what a vision statement is and this is the vision I have cast to the church leadership and now to you: Our Vision is to be a house of the Lord (a safe place), where people experience reconciliation with God through the gospel of Jesus Christ, and then carry that reconciliation out into the world, one relationship at a time, through word and deed (this is the embodiment of 2 Corinthians 5:17-20).

What is the purpose behind the 2020 Vision Initiative: The 2020 Vision Initiative is to prepare us for our full availability and intended usage as ministers of reconciliation in the hands of God Almighty. Put simply, it is the foundation of the plan that will keep us focused on our vision so that we can fulfill our vision!

The inspiration of the 2020 Vision Initiative is found in 1 Chronicles 22:5 which reads, “David said, ‘My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the LORD should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations. Therefore I will make preparations for it.’ So David made extensive preparations before his death.”

From this verse and its surrounding context, I want to highlight 3 teaching points to cast the vision for who we are becoming as the First Baptist Church of New Castle, Indiana and how we are going to get there.

First, The 2020 Vision Initiative is God-focused!

The vision is powered by the Holy Spirit! We cannot endeavor to accomplish anything by our own spirit or power; therefore, this vision begins and ends with prayer. Without God we have no vision! Without the Holy Spirit we have no power! We must remain connected to God and constantly inquire of Him every step of the way!

The vision is to exalt Jesus Christ and proclaim the gospel of reconciliation! Our primary purpose is to worship God and to lead others to know the God who is worthy of all our worship; therefore, our vision is solely focused on increasing the Name above all names; the only Name by which anyone can be saved; the Name of Jesus Christ.

The vision is to advance the Kingdom of God! We are not in the business of church building! We, God’s children, are the Church and we are the tip of the spear in God’s mission to advance His Kingdom of Light against the kingdom of darkness. We will endeavor and persevere for the glory of God!

The vision is not about us! This vision is about making God famous as we embark to build a house of the LORD that will be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations. If the vision ever becomes about us, our comfort, our personal preferences, our reputation, our success or impact, then we have lost sight of the vision.

The second teaching point, The 2020 Vision Initiative is multigenerational-dependent!

Simply stated: The vision unifies the generations! King David and his son Solomon (multiple generations) committed themselves to a vision that would take many years and much hard labor to complete. We must do the same!

A significant part of the 2020 Vision Initiative can be learned from this Bible story. How did the call of God unify the generations?

The vision was bigger than any one generation! The vision is God-sized! The vision requires preparation! King David was not allowed to build the house of God, so he had to do 2 primary things to prepare the next generation:

First, David (the older generations) had to Invest in the vision! He had to invest physical and financial resources into building the house of God! David invested his time, treasures, and talents into this one vision—to build a house for the LORD to be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations.

What does that mean for us at FBC?

Zero debt by 2020! No generation wants to leave the next generation with a debt! That goes against everything we believe as Christians and Americans!

This requires us to invest by ensuring the next generation can grow in the vision without carrying the burden of our debt.

For us, it also means Improvement every year! This requires us to invest in the people, programs, and facilities we have to give the next generation a launching point for expanding ministry and mission.

There was one more thing David had to do and that must become the focus for FBC to fulfill its mission and vision not just over the next 10 years, but into the next 100 years!

Train the next generation! David had to raise a “young and inexperienced” generation to fulfill the vision of God! David’s emphasis was not solely on gathering abundant material and financial resources, King David raised his son Solomon to assume leadership of God’s people ready and able to administer the kingdom, build the house of the LORD, and obey God’s commandments and teachings.

What does that mean for us at FBC? We need to teach today and send tomorrow!

Teach Today! The next generation needs to know what you know! This requires relational discipleship, modeling, and mentorship. We must develop all of our programs to intentionally cultivate a generation of Christ-followers who are being trained and equipped for the ministry of reconciliation to the nations. This is a whole body emphasis where everyone has a part to play!

Send Tomorrow! We dream of being a sending place into the Kingdom. We must create a structure and system that allows for the vision to grow and expand as each generation is trained and mobilized. We are growing mission-minded, Spirit-filled Christ-followers who see it as their call to train the next generation after them and in doing so answer the world-wide call of mission locally, regionally, and internationally.

The Third teaching point is: The 2020 Vision Initiative is future-focused!

The vision unites our purposes to a common time line! We will walk in unity because God has called us to a greater vision that requires all of us to come together.

The vision focuses our resources (time, treasures, and talents)! We will carry the burden together knowing that God’s vision is bigger than any one of us can aspire to on our own; this is only possible together.

The vision prevents us from being distracted! The vision requires that we must remain focused on the ministry of reconciliation in all things. Everything else is secondary and cannot distract us from God’s vision.

The vision provides hope for the future! We will not give into the despair or depression of our culture as God has given us a vision to shine brightly in a darkening world.

In conclusion, the 2020 Vision Initiative is not the end goal in itself, but it prepares us for further direction! Only God’s knows what He will do through us as His Church.

The purpose of the 2020 Vision Initiative is to get us there; to keep us focused on what must be done for FBC to accomplish its mission and vision!

We must remain focused on this imperative, trusting and knowing that more will be revealed along the way of these next 10 years. I anticipate a glorious celebration of what God has done by July 2020! I can only imagine what He will do in our midst and through our commitment to the ministry of reconciliation starting here in New Castle and moving out to the ends of the earth.

Are you ready to invest in the future? Can you see what God is doing in our midst?

Blessings,
Jerry

"Jesus Christ must become greater; I must become less." - John 3:30

"God is Faithful to all Generations!" Psalm 100 on the occasion of FBC's Centennial Celebration

“God is Faithful to all Generations!"

Pastor Jerry Ingalls

July 11, 2010 – FBC-NC Centennial Celebration!

The theme for our Centennial Year which started on July 7, 2010 and finds its conclusion on July 6, 2011 is “God is faithful to all generations!” God is faithful past, present, and future! God is faithful whether we can feel it, taste it, hear it, smell it, see it, or believe it. This is the reality of our God and we have committed ourselves to this one theme to guide us throughout our big events of this weekend as we draw a line in the sand and say, “As for me and my household we are celebrating the goodness of my God and His character—He is faithful to all generations! This is the God we serve!” We gathered last night with a big party to commemorate our past 100 years of ministry! We come together this morning to celebrate the reality of God’s faithfulness in the sacred moment of the present. And we will gather again tonight for a very special service to cast a vision for the future that has this one reality in mind—God is faithful to all generations!

Friends, this is not just a theme that I grabbed out of thin air. This is a biblical theme for life! So, let’s turn now to the Scripture which has inspired our theme.

God word from Psalm 100 (NIV) declares to all who have ears to hear, “Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

It is my hope this morning, to highlight from this text and from our faith as followers of Jesus Christ why we celebrate God today. As long as today is called today, we will celebrate God's faithfulness!

Remember, today is a gift that is why we call it a present. And that leads us into our first teaching point: WE CELEBRATE GOD TODAY BECAUSE GOD IS FAITHFUL TO SAVE!

In Psalm 100:3, the Psalmist declares, "Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture" (Psalm 100:3).

Our Psalm declares that God made us and we are His people; we are the sheep of His pasture. And we see the love of the Father expressed so clearly in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

God is the great Gift-giver! He is the giver of life; the Creator! And we celebrate God today because He has given you the very life you experience, the breath you breathe, and for those who call upon the Name of Jesus Christ, He has given you the gift of salvation.

The Bible declares of God’s love in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

How do we see the faithfulness of God to save through His Son Jesus Christ?

The Bible teaches us in Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

The reality of our situation is that apart from God's love and faithfulness we are destined for death! But, God sent His Son Jesus Christ to take that which leads to death (sin!) and that which separates us from the love of God (unrighteousness!) upon Himself so that we can be acceptable to God and live in Him for eternity. How do we attain this gift?

We are taught in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

We celebrate God because He is faithful to save you and me through the indescribable gift of Jesus Christ; through the forgiveness of sins that is available to you today if you admit that you are sinner and need the forgiveness of God only possible through the Cross of Jesus Christ. Then, you must not only admit that you are a sinner in need of forgiveness, you now must move this confession from your mind into your heart and confess your sins asking God for forgiveness and He is faithful! Jesus Christ has forgiven you of the sin that leads to death and taken upon Himself all of your unrighteousness so that you may be pure and holy in the eyes of God through the Holy Spirit. God has given you His Spirit and in the moment of the Holy Spirit coming into your life you experience the gift of salvation--you are alive!

And this reality of God’s faithfulness to save brings us into our second teaching point: WE CELEBRATE GOD TODAY BECAUSE GOD IS FAITHFUL!

Not because He is faithful to save or heal or teach or do anything else, but because His very character and nature is faithfulness! We celebrate God; the great I AM!

Our Centennial theme Scripture verse, Psalm 100:5, proclaims, "For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."

God’s character (the LORD is good!) and God’s love endure forever! God’s faithfulness is for you, just as it was for you parents and their parents; just as it is for your children and their children!

God is faithful past, present, and future! God is faithful whether we can feel it, taste it, hear it, smell it, see it, or believe it. This is the reality of our God and we must commit ourselves to this reality of God regardless of how we experience Him in our circumstances. How we walk through life must be based on the reality of God, not on the sensation of our senses.

Paul declares in 2 Corinthians 1:20, "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ. And so through him the 'Amen' is spoken by us to the glory of God."

We celebrate God today because we know that all the promises of God have found their completion in Jesus Christ! We celebrate because of what He has done for us and this allows us, one day at a time, to persevere until the end. Because as long as today is called today we are called to celebrate God and live a life of praise and worship!

And before we move into our last teaching point, I want to remind you that this too is the work of God through the Holy Spirit—His presence in your life.

Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians 1:8-9, "He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.”

God is faithful to all the generations and the same Holy Spirit that came upon Jesus Christ at His baptism is the same Holy Spirit who will sustain and empower you to receive the gift of faith the leads to eternal life as well as empowers you to a lifestyle of faithfulness! God ushers us into the Kingdom of God so that we will worship Him with every breath we breathe. God is calling us to live a praise habit!

That leads us to our last teaching point: WE CELEBRATE GOD TODAY WITH A LIFESTYLE OF FAITHFUL SERVICE!

There is a lot of action in our Scripture lesson. Psalm 100:1, 2, & 4 "Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name."

Listen to this action-oriented praise and worship! So there also should be action in our lives as Christ-followers! We have learned good reasons why we celebrate God today and now we learn the best way to live out this celebration of God's faithfulness...through our faithful service to the Kingdom of God!

God never intended you to only praise Him once a week! God intended you to live a life of praise! God did not save you so that you can keep what you have to yourself with a private religion! God saved you so that you would give away all that you have so that others would experience the same love and forgiveness that you yourself received!

God is calling us to a life of action—a life of love, compassion, forgiveness, reconciliation, joy, and praise!

Paul teaches Christ-followers in Romans 12:11-13, "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality."

When we are confronted by the love of God, then everything changes at the deepest core level of who we are and why we do what we do. Our lives become a celebration of God’s faithfulness; His covenant-love in Jesus Christ! We are given the security of the faithfulness of God and that means we can take our eyes off of ourselves and toward the God who made us, saved us, and now empowers us to share the love of Christ with the world through our words and deeds!

The Bible teaches us in Hebrews 10:23-24, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds."

And what is the reward for living a life of faithful service to the One who saved you and called you to be one of His precious children?

The reward is both in this life and the next, every day that is called today you can rest knowing that you are loved with an everlasting love; you are secure in the hand of the Father!

And after a life of faithful service to the God who made you, saved you, and loves you, we each hope to hear these words from Jesus’ parable in Matthew 25:21, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!"

God is faithful to all generations! This is His promise; this is the good news of Jesus Christ; and as long as we gather together on the Lord’s Day, this is the message of hope and promise you will hear! And as long as you have breath in your lungs, this is the mission of your life! To live out the good news you have been saved by!

Response Time

Blessings,
Jerry

"Jesus Christ must become greater; I must become less." - John 3:30

"The Life of Unity!" (Philippians 2:1-2)

“The Life of Unity!"

Captivated by Christ: An expositional sermon series on Paul's Letter to the Church in Philippi (message #12)

Pastor Jerry Ingalls

July 4, 2010 -- Happy Independence Day!

The word of God from Philippians 2:1-2 (NIV), “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”

Philippians 1:27—2:18 is a powerful and rich section of Paul’s letter to the Philippians that is focused on living a life worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The section starts in 1:27, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel.”

We have learned from the last 2 weeks that the worthy life is made visible by the unity that is to be found among Christ-followers. It is our unity in the midst of external opposition and internal strife that serves as a sign to all of the power of God for destruction and salvation. Unity is not just a sign to the world; unity is the very essence of the Christian life! Reconciliation with God and then with one another is the basis for unity!

Unity is not an option for someone who has experienced the grace of God! Essentially, the bottom line of what Paul is exhorting in our Scripture lesson this morning, is that we have received so much from God, through Jesus Christ, that in gratitude to God we give to others the same love, comfort, and encouragement we have received.

Let’s study the first verse to see what exactly we have received from God. This first teaching point is the foundation to the life of unity! THE LIFE OF UNITY IS EXPERIENCED IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD!

Paul passionately communicates in Philippians 2:1, "If you have any encouragement [paraklesis] from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship [koinonia] with the Spirit, if any tenderness [splanchna] and compassion [oiktirmoi]"

There are four clauses in this verse and one by one I want to highlight the four benefits we objectively and subjectively receive from our personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. I say objectively and subjectively because Paul’s call to unity is making an appeal to doctrinal truths as well as to your personal conversion experience through Jesus Christ! The Holy Spirit is calling each of us to remember how we have experienced our relationship with God.

First, we experience this relationship with God by our union with Jesus Christ! Above all things, there is one truth that calls us into unity and that is our union with Jesus Christ only possible through the Cross!

No matter what comes up against us in this life you can be encouraged that nothing can break your union with Jesus Christ! You have been bought at a price and we are one in Christ Jesus! Paul speaks of this unity in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Together, we are encouraged by our union with Jesus Christ, but the emotion of encouragement is not enough for unity! So, let’s go deeper. The Greek word translated ‘encouragement’ is paraklesis and it is accurately translated ‘comfort’ or ‘encouragement’, but there is more in the usage of this word. We have learned in our studies from 1 John that Jesus Christ is the Paraclete or Advocate. And from the Gospel of John, we have learned that the Holy Spirit is the Paraclete or Comforter, Advocate, one who walks alongside of.

Within this clause we are reminded of the great benefit of a relationship with God. You now have Jesus Christ advocating/interceding for you at the right hand of the Father and you have the Holy Spirit who journeys with you every moment of every day to direct, encourage, convict, counsel, and comfort you. Our unity is found in an unceasing union with Jesus Christ! You are not alone!

Second, we experience this relationship with God by the comfort of God’s love! Our unity is built upon the great love that was lavished upon us that we would be called Children of God! Our unity rests upon the love of God demonstrated on Cross of Jesus Christ! The love of God that journeys with us through life’s difficulties!

This great love motivates us to comfort others as we have been comforted; to forgive as we have been forgiven; to reconcile as we have been reconciled! Paul states in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”

How has God comforted you in the midst of trouble and crisis? Our unity is found in the comfort of God’s love!

Third, we experience this relationship with God by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit! God’s love is not just a once upon a time event in history; God’s love continues to this day through His enduring presence in your life through the Holy Spirit. The Greek word koinonia translated “fellowship” can also be translated “partnership”. God has given us the continual presence of His perfect fellowship or partnership through the 3^rd person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, living in us. Paul stated this in verse 1:27 and is now reiterating it clearly.

Paul teaches in Romans 5:5, “God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

Paul is reminding the Philippians of the great benefits they experience as Christ-followers and now he ends this list with the most visible of the personal experiences of God’s grace. We experience this relationship with God by life transformation! These four experiences of Grace serve as the foundation for unity in the Church.

The last clause in 2:1 states, “if any tenderness [splanchna] and compassion [oiktirmoi]”. On the surface it seems that Paul is simply stating that if you have ever felt any tenderness and compassion in your life then that is a ground of meaning reason for unity, but that does not entirely fit the context of the other 3 clauses. That’s kind of like saying we can have unity by tolerating one another and behaving ourselves! Real unity is not toleration nor is just behaving!

So, I went deeper and looked at the words translated tenderness and compassion and I found something interesting. Splanchna was also used in 1:7 and literally means ‘inward parts’ and is used figuratively of the seat of emotions, the heart. Paul uses it to symbolize the whole person, expressing strongly and forcefully what concerns the personality at the deepest level, especially in a person’s capacity to love. Whereas oiktirmoi means ‘pity, mercy, and compassion.’ These are the feelings themselves reaching out to others.

Paul is teaching us that one of the experienced benefits of a relationship with God is life transformation to the innermost place of our heart to the outward way we live out our values towards other people. We are profoundly different from the inside-out because of Christ Jesus! Unity is only possible when we are transformed by God and given a heart transplant; when we are born again!

This is the great truth of God’s fellowship in our lives from 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

And a life of unity is completely dependent on this life transformation caused by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, who comes to live in us when we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior, who came to us in the greatest demonstration of God’s love ever known my humanity! The objective realities of doctrine and the subjective personal experiences of our salvation must be in the forefront of our thinking about unity, and together form the foundation on which we strive for the deeper unity among ourselves.

If I want to know what you believe, I’ll watch your life! Unity in the Church is the greatest sign of the gospel; do you believe? Then live a life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ; be unified!

This leads us into the second teaching point: THE LIFE OF UNITY IS EXPERIENCED IN CHRIST-CENTERED COMMUNITY! The life of a Christ-follower requires us to do life together; we cannot do this life alone!

From Philippians 2:2, "Then make my joy complete by being like-minded [phronete], having the same love, being one in spirit [sympsychoi] and purpose."

Paul is in chains, shackled to a Roman soldier, and he is saying, “Make my joy complete by…” Paul’s joy is not based upon his own circumstances or whether or not he gets free, whether he lives or dies. Rather, his joy is that the Church of Jesus Christ would do the one thing that is required to live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ—live a life of unity together!

If you have experienced God’s grace and love then you must demonstrate it! Make my joy complete by…

First, we live out unity by setting our mindset on Jesus Christ!

The Greek word phronete translated, “being like-minded” refers to a mindset; an attitude toward life, values, and people. Paul is building to a crescendo that will erupt in the Christ hymn of Philippians 2:6-11 where Paul lays out the mindset of Jesus Christ. Philippians 2:5 gives the context for the Christ Hymn of 2:6-11, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:”

This is the ultimate goal of every Christ-follower--to be like the master. This is the function of discipleship—a disciple (or apprentice) intentionally commits him/herself to studying the person, works, and teachings of the master to become like him. Paul knows that unity in the Church arises when we put Christ above all things. Our mindset must by shaped by the One who has ushered in the Kingdom of God; the Lord Jesus Christ!

Second, we live out unity by expressing God’s love in relationships! It is not enough to transform our mindset; our hearts must come with this change of mind which means our relationships must look differently.

The beloved apostle John states in 1 John 3:23-24, “And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”

If you have union with Christ through faith then the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit lives in you as you live in Him. Then the world will see God’s love manifest in your life: you will love one another as Jesus Christ commanded us and modeled for us!

Look at it this way: your relationship with God is the thermostat and your relationship with people is the thermometer. If the thermometer (your relationships with other people) is reading lukewarm or icy cold, then the only way to raise the temperature is to adjust the thermostat (your relationship with God!). You cannot will yourself to have healthy loving relationships just like you cannot will your apartment or house to be the right temperature. You have to adjust the thermostat. In life, the only true source for love is your relationship with God. If we are not unified in the body of Christ, then that is a symptom of our lack of discipleship! We are unified when we are being conformed to the image of God together!

Lastly, we live out unity by acting in one accord together! The Greek word sympsychoi translated “being one in spirit” literally means ‘one-souled’. The emphasis is on our volition or will to choose. We must intentionally use our free will for one purpose; to act in one accord together for the glory of God!

And we have learned through this letter: our purpose is to exalt Jesus Christ in this life until we are in the presence of the exalted Christ in the next life. Paul has very clearly laid out what our unified purpose is as Christ-followers.

In Romans 15:5-6, Paul states, “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The priorities of unity are for agreement in the Truth of Jesus Christ (mind), the living out of God’s love in our relationships (heart), and the direction of our will (soul) toward God.

The Holy Spirit is knocking on the door of your heart, mind, and soul this morning: How does your life reflect your faith? If you have received the gift of God’s love, the union with Jesus Christ, the perfect fellowship of the Holy Spirit, and you have experienced life transformation brought about by salvation then make my joy complete by living a life of unity with your brothers and sisters in Christ!

When asked what was the greatest commandment of God’s Law, “Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart [expressing God’s love in relationships!], all your soul [acting in one accord together!], and all your mind [setting our mindset on Jesus Christ!].’ This is the first and greatest commandment’” (Matthew 22:37-38).

The life of unity starts and ends with your personal relationship with Jesus Christ and your commitment to discipleship!

Invitation

"Jesus Christ must become greater; I must become less." - John 3:30