Philippians 2 1 13

The speaker talks about the desire for unity among believers and emphasizes three ways that unity can be achieved: through the consolation and comfort of Christ, through the love that believers share with one another, and through the fellowship of the Spirit. The speaker also warns against strife and vain glory, urging believers to esteem others better than themselves. The speaker emphasizes the importance of unity and discourages competition and selfishness among believers. We participate in the services and none of us are doing anything, this is all them. And so praise God for it, praise God for the work that y'all are doing and pouring into them and have been doing throughout the years. But as we get into, we're going to be going of course in Philippians chapter 2, we're looking at verse 3, but I'd like to read again, starting in verse 27 again, Philippians chapter 1, verse 27, about what's just kind of a recap of what we went through this morning. And it says, And it says, only let your conversation be as if it come at the gospel of Christ, that whether I come and see you or else be 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. And then nothing terrifying by your adversaries, which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you salvation in that of God. For unto you it is given on behalf of Christ that not only to believe, but also to suffer for his sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me, and now fear to be in me. If therefore, if there be therefore any consolation in Christ, any comfort of love, any fellowship of the Spirit, if any vows and mercies fulfill you my joy, that you be like minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let's go to God with that. Lord, I come to you now, I just thank you for this day. I thank you for the blessings that you give us. I thank you for this time that you've given us to lead together and to worship you together. The praises that we're saying this evening, the specials. Lord, we praise you for it, and Lord, we praise you with it. God, I just thank you for the ability to be able to do that. Lord, I just ask you to give us the remainder of the service that we're blessed to use in their efforts. I pray that you'll just use me this evening again, that everything that is said, everything that I do will bring honor and glory to your name, that the words said this evening will be your words and not mine. God, work with your Holy Spirit in each and every one of us, that you may be lifted up in our lives, that we may draw closer to you. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. And so we saw this morning that Paul had a desire for unity. As we are living worthy of the gospel of Christ, Paul has a desire for unity for us. And I apologize, I wasn't able to get slides up and proclaim. I was having a bunch of trouble with it, and so I finally just said forget it, and we'll just go the old-fashioned way. Brother Garvey does a great job on getting all the verses up anyway, just impromptu. So if you have your Bibles, keep it handy. We're going to be using it quite a bit this evening. But anyway, back to what I was saying. Paul has a desire for unity, and how does that come? We have recognized that it comes through three different ways. One, first, personally in the believer, through the consolation, the comfort in Christ. And what is that comfort? That salvation that we have. That's the fruits of salvation, that come from salvation. And then likewise, comfort of any love. So that's the love that God has poured out on us, that we sinners can come to a loving God who sent his Son to die for our sins, but also we can extend that love that he has given us to the brothers and sisters in Christ and share with them the love that God has disposed upon us, has put upon us. Likewise, and it finally says that any fellowship of the Spirit, any fellowship of the Spirit, of course, that's talking one of the Holy Spirit that we have, but the fellowship that we have as children of God, that as we participate in that fellowship, that we will lift one another up, that we will care for one another, that we will point one another to Jesus Christ as the Holy Spirit works in our lives and in our hearts, that we may what? Fulfill Paul's joy, Paul's goal, God's goal, I will say, to be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord and one mind. But Paul doesn't stop there with this message. Paul doesn't stop there with this idea, because he's given this outline, this way that the believer can stand in unity with the brothers and sisters in Christ. But the thing is, though, we are still equal. We are still equal. And so it goes on to verse 3 and it says, Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in loneliness of mind. Let each esteem others better than themselves. Where there is unity, there is also temptation for disunity to come in. It says that let nothing be done through strife. We've seen this idea of strife come up before, haven't we? Over in Philippians chapter 1, Paul talks about this. Paul mentions how the preaching was done in strife over in chapter 1, of envy and strife. Some, indeed, who preach Christ of good will, others of envy and strife. What does that word strife mean? We come to the issue here, what does strife mean? Back in chapter 1, Paul was talking about those preaching of envy and strife. Of those preaching in such a way that they were envious of Paul, but also of jealous competition. But Paul's moved on from the point of the gospel going out. He's talking about brothers and sisters in Christ here. We've got to keep that in mind that the context has become much more focused in. And it's going to expound out later on towards the end of the chapter. But Paul says, let nothing be done in strife or in jealous competition one to another. Let's use the example that Paul had given about the body. The church being a body of having many different members with many different gifts, but yet all working in unity for the glory of God. Okay, say this church member's a teacher and this church member's a teacher. Can they both teach at the same time? Maybe if it's separated into different groups, right? We separate in Sunday school. We have the adult class, we have two different adult class, and we have the teens, we have the young kids, children's chapel, so on and so forth. Wednesdays, likewise, we also have the younger kids and whatnot. But when it comes down to just one teacher, who's going to teach? Or, say you have two teachers. Are they going and teaching the class and starting to compete and say, hey, come to this class because it's better because there's much more whatever, however you might put it. It just seems more appealing. And I tell you, this is why. But it's talking about brothers and sisters in Christ. And this strife, this competition between the two should never happen. The rather edifying of the brethren should be happening in both classes, both pointing both groups of people that may be in two different classes to the same goal, which is Jesus Christ, whether they're in class A or class B. It doesn't matter. All is for the glory of Christ. Unity. Well, we don't all teach, do we? We also sing, don't we? But yet, there shouldn't be any competition in that. We play instruments. We serve. We shouldn't be hogging in all of one way of service for ourselves and creating disunity within the brethren. It says, let nothing be done through strife. But it also says through vainglory. Turn to Matthew chapter 6, verse 1. Because Christ spoke specifically on this. He said, don't do things through strife, jealous competition one to another, trying to get one up on the brother of Christ and saying, hey, I'm doing better than you. No. Matthew chapter 6, verse 1. And don't through it do vainglory. Let's see what Christ has mentioned about vainglory. It says, take heed that you do not your alms before men, to be seen to them. Otherwise, you have no reward of your Father, which is in heaven. Thou, when thou doest thine alms, do not sound the trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogue and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. But men, verily I say unto you, they have their reward. You know, I was talking with Brother Morris this morning, and he had mentioned something about the judgment seat of Christ. And one day, we will all stand before some form of judgment. The judgment seat of Christ or the great white throne of judgment. Now, I pray that you will stand before the judgment seat of Christ. And only those that will stand before the judgment seat of Christ are those who are saved. And those who are not saved will stand before the great white throne of judgment. What is the difference between the two? The great white throne of judgment, the people are being judged, yes, for their works. Based on their works for salvation. But, the judgment seat of Christ, on the other hand, yes, it is judging their works, but nothing for salvation. Rather, it's for what did you do with your works? Why did you do them? Were you just the one that Christ had given the example here? You went out and you did this awesome work. You gave the poor, you gave your offering, but you came up to the front and you were holding up the check or the cash, waving it all the way up to the box, and you put it in there with everybody to see. Or you did it with the intention that, well, I'm being a good Christian, everybody knows I'm doing it, so I'm going to do it. Or you do it because you love God, because He has asked you to do it, because you want to honor His rules by Him. Do you go out and you serve somebody? Are you making a big campaign saying, look, we're out in the Coldwater Creek community, and we're doing this great thing for this family, or do you just go by and you give them a gift, and you say, here's how, this is how we want to help you, and that's that, and God sees that nobody else does, and you do it for His rules. That's the idea that's painted across here. Let nothing be done through strife, selfish competition, or vainglory, to lift yourself up. It goes on to say, but lowliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves. Why do we have this temptation, as it says, even among brothers and sisters in Christ, saved children of God, to have this competition between us? To have the possibly lit place to try to take the glory for ourselves. 1 John 2, verse 16. 1 John 2, verse 16 says this, for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, all of these things that the flesh desires, lust of the flesh, things that the flesh will desire, lust of the eyes, things that you want to look at to feed your lust upon, and then the pride of life, that vainglory that it was talking about, that competition between brothers and sisters in Christ, it shouldn't be so. And when we allow that, we allow disunity to come in. We continue on in Licton chapter 2. God desires a humble heart. God desires humility. 1 Peter chapter 5. Let's look at that real quick. 1 Peter chapter 5, verse 5. It says, likewise, you younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another. All of you be subject one to another. Be clothed with humility. God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble. We come back over to Licton chapter 2, and it goes on to say this, Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Christ, of course, said, The first that shall be last and the last shall be first. And so, in this idea of humility, we humble ourselves, we don't seek competition, we don't try to combat the brother and sister in Christ, to get ahead of them, to get above them, to seek our own glory, but rather we lower ourselves, we humble ourselves, we are subject one to another in unity. We're working towards the goal, which is the glory of God, which we'll see later on in verse 13. And it goes on, Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Romans chapter 15 gives a very clear depiction of this, a very clear illustration and application to it. Romans chapter 15 verse 1 says, When they that are strong, We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and to not please ourselves. Think about your brethren that are sitting around you. Last month we had had the opportunity, the youth had the opportunity, to perform the same Last Mass Parade, a little performance, and it was a great thing. And the question was, Do you know your brethren and sister in Christ? Do you recall that? This goes back to knowing our brethren and sisters in Christ. When we then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and to not please ourselves. Not looking on what we desire, but rather what the other brethren and sister needs. Verse 2, Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. Please his neighbor basically to lift them up. For even Christ pleased not himself, but as it was written, the reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on thee. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the Scripture, might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grants you like-minded, one to another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Please your neighbor. Help them. Christ pleased not himself. He didn't please himself, but rather he humbled himself, took on the reproach that he didn't deserve. And then also, I think it's interesting, whatsoever these things were written aforetime were written for our learning. There were prophets in time past that went and chose men of God that were inspired by Him, that wrote down the Word that we take today and apply to our lives. Not only just the Old Testament, praise the Lord, the completed New Testament today. We continue on to verse 4 or verse 5 of Philippians. And it says, let this mind be in you, following the same pattern that Romans used, that Paul used in Romans, let this mind be in you, which also was in Christ Jesus. And so now we come to the key to unity. If we're going to be unified, if we're going to be resisting the temptation for disunity, to remain unified, that we may all live and walk worthy of the gospel of peace as a church, as a congregation in this community, we must look to the One who went before us, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. It says, who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. Now, as I was studying this verse, and I was looking at it, that word robbery, I've always kind of wondered about this verse, but I've never took the time to really look at it. When we think of robbery, we have a negative connotation about it. When you think of robbery, someone stole something. Someone is trying to take something that does not belong to them. But robbery in this form, in this verse here, is literally going in a way of grasping something. It's to lay hold on it. Or in other words, who being in the form of God, thought it something to grasp to, to hold on to, to not let go of to be in that equality with God. Now, that is not to say that when Jesus Christ came down, verse 7, and made of Himself of no reputation, and took on the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man, that is not to say He laid His Godship aside. Jesus was man, but He was also God. He was 100% God, and He never let that go. If He was not God, then He could not fulfill all that was commanded to fulfill. But yet, Jesus humbled Himself. That is the key. That is the point. Jesus Christ did not say, I'm God, so I really don't have to do this. Y'all are my creation. Rather, He set Himself down, made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the likeness of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man. And being found in the fashion of man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Hebrews chapter 4, verse 15 talks about Jesus Christ as our High Priest. And as Jesus Christ lived this life, it says that being He our High Priest who felt the same sensations as we felt, who knew what we felt, and experienced life just as we experienced, but yet without sin, in His humility, He faced even the death of the cross. Do you know what the cross was set aside for? Of course, we know in Romans chapter 6, verse 23, it says for the wages of sin is death. We know that the gifts of God and the life of Christ Jesus our Lord, but the wages of sin is death. But yet, Christ being sinless didn't deserve death. But yet, it was prophesied that He would die and hang on a cross. You know, He remained in unity with the Father and praised the Lord for it. I was thinking about this. Can you imagine? Can you imagine Jesus Christ realizing what He was going to have to do at the beginning in Genesis chapter 3 when He knew about the promise. He was there. He knew what was going to have to happen. But if He said no, I'm not going to do it. I'm sinless. But yet, as He humbled Himself, remaining in unity with the Father, He fulfilled the goal of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, all three in one, for the glory of God, that we may be glorified, that we may have salvation, that we may be able to have a way of redemption. It's a fascinating thought. But back to that idea of the cross. The cross often was reserved for the most offensive criminals such as thieves, murderers, insurrectionists, and political rebels. But Jesus Christ was none of those. Jesus Christ was none of those. But yet, as Romans chapter 3, verse 25, He was set forth as a propitiation for arson, as a payment for arson, and died for every thief, for every murderer, for everyone that would cause a stir, for every sinner for you and I. In unity, in obedience, in humility, He obeyed the Father. And we come on and it says that as He obeyed and as He lived in humility, we see through that unity, in verse 11 or verse 10, I haven't read verse 9 yet, wherefore God hath highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every name, and that the name of Jesus every name, every knee should bow, and of things in heaven, of things in earth, and things under the earth. Because Jesus humbled Himself, He said the first will be last and the last will be first, right? God, the highest point, the highest being ever, humbled Himself to our level, that the name of Jesus every knee should be bowed, the things in heaven, the things in earth, and the things under the earth, and that every tongue, every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. And we get to the last point, the goal of unity. As we are unified, of course, Jesus Christ was unified with the Father and pursued the goal of the Father and pursued the goal that they had set from the beginning of time as we know it. This is talking about unity of believers. And to have unity, we must model what Jesus Christ laid out for us, humility. Looking one to another, looking for the need, Jesus saw our need, God saw our need, and He fulfilled the need. And likewise, we ought to do also. Wherefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. This idea of work here, it's the idea of put your hands on it. Mold it. Look at it. Do what you can with it. Get to know it and make it the way it's supposed to be. It's not something that we work idly on, but we work intensely on. Paul talked about that in 1 Corinthians 9, v. 26. If you'll turn there real quick with me to 1 Corinthians 9, v. 26. He explained how he worked out his own salvation. It says, So I therefore so run, not as uncertainly so fight I, not as one that beateth the air, but I keep under my body and bring it into subjection, lest by any means I have preached to others and myself that I should be cast away. And in this discipline, in this fighting, in this working out our own salvation, it says to do it with fear and trembling. And Proverbs says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom. And this trembling is that awe, it's that recognition of who we are serviced to and who is our God as we are doing it, as we are working out our own salvation, that we may become more unified, that we may become more adapted more like Jesus Christ in our own lives. Verse 13, it says, For it is God which worketh in you to will and to do is to live precious. For it is God who worketh in you to will and do is to live precious. All in all, everything that we have, everything that we do, if it were left up to our own means, we would fall short and we would never reach that point. And a third insistence comes forward for the invitation. Paul desires for unity. God desires for unity. Paul, even though he says,