Sunday, November 29, 2009
THINK THE SAME THING
Phil. 2:2
Brothers and sisters, “If there be any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded. Do it for the Christ who has come alongside to help and has spoken to you with gentle counsel. Do it for the Spirit, with whom you have fellowship, the Spirit who has blessed you with tender affection and compassion. And do it for us, your leaders who watch over your souls.” That is the message of Phil. 2:1-2 for us. Paul spoke those words to the Philippians, and now through Paul the Holy Spirit is speaking that same message to us.
Last week we looked at the motivation for being likeminded, but this morning we must look at the basic question: “So what does it mean to be likeminded?” Yes, it is possible. If not, the Lord wouldn’t tell us to be likeminded. But what does it mean?
Let me pause right there. I must confess to you that at the beginning of the week I was feeling a great deal of pressure. A dear brother told me last Sunday, “Ron, I’m praying for you, especially as you prepare to preach Sunday.” He was speaking of how important it is that we come to understand what is the nature of this likemindedness. The simple truth is that we have a lot of trouble getting hold of this concept. So like I say, I was feeling pressure. However, I did remember what I told my brother. I reminded him that this isn’t a matter of me preaching some earth-shattering sermon that is going to give us the answers. As the body of Christ, we are all in this together. We are praying together and seeking the Lord together in His Word. Surely He will answer.
Some time early in the week the Lord gave me grace to get out from under the pressure. Oh yes, I recognize responsibility, but not pressure. Such pressure comes from fear, and that fear isn’t from God. It is the fear that says, “Ron, what if you can’t provide the answers.” I might as well just be honest and admit it up front – I can’t provide the answers. But here is the good news – we serve a God who has all the answers. “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things” (Rom. 8:32). "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God" (I Cor. 2:12). The Lord will show us what He desires to show us. I was feeling this pressure to take us through this passage today with definitive answers. That pressure is gone. I am excited to lead us in studying the Word together, that we might learn what our loving heavenly Father has for us.
We may be in this passage for a while. Joe Myers has been a bit amazed that we have been moving right through Philippians at a pretty good pace. Well, the pace has just slowed. I don’t see us getting bogged down in Phil. 2:1-11, but I do see us being blessed with the weight of treasure we find in this passage. I want to give you an assignment. If you haven’t done so, I want to challenge you to memorize Phil. 2:1-11. I am challenging all of us to memorize it. You say, “Well, I’m not even a Christian.” Memorize this passage and meditate on it, and you will likely be a step closer. This is one of the most magnificent passages in the whole Bible. Let’s commit it to memory before the end of the year. I am not asking you to do this for any reason except the knowledge that you will be richly blessed by doing so.
This morning we are going to do three things. First of all, we are going to set this passage before us. We are going to read it. We might even read it more than once. I want everyone here to be familiar with this precious portion of scripture. Then I want to help you unravel the structure of verses 2-4. At first, it may seem a little bit difficult, but it is important that we give our best thought to the Word of God. And then we are going to spend some time with that little command, “Think the same thing.”
Setting the Passage Before Us
So let’s begin by setting the passage before us. Let’s stand and read together. Because we have different translations, we have to choose one, if we are going to read together. This morning we will read it out of the King James. Perhaps in the future we will read it out of a different translation. Read Phil. 2:1-11…
If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2. Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7. But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Pray
Unraveling the Structure of 2:2-4
“Fulfill my joy by being likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” We read it, and it sounds like there are three or four commands. Besides the command to fulfill Paul’s joy by being likeminded, there is the command to let nothing be done through strife or vainglory and the command to look not every man on his own things. What I want to do is take verses 2-4 apart and show you that there is only one command in these three verses.
So what is the command? The command is this: “Fulfill my joy, that you be likeminded.” We talked about it some last week. Technically, the command is to fulfill Paul’s joy, but the fulfilling of his joy is accomplished when they are likeminded. So practically, the command is for them to be likeminded. We are going to reduce it to simply: “Be likeminded.” That is the command.
So what do we do with the rest of verses 2-4? There are four things that fall under that command. If you are into grammar, there are four participial phrases that modify that command. Maybe it will help if we see it…
Be likeminded….
… having the same love
… thinking the one thing (=being of one accord, of one mind)
… esteeming others better than themselves
… looking also on the things of others
Notice the words in bold italics. These are the participles, the –ing words, that carry the rest of the paragraph. None of them are commands. They all fall under the one command, “Be likeminded.” They tell us something about what it means to be likeminded. Or perhaps we could say they tell us something about how to be likeminded. But at this point, what we need to understand is the fact that there is only once command and the rest falls under that one command. We will be coming back to this structure again and again, as we look at this passage.
If you would like to begin to look at a very close parallel, take a look at Eph. 5:18-21. In that passage, we find one command and then four participles that modify that command. I will let you try to work through and see that. We will probably look at it later as well.
Now the Command: "Think the Same Thing"
Now that we have taken apart the structure of the passage, let’s come back to that command, “Be likeminded.” I want to give you the literal translation and repeat it again and again until you cannot forget it. I believe that will help us to understand its meaning. Think the same thing. You might translate it, “Have the same attitude,” but for now let’s stick with “Think the same thing.”
Please allow me to bore you for just a minute. If you were to look at it in the original language, it would look like this… to (the) auto (same) phroneo (think). Think the same. The “thing” is understood. Paul literally says to the Philippian believers, “Think the same thing.” Take that word “phroneo” (fronew). Thayer’s Greek lexicon gives the following definitions: to have understanding, be wise; to feel, to think; to direct one’s mind to a thing. It speaks of setting your mind on something. Paul longs for them to set their minds on the same thing. Think the same thing. Are you getting it?
One of the reasons I want you to get that literal translation down is because that word “phroneo” is used in other places in the New Testament. As a matter of fact, it is used 26 times in the New Testament. 23 of those 26 occur in Paul’s letters, and no less than 10 of them are in the letter to the Philippians. In some of these occurrences, the meaning is exactly like what we find here. We will find that idea of setting the mind on something.
Now we are going to leave Philippians for a while in order to look at some other places where this word is used. Don’t think we are wasting our time. I believe we will benefit greatly from looking at some other passages. Let’s begin with that familiar passage in Matthew 16. Jesus asked His apostles, “Whom do men say that I am?” After they gave him some opinions they had heard, He then asked, “But whom do you say that I am?” That’s when Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus then reminded him, “Blessed are you, Simon, son of John, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father which is in heaven.” Then Jesus went on to speak about the rock upon which He would build His church and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it. Now let’s pick it up in verse 21 and read Matt. 16:21-23…
From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 22. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. 23. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
In Mark’s account, he notes that Jesus rebuked Peter. And it is no wonder. Peter had the audacity to listen to Jesus say what was going to happen and then tell Jesus He was dead wrong. He bluntly told Jesus that this would not happen.
Now let me ask you a question: How could Peter be so bold as to say such a thing? How could he have the nerve to contradict the Lord Jesus? What was wrong with Peter? What was he thinking? Let’s take time to ponder on it a bit. Peter had said, “You are the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God.” What do you think Peter had in mind, when he said that? We must remember that the Jews were expecting a mighty, triumphant, conquering Messiah. They were looking for a Messiah who would turn the world upside down and make everything right, a Messiah who would punish the wicked and give justice to those who had been mistreated. And surely He would begin by overthrowing the Romans and giving the Jews their independence. Peter believed that Jesus filled the bill. After all, He had seen Jesus calm a vicious storm on the Sea of Galilee. He had watched Him heal the sick and even raise the dead (son of the widow of Nain). Peter had never heard a teacher like Jesus, for He taught with authority, not as the scribes and Pharisees. Surely this was the Messiah who would accomplish all that Peter and his fellow apostles had dreamed about.
Then Jesus says, “Guys, we are headed for Jerusalem. And when we get there, I am going to suffer many things at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes. Yes, I will be killed by them, but I will be raised on the third day.” Can you imagine how that struck Peter? He was not able to reconcile Jesus being the Messiah, the Son of God, with being killed. He could not put the two together. To Peter’s credit, he did not say, “Then Jesus, you cannot be the Messiah.” He was so sure that Jesus was the Messiah, he concluded that the other factor could not be true. Jesus could not die. Being the cautious man that he was, Peter just blurted out what he thought, “No, Lord, this cannot be. This will never happen to you.” When we look at it that way, maybe we won’t be quite so hard on Peter. By the way, Peter said it, but all of them were thinking it. Peter just beat them to it, as always.
The key question is this: “What was Peter thinking?” We just went over what he was thinking, but that isn’t the end of the story. Jesus interpreted what Peter was thinking. Jesus turned and rebuked Peter, saying to him, “Get behind me, Satan; you are an offense to me.” Those were very strong words. The man who had uttered what we sometimes call “the great confession” was now speaking on behalf of Satan and had become an offensive thing to Jesus. But the key is in those last words that Jesus said to Peter, “For you savor not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” That word translated “savor” is our little word phroneo. More literally, it reads, “For you do not mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
We must think about that. Peter’s problem was that his mind was set on the things of men. In other words, he was thinking like men think. His thinking wasn’t like God’s thinking, but like man’s thinking. Thinking like a man, it was perfectly natural for him to conclude that since the Messiah must be a powerful ruler, then Jesus cannot die, must not die. He was bound to man’s thinking, and as a result He could not receive what Jesus said.
At this point someone might object and say, “But we can’t think like God. Doesn’t God say somewhere, ‘My thoughts are not your thoughts and your ways are not my ways?’” Does God say that? Indeed, He does. Let’s read it in Is. 55:8-9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." There it is in black and white – God’ thoughts are not our thoughts, for His thoughts are much higher than ours. Surely that means that we can’t think like God thinks. Then why did Jesus rebuke Peter for setting his mind on the things of men rather than the things of God?
Let’s look at the context of Is. 55:8-9. Let’s simply read verses 6 and 7 along with 8 and 9. Read Is. 55:6-9…
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
That gives us a whole different perspective, doesn’t it? Seek the Lord. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let such a man return unto the Lord. And when he does, the Lord will have mercy upon him. When he comes to God, he will find that God abundantly pardons him. But someone might argue with that. “God can’t pardon wicked sinners. Doesn’t the Bible say that every man will be rewarded according to his works. If a person is wicked, God will not pardon him.” But then the Lord Himself speaks and says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. No, you wouldn’t pardon a wicked man. You would make sure he gets what he deserves. But my ways are higher than that. Don’t judge me by the way you think and act. I think differently. Don’t you remember the way my character is described in my Word? “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy” (Ps. 103:8).
Brothers and sisters, aren’t you glad that His thoughts are higher than your thoughts and His ways higher than your ways? Aren’t you glad? If they weren’t, you would be doomed. If God acted like men, you would be the recipient of His vengeance and wrath. That brings us back to the objection that we can’t think like God, because His thoughts are so much higher than ours. Listen to me carefully. Have you ever exercised mercy? When you did, you thought and acted like God. Just because God tells us that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours, that doesn’t mean that we cannot attain to His thoughts and ways. It is impossible for man, but “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (II Cor. 5:17). Just study the life of Peter. On this occasion Jesus rebuked him for thinking like men, but the time would come when Peter would beautifully demonstrate that a man can set his mind on the things of God and act as God’s representative. Those of us who are new creations in Christ can and should set our mind on the things of God. We are to increasingly think the thoughts of God Himself.
Now come to that familiar passage in Colossians 3. We quote this passage again and again because it is so foundational for every believer. Read Col. 3:1-4…
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
This is another one of those “if’s” that carries the idea of “since.” “Since you have been raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” “Set your affection” is the translation of a single Greek word. Guess which word it is? That’s right – phroneo. Set your mind on things above. Think in a heavenly manner. And who is it that dominates Col. 3:1-4? It is Christ. We have been raised with Him. It is Christ who is sitting at the right hand of God. We died, and our life is hid with Christ in God. When we are told to seek those things which are above, that means we are to set our minds on Christ. Because He is our very life (vs. 4), we are to think like Him. Like Peter, we are to think the thoughts of God. And now we see that we are to think like our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now come to Romans 8. In order to get the flavor of this passage, let’s just begin in verse 1. Read Rom. 8:1-7…
There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. 3. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: 4. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 5. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
In verse 4 Paul speaks of believers fulfilling the law. But how can that possibly be? Surely that is impossible. It is impossible for those who are after the flesh, because they set their mind on the things of the flesh. But those who are after the Spirit, set their mind on the things of the Spirit. The mind which is set on the flesh is not subject to God’s law and cannot be, but it is a different story for the one who sets his mind on the things of the Spirit. For that person there is life and peace. Brothers and sisters, we must not think like mere man thinks, but as the Spirit thinks. But can we do that? Everyone who is after the Spirit can think that way. In verse 9 we see that if the Spirit of God dwells in us, then we are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. And if the Spirit does not dwell in us, then we do not belong to Christ.
In short, believers are told to think like God, like Christ, and like the Spirit. This is what makes all the difference in the world. Peter had walked with Jesus, seen the miracles of Jesus, and heard the teachings of Jesus, and yet he was still thinking like a man. But when the Holy Spirit invaded his life, so did a new way of thinking. He no longer set his mind on the things of man, but he began to set his mind on the things of God. As a result, instead of denying the Lord Jesus, He boldly stood before thousands and told them that they had crucified their Messiah and Lord. He didn’t stop there, but went on to tell them how they could receive God’s mercy and pardon.
Now come back with me to the words of Phil. 2:2, “Think the same thing.” That is not an isolated command. Let’s read 2 Cor. 13:11, "Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you." Paul tells them to be of one mind. Literally, it reads, “Think the same thing.” Look at Rom. 12:16, "Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits." Paul tells them to be of the same mind. Guess how it reads literally. “Think the same thing” (toward one another). Then come to Rom. 15:5, "Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:" Now Paul prays that God will give them the grace to be likeminded. Literally, “to think the same thing” (toward one another). The God who commands us to think the same thing will give us the grace to think the same thing.
Conclusion
So how do we think the same thing? Think about it. A brief study of that little word phroneo gives us a powerful place from which to start. If we are going to think the same thing, we start by thinking like God thinks rather than the way man thinks. We set our minds on things above and not on things on the earth. We can come to the same building, sing the same songs, listen to the same sermons and still not think the same thing. Why is that? Because if we are thinking like man thinks, we will not be thinking the same thing. There is no likemindedness in such thinking. But when we are all thinking like God thinks, we will be likeminded. Let me put it this way: To the extent that we are truly setting our mind on things above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God, to that extent we will be likeminded.
Let me try to illustrate that truth. Let’s suppose we are all part of a huge family. Norman and Rita, why don’t you come stand right here with me. We are the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of this blessed union. We love them dearly and we want to help them celebrate their 75th wedding anniversary. (Use your imagination; they will be there in a while, if the Lord tarries). We want this to be a really big deal. Besides all the family, we have invited another 150 people. The day finally arrives and everyone is present. Our mom and dad, our grandparents, may be old, but they are still sharp. They are taking it all in with delight. You suddenly notice that Rachel has entered the back door with the punch bowl. It is that ugly thing you thought was thrown away years ago. She must have rescued it out of the trash and tucked it away somewhere… until now. How you wish she had left it tucked away! Your first reaction is to intercept it before it can be placed on the table. You think you could do it quickly and quietly, replacing it with something decent, after taking Rachel out with one blow or perhaps distracting her in some deceptive way. But then you look at them, the guests of honor. You realize that it is far more important to them that their family live with love toward one another than that the punch bowl be just right. You realize that they aren’t going to notice the punch bowl. And besides, in her heart, Rachel probably thought that ugly punch bowl was appropriate. So you ease over toward Rachel, put your arm around her and say, “Isn’t this a wonderful occasion, Rachel. Hasn’t God been good to us by giving us such loving parents!” Your taste and Rachel’s taste are totally the opposite, but both of you have your minds set on honoring your parents. That is more important than anything else. Tastes in punch bowls do not enter into that equation.
I realize that isn’t a perfect illustration, but do you get the point? You and Rachel were not thinking about yourselves; that is the way man thinks. You were thinking about your parents and what they would want. When we set our minds on the Lord and let Him train us to think like He thinks, we are on our way to likemindedness, to thinking the same thing.
You may not like the way I continue to talk about thinking the way God thinks and the way Christ thinks. You may think that language is too strong. Let me give you a little preview. Phil. 2:5, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” Guess what little word appears there? That’s right, phroneo. Let me read it to you as literally as I can: “Think this in you which also in Christ Jesus.” “Think this in you which also in Christ Jesus.” Brothers and sisters, Paul is telling us to think like Jesus thinks. Yes, you can translate it, “Have this attitude in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” Nevertheless, literally, he is telling us to think like Jesus thought. We will be exploring that more fully before too long.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Motivations to Likemindedness -- 11/22/09
Sunday, November 22, 2009
WHY UNITY?
Phil. 2:1-2a
Not too long ago I commented on the fact that many authors believe the Philippians had a problem with unity. Without doubt, the church at Philippi was a strong church and the apostle Paul had great love and respect for this church. He wrote to them with a strong love and affection. This is a letter filled with joy. Nevertheless, there is much said about unity in this letter. Does this indicate that unity was the greatest need of the church?
While I have been kind of reluctant to see that viewpoint, I must admit that the idea is growing on me. It is amazing how often Paul uses the little phrase “you all” in this letter. Philippians makes up approximately 1/20th of what Paul wrote in the New Testament. Yet in all the rest of his letters, “you all” is only used 16 times, while it is used 7 times in the brief little letter to the Philippians. And of the 16 times in the other letters, only 6 times is it used outside of the greetings and closings of the letters (for example, “the Lord be with you all”). It certainly seems that Paul was stressing the need for the Philippians to come together. And right here in 2:1-4 we are going to see a very strong emphasis on this unity. Undoubtedly, the key text of the whole letter is 2:1-11. As we will see, the great passage about the humiliation and exaltation of Christ in 2:5-11 comes on the heels of Paul’s exhortation to unity, and it is introduced with the words, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” We will see more of this as we go through the letter.
Let’s think about us, this church right here in downtown La Luz. We don’t seem to have any great doctrinal problems. You may disagree, but I think it is because you are too narrow in your judgment. You think that because we don’t all agree on every little thing that we have doctrinal problems. The truth is that we believe salvation comes through Jesus Christ and Him alone. We believe that we are to live lives that are worthy of the gospel, that we are to let our light shine in this world, that people may see our good works and glorify our Father which is in heaven. We believe that this world will shortly come to an end. Therefore, we are not to be entangled with the affairs of this life, but rather set our minds on things above. I could go on and on and on.
Nor do we have great moral problems. We don’t have men in the church who are pursuing other men’s wives. We don’t have people who are getting drunk on Saturday night and coming to services on Sunday morning. Please understand what I am saying at this point. We are not immune to such problems, but the real key is not whether any of these things happen; the key is how such things are handled. If a member of this church is committing adultery, it must be dealt with by the church. The church which has a moral problem is the church which tolerates such behavior. The great problem in I Corinthians 5 was not the man who was sexually immoral; the great problem was the fact that the church tolerated that man and didn’t exclude him from the church.
Praise God that He has worked in us in those areas. But what about this concept of unity? It appears that even though the Philippian church was strong and exemplary in most every way, Paul still found it necessary to speak to its people a great deal about truly being one. As you know from going through this letter, Paul had to single out a couple of women in chapter 4. “I urge Euodias and Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord” (4:2). Is there anyone here to whom Paul might give similar instruction? Do we have a need to be exhorted toward likemindedness? As we will see this morning, the Philippians had that need. This great passage in 2:1-11 is all about unity.
Two weeks ago we came to 1:27, where Paul turned his attention away from his own imprisonment and turned the spotlight on the Philippian Christians. In the sections that follow, Paul gives some definite commands. The first was found in 1:27, where he told them (and us) to live lives worthy of the gospel, to conduct themselves in a way that was fitting of heavenly citizens. One of the great keys to doing that is realizing that suffering for Christ is a gift of grace from our loving Father.
This morning we come to the second command in 2:2. It is simple: “Be likeminded.” That’s it. Be likeminded. Read from any translation you like, and it will come out basically the same. NIV, “Be likeminded.” NASV, “Be of the same mind.” Rheims, “Be of one mind.” The key words are “one mind.” Literally, it reads, “Think the same thing.” Paul gives this command to a church. Through Paul the Holy Spirit gives that same command to this church.
Let me back up just a minute and begin reading in verse 2, “Fulfill ye my joy that ye be likeminded…” If we want to be exact, Paul commanded them to fulfill his joy, to fill him with rejoicing by being likeminded. However, it is clear that the being likeminded was more important than his joy being full.
Let’s go ahead and read Phil. 2:1-5…
If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2. Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
This is our passage for this morning. We have been praying that the Lord would use it to speak to us for His glory. Let’s take time to pray again right now. Pray.
There are many ways in which we could approach this passage. I think it will serve us well to look at it like this. We will begin with the “Why?” Why should be likeminded? Then next week we will look at the “What?” and the “How.” What exactly is this likemindedness and how do we achieve it? Then finally we will look at the “Who?” Is there someone to whom we can look for a model? This morning let’s examine the why.
Why?
Why should we be likeminded? Why should we dwell together in unity? Why should we be one? Why should we guard the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace? Those are fair questions.
When we ask that question, I think for most of us the first response is along the lines of why it is so important to live together in unity. We should be likeminded because that is the will of God. Paul tells us to diligently seek to guard the unity of the Spirit. This is the very thing for which Jesus prayed. It is a demonstration of this unity that will convince the world that Jesus is truly sent from the Father.
All of those things are true, but that is not the direction of this passage. All of us know those truths. When we are honest, we all know the value of this kind of unity. We aren’t going to go back over that this morning. Let’s look at the “Why?” from a different angle. Why should we even try to be unified, when it seems so impossible? That is what we desire, but look at us? Can we say that we are one? Is there really any future in us thinking about unity in Christ? If it happens, it happens. After all, it’s the Lord’s work, not ours. Why do we think that we can do anything to promote this likemindedness of which Paul speaks?
That is the question Paul answers in this passage. Our hope this morning is that the Spirit of God will take this passage and motivate us to believe that we can indeed guard the unity of the Spirit. We find this motivation in verse 1. Let’s read it again. "If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies." In the King James Version the words “there be” are in italics, indicating that they have been supplied. In the original the words “there is” are nowhere to be found. It is literally, “If any consolation in Christ, etc.” The NIV reads, “If you have…” I believe that translation is just as legitimate as “there is.”
Before we launch into these specific phrases, I need to remind you about that word “if.” Paul is not saying that there may or may not be any consolation in Christ. Rather, he is affirming that it is true. If he had wanted to suggest that this might or might not be true, he would have used a different word and construction. Let me give you an example of how Paul uses the word “if” in this verse. “If God is all-powerful, then trust Him with everything in your life.” I am not suggesting that God may not be all-powerful. Rather, I am using that very truth to motivate you to trust Him. We don’t do that too much in English, but we do still find that from time to time. More often, we use the word “since.” Since God is all-powerful, trust Him with everything in your life. Since there is consolation in Christ…be likeminded.
Consolation in Christ. So what is this “consolation in Christ”? The word translated “consolation” is that familiar word that we run across again and again. It is the word (paraklhsiV) that speaks of a coming alongside to help. Because it has such a wide variety of meaning, we could translate it “exhortation,” or “encouragement,” or “comfort.” But even after we know the meaning of the word, there is still a question as to exactly how this exhortation or encouragement is related to Christ. Is it our exhortation toward one another as brothers and sisters in Christ? Or, is it the encouragement we receive from Christ Himself?
While we are actually commanded to exhort one another because we are brothers and sisters in Christ, that doesn’t seem to be the emphasis here. That mutual exhortation grows out of the fact that we have received great exhortation and encouragement from Christ Himself. Jesus has come alongside us to help us! Hear it again – Jesus has come alongside us to help us. Isaiah 53:3-6…
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Surely that is strong motivation. And what should that motivate us to do? To do that which is dear to His heart, for He prayed that we all might be one, even as He and His Father are one. We read that portion of His prayer earlier. He longs for us to be likeminded, to demonstrate that unity for which He died and rose. After what He has done for us, how can we do less? One author put it like this: "Because you have received such continual gentle encouragement, exhortation, counsel and help from Christ since the moment of your salvation, since you have been given so much, does not that spur you on to give back to Christ that which is precious to His heart?" (John MacArthur, Sermon: “The Motives for Spiritual Unity”).
Comfort of love. If any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort of love… What is this comfort of love? The word translated “comfort” is rarely used in the New Testament. It is a word that originally referred to an address given to calm or console. Basically, it speaks of gentle counsel. What a picture of what we have from the Lord Jesus. Not only has he come alongside us to exhort and encourage us, but He speaks gentle, comforting words to us out of His love. Jesus lovingly and gently comforts His own.
What motivation! Put these first two together. The NIV puts it like this: “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love… then make my joy complete by being likeminded.” Since our Lord has condescended to come alongside us, since He has ministered to us in such a gentle and loving way, shall we not give Him what He so greatly desires? Shall we not strive to be likeminded?
Fellowship of the Spirit. You will notice these prepositional phrases “comfort of love” and “fellowship of the Spirit.” They can be taken in more than one way. Is this the fellowship among believers that is enabled by the Spirit? Or is this the fellowship that the believer has with the Spirit? Again, there is no question that both are emphasized in the New Testament. The unity of the Spirit spoken of in Eph. 4:3 points to the unity that the Holy Spirit has established between believers. If we take this phrase the same way, then it is the Spirit-produced fellowship we have with one another. Praise God for that fellowship, but there is another fellowship with which we are blessed. Paul closes his second letter to the Corinthians with these words: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen" (II Cor. 13:14). That word “communion” is the same word that is translated “fellowship” here in Phil. 2:1. Paul prayed that the Corinthian believers would experience fellowship with the Holy Spirit. In writing to the Philippians, he holds up that same fellowship with the Spirit as a motivation for pursuing likemindedness.
In trying to motivate his Philippian brothers and sisters to likemindedness, He not only points to the ministry of Christ, but also to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Lord sent the Holy Spirit to live within every believer. Yes, we do indeed have fellowship with the Spirit of God. We share life with Him. We are in the Spirit; we live in the Spirit; we worship God in the Spirit; we are to walk in the Spirit and pray in the Spirit.
Now remember again that the unity we have is the unity of the Spirit. Since we have fellowship with the Spirit who has made us one, surely that same Spirit is leading us to be likeminded. There is no way we can miss that truth. To fail to be likeminded is to grieve the Spirit, to resist His leading in our lives.
Bowels and mercies. We have dealt with this term “bowels” back in 1:8. That is the translation of a Greek word that referred to the heart, lungs, and liver, “from which feelings of love and tenderness were thought to arise” (Howard Vos, A Study Guide to Philippians). The translations “affections” or “tenderness” convey the idea. It speaks of a strong and tender affection. This is not an intellectual term, but an emotional word. Paul is speaking about strong feelings. Then he adds the word “mercies.” This word speaks of compassion, sympathy, tenderness, pity. These two terms go hand in hand.
It seems to me that Paul is still thinking about our relationship to the Holy Spirit. The first two motivating factors are based on our relationship with Christ, while the second two are based on our relationship with the Spirit. We must remember that the New Testament does not speak of the Holy Spirit as some impersonal forces. He is a person who lives within us. We don’t have fellowship with some force; we have fellowship with God’s Spirit. The Spirit who dwells within us has great feelings and longings for us, treating us with tender affections and compassion. Let’s read from I Cor. 2:9-12…
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
Let’s read all of verse 1 from the 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.” Brothers and sisters, this is a beautiful description of our lives in Christ and our fellowship with the Spirit. All these things are true in our lives. Who can measure what we have been given in Christ and His Spirit? How can we do anything other than what would please our Lord? How can we resist the Spirit who lives within us? Surely we must long for this likemindedness.
Fulfill my joy. And then we come to Paul’s last motive for unity. “Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded.” Rather than simply saying, “Be of the same mind,” he says, “Fulfill my joy by being likeminded.” Paul doesn’t remain aloof. He loves these brothers and sisters. Remember that Paul was the one who founded the church. He knows many of these brothers and sisters and has spent time with them. This is not some apostle who writes to remind them of his rank and authority. With a tender and loving heart he says, “Now won’t you make my joy complete by being likeminded.”
Isn’t it rather amazing that Paul would say such a thing in light of the lofty motives for unity he has just elaborated in verse 1? How can he put the fulfilling of his joy beside consolation in Christ, comfort of love, and fellowship with the Spirit? In light of these great motives, why should he care about his own joy?
Let me give you two reasons. First of all, his desire is the same as the Lord’s. This is the man who could say, “Follow me, as I follow Christ.” He could set his own appeal alongside the great spiritual motives because what he desired from them was from God. Paul was not asking them to do anything for him, but for the Lord. He found his joy in their fulfilling of the Lord’s will. It would have been different, if he had said, “Fill up my joy by doing these two things: send 25 letters to your Congressman, demanding my release, and then each of you send me one week’s wages to help pay my legal fees. Paul doesn’t ask anything like that. He only asks what the Lord Himself desires for the Philippians.
Now there is a second reason why Paul could ask them to fulfill his joy by being likeminded. To put it simply, Paul wanted to add the weight of his own personal plea. He was not ashamed to let them know what he, their spiritual father in the faith, desired for them. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul did not find it overbearing to tell them what he desired and what would bring him joy. He added the weight of his desire to the weight of the motives he had already mentioned.
Can you hear the apostle Paul? It’s not too difficult to read between the lines. “Brothers and sisters, since you have received such great encouragement through your union with Christ, since you have gained great comfort from His love, surely you will want to pursue the unity that is dear to His heart. And since you have been blessed with fellowship with the Holy Spirit, long for that unity which was established by that same Spirit. Do the Spirit’s tenderness and compassion not motivate you toward the likemindedness that is dear to Him? So for the sake of the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit, be likeminded. And dear brothers and sisters, do it for me. For if you pursue this likemindedness that is dear to Jesus and the Spirit, nothing could give me more joy.”
We find this same motivation over in Heb. 13:17, "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you." The writer of Hebrews tells his readers to obey those who have the rule over them. Why? Because those leaders watch for your souls and must give account. It is to their benefit and to yours, if you behave in such a way that they are able to carry out their task with joy. Not only do this because it is right in the sight of the Lord, but do it for the joy of your leaders.
With humility and yet with firmness, I want to say to you: “Be likeminded because of these great spiritual motives connected with Christ’s love and the fellowship of the Spirit, but also do it for us. Do it for Norman and me.” I assure you that our joy will overflow, as you pursue this likemindedness. We can say with all openness and honesty, we desire this unity in the body of Christ. Do you want to make our service a joy indeed? Then be likeminded.
Conclusion
I’m not sure, but I think I hear a question rumbling around. It goes something like this: “Pastor, you have used an entire session to tell us why we should be likeminded. You have laid out these wonderful motives for being likeminded, and we do appreciate it, but you haven’t told us what it really means to be likeminded. Why know the reasons for being likeminded, if we don’t even know what it means? Why give us such strong encouragement that we can indeed reach this goal, when we don’t know what the goal is?”
Those are excellent questions. Lord willing, we will tackle them next week. We don’t have time today. And besides, I think it will do us good to wait and pray. Pray that the Lord will bring His Word alive as we study together next week, that He will shine the light of truth on His Word, that we may truly get insights into what it means to be likeminded. Meanwhile, would you go back over these motivations for likemindedness. Read verse 1 a few times each day. Think about how Christ has come alongside you to help, how you have received such great comfort from His love. Rejoice in the truth that you have fellowship with the Spirit of God and have been the recipients of His affections and tender mercies.
Let me say one other thing in conclusion. We must understand that this command to be likeminded is given to the church. It is impossible for a person to be likeminded with God’s people, if he or she has not been united with Jesus Christ through the miracle of redemption. In other words, if you have not been justified through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, your need is not to be likeminded with believers, because that is an impossibility at this point. Your need is to be unified with the Lord Jesus Christ.
According to the scripture, you are the enemy of God. But I have good news for you this morning. You don’t have to remain His enemy. Let me read you that verse about being God’s enemies. Rom. 5:10, "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." Paul is writing to people who are no longer the enemies of God. They were reconciled to God by the death of His Son. II Cor. 5:19 tells us that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their sins against them. And why didn’t God count the sins of sinners against them? Because their sins were put on Christ; they were imputed to Christ. God has laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all. Those of us who have already been reconciled have been given the task of sharing the good news of reconciliation with God’s enemies. We are His ambassadors. This morning we say to you who are still His enemies, “Be reconciled to God.” As though Christ were speaking through us, we plead with you, “Be reconciled to God.” How? Repent and believe. Give up on yourself and trust Jesus, on the basis of what He did at the cross. Throw yourself on Him who died and rose again.
WHY UNITY?
Phil. 2:1-2a
Not too long ago I commented on the fact that many authors believe the Philippians had a problem with unity. Without doubt, the church at Philippi was a strong church and the apostle Paul had great love and respect for this church. He wrote to them with a strong love and affection. This is a letter filled with joy. Nevertheless, there is much said about unity in this letter. Does this indicate that unity was the greatest need of the church?
While I have been kind of reluctant to see that viewpoint, I must admit that the idea is growing on me. It is amazing how often Paul uses the little phrase “you all” in this letter. Philippians makes up approximately 1/20th of what Paul wrote in the New Testament. Yet in all the rest of his letters, “you all” is only used 16 times, while it is used 7 times in the brief little letter to the Philippians. And of the 16 times in the other letters, only 6 times is it used outside of the greetings and closings of the letters (for example, “the Lord be with you all”). It certainly seems that Paul was stressing the need for the Philippians to come together. And right here in 2:1-4 we are going to see a very strong emphasis on this unity. Undoubtedly, the key text of the whole letter is 2:1-11. As we will see, the great passage about the humiliation and exaltation of Christ in 2:5-11 comes on the heels of Paul’s exhortation to unity, and it is introduced with the words, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” We will see more of this as we go through the letter.
Let’s think about us, this church right here in downtown La Luz. We don’t seem to have any great doctrinal problems. You may disagree, but I think it is because you are too narrow in your judgment. You think that because we don’t all agree on every little thing that we have doctrinal problems. The truth is that we believe salvation comes through Jesus Christ and Him alone. We believe that we are to live lives that are worthy of the gospel, that we are to let our light shine in this world, that people may see our good works and glorify our Father which is in heaven. We believe that this world will shortly come to an end. Therefore, we are not to be entangled with the affairs of this life, but rather set our minds on things above. I could go on and on and on.
Nor do we have great moral problems. We don’t have men in the church who are pursuing other men’s wives. We don’t have people who are getting drunk on Saturday night and coming to services on Sunday morning. Please understand what I am saying at this point. We are not immune to such problems, but the real key is not whether any of these things happen; the key is how such things are handled. If a member of this church is committing adultery, it must be dealt with by the church. The church which has a moral problem is the church which tolerates such behavior. The great problem in I Corinthians 5 was not the man who was sexually immoral; the great problem was the fact that the church tolerated that man and didn’t exclude him from the church.
Praise God that He has worked in us in those areas. But what about this concept of unity? It appears that even though the Philippian church was strong and exemplary in most every way, Paul still found it necessary to speak to its people a great deal about truly being one. As you know from going through this letter, Paul had to single out a couple of women in chapter 4. “I urge Euodias and Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord” (4:2). Is there anyone here to whom Paul might give similar instruction? Do we have a need to be exhorted toward likemindedness? As we will see this morning, the Philippians had that need. This great passage in 2:1-11 is all about unity.
Two weeks ago we came to 1:27, where Paul turned his attention away from his own imprisonment and turned the spotlight on the Philippian Christians. In the sections that follow, Paul gives some definite commands. The first was found in 1:27, where he told them (and us) to live lives worthy of the gospel, to conduct themselves in a way that was fitting of heavenly citizens. One of the great keys to doing that is realizing that suffering for Christ is a gift of grace from our loving Father.
This morning we come to the second command in 2:2. It is simple: “Be likeminded.” That’s it. Be likeminded. Read from any translation you like, and it will come out basically the same. NIV, “Be likeminded.” NASV, “Be of the same mind.” Rheims, “Be of one mind.” The key words are “one mind.” Literally, it reads, “Think the same thing.” Paul gives this command to a church. Through Paul the Holy Spirit gives that same command to this church.
Let me back up just a minute and begin reading in verse 2, “Fulfill ye my joy that ye be likeminded…” If we want to be exact, Paul commanded them to fulfill his joy, to fill him with rejoicing by being likeminded. However, it is clear that the being likeminded was more important than his joy being full.
Let’s go ahead and read Phil. 2:1-5…
If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2. Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
This is our passage for this morning. We have been praying that the Lord would use it to speak to us for His glory. Let’s take time to pray again right now. Pray.
There are many ways in which we could approach this passage. I think it will serve us well to look at it like this. We will begin with the “Why?” Why should be likeminded? Then next week we will look at the “What?” and the “How.” What exactly is this likemindedness and how do we achieve it? Then finally we will look at the “Who?” Is there someone to whom we can look for a model? This morning let’s examine the why.
Why?
Why should we be likeminded? Why should we dwell together in unity? Why should we be one? Why should we guard the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace? Those are fair questions.
When we ask that question, I think for most of us the first response is along the lines of why it is so important to live together in unity. We should be likeminded because that is the will of God. Paul tells us to diligently seek to guard the unity of the Spirit. This is the very thing for which Jesus prayed. It is a demonstration of this unity that will convince the world that Jesus is truly sent from the Father.
All of those things are true, but that is not the direction of this passage. All of us know those truths. When we are honest, we all know the value of this kind of unity. We aren’t going to go back over that this morning. Let’s look at the “Why?” from a different angle. Why should we even try to be unified, when it seems so impossible? That is what we desire, but look at us? Can we say that we are one? Is there really any future in us thinking about unity in Christ? If it happens, it happens. After all, it’s the Lord’s work, not ours. Why do we think that we can do anything to promote this likemindedness of which Paul speaks?
That is the question Paul answers in this passage. Our hope this morning is that the Spirit of God will take this passage and motivate us to believe that we can indeed guard the unity of the Spirit. We find this motivation in verse 1. Let’s read it again. "If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies." In the King James Version the words “there be” are in italics, indicating that they have been supplied. In the original the words “there is” are nowhere to be found. It is literally, “If any consolation in Christ, etc.” The NIV reads, “If you have…” I believe that translation is just as legitimate as “there is.”
Before we launch into these specific phrases, I need to remind you about that word “if.” Paul is not saying that there may or may not be any consolation in Christ. Rather, he is affirming that it is true. If he had wanted to suggest that this might or might not be true, he would have used a different word and construction. Let me give you an example of how Paul uses the word “if” in this verse. “If God is all-powerful, then trust Him with everything in your life.” I am not suggesting that God may not be all-powerful. Rather, I am using that very truth to motivate you to trust Him. We don’t do that too much in English, but we do still find that from time to time. More often, we use the word “since.” Since God is all-powerful, trust Him with everything in your life. Since there is consolation in Christ…be likeminded.
Consolation in Christ. So what is this “consolation in Christ”? The word translated “consolation” is that familiar word that we run across again and again. It is the word (paraklhsiV) that speaks of a coming alongside to help. Because it has such a wide variety of meaning, we could translate it “exhortation,” or “encouragement,” or “comfort.” But even after we know the meaning of the word, there is still a question as to exactly how this exhortation or encouragement is related to Christ. Is it our exhortation toward one another as brothers and sisters in Christ? Or, is it the encouragement we receive from Christ Himself?
While we are actually commanded to exhort one another because we are brothers and sisters in Christ, that doesn’t seem to be the emphasis here. That mutual exhortation grows out of the fact that we have received great exhortation and encouragement from Christ Himself. Jesus has come alongside us to help us! Hear it again – Jesus has come alongside us to help us. Isaiah 53:3-6…
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Surely that is strong motivation. And what should that motivate us to do? To do that which is dear to His heart, for He prayed that we all might be one, even as He and His Father are one. We read that portion of His prayer earlier. He longs for us to be likeminded, to demonstrate that unity for which He died and rose. After what He has done for us, how can we do less? One author put it like this: "Because you have received such continual gentle encouragement, exhortation, counsel and help from Christ since the moment of your salvation, since you have been given so much, does not that spur you on to give back to Christ that which is precious to His heart?" (John MacArthur, Sermon: “The Motives for Spiritual Unity”).
Comfort of love. If any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort of love… What is this comfort of love? The word translated “comfort” is rarely used in the New Testament. It is a word that originally referred to an address given to calm or console. Basically, it speaks of gentle counsel. What a picture of what we have from the Lord Jesus. Not only has he come alongside us to exhort and encourage us, but He speaks gentle, comforting words to us out of His love. Jesus lovingly and gently comforts His own.
What motivation! Put these first two together. The NIV puts it like this: “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love… then make my joy complete by being likeminded.” Since our Lord has condescended to come alongside us, since He has ministered to us in such a gentle and loving way, shall we not give Him what He so greatly desires? Shall we not strive to be likeminded?
Fellowship of the Spirit. You will notice these prepositional phrases “comfort of love” and “fellowship of the Spirit.” They can be taken in more than one way. Is this the fellowship among believers that is enabled by the Spirit? Or is this the fellowship that the believer has with the Spirit? Again, there is no question that both are emphasized in the New Testament. The unity of the Spirit spoken of in Eph. 4:3 points to the unity that the Holy Spirit has established between believers. If we take this phrase the same way, then it is the Spirit-produced fellowship we have with one another. Praise God for that fellowship, but there is another fellowship with which we are blessed. Paul closes his second letter to the Corinthians with these words: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen" (II Cor. 13:14). That word “communion” is the same word that is translated “fellowship” here in Phil. 2:1. Paul prayed that the Corinthian believers would experience fellowship with the Holy Spirit. In writing to the Philippians, he holds up that same fellowship with the Spirit as a motivation for pursuing likemindedness.
In trying to motivate his Philippian brothers and sisters to likemindedness, He not only points to the ministry of Christ, but also to the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Lord sent the Holy Spirit to live within every believer. Yes, we do indeed have fellowship with the Spirit of God. We share life with Him. We are in the Spirit; we live in the Spirit; we worship God in the Spirit; we are to walk in the Spirit and pray in the Spirit.
Now remember again that the unity we have is the unity of the Spirit. Since we have fellowship with the Spirit who has made us one, surely that same Spirit is leading us to be likeminded. There is no way we can miss that truth. To fail to be likeminded is to grieve the Spirit, to resist His leading in our lives.
Bowels and mercies. We have dealt with this term “bowels” back in 1:8. That is the translation of a Greek word that referred to the heart, lungs, and liver, “from which feelings of love and tenderness were thought to arise” (Howard Vos, A Study Guide to Philippians). The translations “affections” or “tenderness” convey the idea. It speaks of a strong and tender affection. This is not an intellectual term, but an emotional word. Paul is speaking about strong feelings. Then he adds the word “mercies.” This word speaks of compassion, sympathy, tenderness, pity. These two terms go hand in hand.
It seems to me that Paul is still thinking about our relationship to the Holy Spirit. The first two motivating factors are based on our relationship with Christ, while the second two are based on our relationship with the Spirit. We must remember that the New Testament does not speak of the Holy Spirit as some impersonal forces. He is a person who lives within us. We don’t have fellowship with some force; we have fellowship with God’s Spirit. The Spirit who dwells within us has great feelings and longings for us, treating us with tender affections and compassion. Let’s read from I Cor. 2:9-12…
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
Let’s read all of verse 1 from the 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.” Brothers and sisters, this is a beautiful description of our lives in Christ and our fellowship with the Spirit. All these things are true in our lives. Who can measure what we have been given in Christ and His Spirit? How can we do anything other than what would please our Lord? How can we resist the Spirit who lives within us? Surely we must long for this likemindedness.
Fulfill my joy. And then we come to Paul’s last motive for unity. “Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded.” Rather than simply saying, “Be of the same mind,” he says, “Fulfill my joy by being likeminded.” Paul doesn’t remain aloof. He loves these brothers and sisters. Remember that Paul was the one who founded the church. He knows many of these brothers and sisters and has spent time with them. This is not some apostle who writes to remind them of his rank and authority. With a tender and loving heart he says, “Now won’t you make my joy complete by being likeminded.”
Isn’t it rather amazing that Paul would say such a thing in light of the lofty motives for unity he has just elaborated in verse 1? How can he put the fulfilling of his joy beside consolation in Christ, comfort of love, and fellowship with the Spirit? In light of these great motives, why should he care about his own joy?
Let me give you two reasons. First of all, his desire is the same as the Lord’s. This is the man who could say, “Follow me, as I follow Christ.” He could set his own appeal alongside the great spiritual motives because what he desired from them was from God. Paul was not asking them to do anything for him, but for the Lord. He found his joy in their fulfilling of the Lord’s will. It would have been different, if he had said, “Fill up my joy by doing these two things: send 25 letters to your Congressman, demanding my release, and then each of you send me one week’s wages to help pay my legal fees. Paul doesn’t ask anything like that. He only asks what the Lord Himself desires for the Philippians.
Now there is a second reason why Paul could ask them to fulfill his joy by being likeminded. To put it simply, Paul wanted to add the weight of his own personal plea. He was not ashamed to let them know what he, their spiritual father in the faith, desired for them. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Paul did not find it overbearing to tell them what he desired and what would bring him joy. He added the weight of his desire to the weight of the motives he had already mentioned.
Can you hear the apostle Paul? It’s not too difficult to read between the lines. “Brothers and sisters, since you have received such great encouragement through your union with Christ, since you have gained great comfort from His love, surely you will want to pursue the unity that is dear to His heart. And since you have been blessed with fellowship with the Holy Spirit, long for that unity which was established by that same Spirit. Do the Spirit’s tenderness and compassion not motivate you toward the likemindedness that is dear to Him? So for the sake of the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit, be likeminded. And dear brothers and sisters, do it for me. For if you pursue this likemindedness that is dear to Jesus and the Spirit, nothing could give me more joy.”
We find this same motivation over in Heb. 13:17, "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you." The writer of Hebrews tells his readers to obey those who have the rule over them. Why? Because those leaders watch for your souls and must give account. It is to their benefit and to yours, if you behave in such a way that they are able to carry out their task with joy. Not only do this because it is right in the sight of the Lord, but do it for the joy of your leaders.
With humility and yet with firmness, I want to say to you: “Be likeminded because of these great spiritual motives connected with Christ’s love and the fellowship of the Spirit, but also do it for us. Do it for Norman and me.” I assure you that our joy will overflow, as you pursue this likemindedness. We can say with all openness and honesty, we desire this unity in the body of Christ. Do you want to make our service a joy indeed? Then be likeminded.
Conclusion
I’m not sure, but I think I hear a question rumbling around. It goes something like this: “Pastor, you have used an entire session to tell us why we should be likeminded. You have laid out these wonderful motives for being likeminded, and we do appreciate it, but you haven’t told us what it really means to be likeminded. Why know the reasons for being likeminded, if we don’t even know what it means? Why give us such strong encouragement that we can indeed reach this goal, when we don’t know what the goal is?”
Those are excellent questions. Lord willing, we will tackle them next week. We don’t have time today. And besides, I think it will do us good to wait and pray. Pray that the Lord will bring His Word alive as we study together next week, that He will shine the light of truth on His Word, that we may truly get insights into what it means to be likeminded. Meanwhile, would you go back over these motivations for likemindedness. Read verse 1 a few times each day. Think about how Christ has come alongside you to help, how you have received such great comfort from His love. Rejoice in the truth that you have fellowship with the Spirit of God and have been the recipients of His affections and tender mercies.
Let me say one other thing in conclusion. We must understand that this command to be likeminded is given to the church. It is impossible for a person to be likeminded with God’s people, if he or she has not been united with Jesus Christ through the miracle of redemption. In other words, if you have not been justified through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, your need is not to be likeminded with believers, because that is an impossibility at this point. Your need is to be unified with the Lord Jesus Christ.
According to the scripture, you are the enemy of God. But I have good news for you this morning. You don’t have to remain His enemy. Let me read you that verse about being God’s enemies. Rom. 5:10, "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." Paul is writing to people who are no longer the enemies of God. They were reconciled to God by the death of His Son. II Cor. 5:19 tells us that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their sins against them. And why didn’t God count the sins of sinners against them? Because their sins were put on Christ; they were imputed to Christ. God has laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all. Those of us who have already been reconciled have been given the task of sharing the good news of reconciliation with God’s enemies. We are His ambassadors. This morning we say to you who are still His enemies, “Be reconciled to God.” As though Christ were speaking through us, we plead with you, “Be reconciled to God.” How? Repent and believe. Give up on yourself and trust Jesus, on the basis of what He did at the cross. Throw yourself on Him who died and rose again.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
A Gift of Grace -- Suffering for Christ -- 11/8/09
Sunday, November 8, 2009
A GIFT OF GRACE – SUFFERING FOR CHRIST
Phil. 1:27-30
This morning I brought a present with me. It’s a little bit unusual. I expect it to appear here shortly. (A couple of the guys bring in a huge box that is gift wrapped). I usually get young people to volunteer, but this morning I need an adult. Would anyone like to have this gift? (Wait for a volunteer). Okay, ______, come on up here. You will need to go into the box to find out what the gift is. (Open the door in the back and usher him in. Then close the door and peel off the wrapping paper. Slits have been cut in the box to make it look like a jail cell.) I used a lot of wrapping paper on this gift, but I was afraid no one would want it, if it wasn’t presented as a gift. I would leave you in the box, but I’m afraid it would be distracting; come on out and go back to your seat. We’ll talk more about this gift a little bit later.
This morning we come to the last section of chapter 1. In verses 12-26, Paul has dealt openly and honestly with his imprisonment. The amazing thing is the joy that Paul possessed, even though he was in prison. He rejoiced that the gospel was being advanced and that Christ was being preached, even if some of the preaching was out of bad motives. Though he wasn’t sure whether he would be released from prison or not, the uncertainty didn’t take away from that wonderful joy he knew. His earnest expectation and hope was that Christ would be magnified in Him. And it didn’t matter whether that came through his life or his death, because for Paul, to live was Christ and to die was gain. Though he longed to depart and be with Christ, he also realized that there was a great need for him to remain on earth and continue to serve the Lord Jesus. Somehow he sensed from the Lord that he would indeed remain for some time and even be reunited again with the Philippians to whom he wrote.
In this last section, verses 27-30, Paul ceases to talk about his own situation and turns the spotlight on his readers. Let’s go ahead and read it in Phil. 1:27-30…
Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28. And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. 29. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; 30. Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
We begin with the command that dominates this section…
I. Live Lives Worthy of the Gospel
Notice how this command is linked with what Paul has been saying about his own ministry. Let’s go back and read 1:24-26…
Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. 25. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; 26. That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.
Paul believes that he will come to them again and that will be an occasion of great rejoicing for the Philippians. Now in 27 he says, “But whether I come and see you or not, live lives worthy of the gospel.” Paul recognizes the fact and tells them that ultimately the important thing is not whether or not he comes and sees them, but how they live their lives. Notice the word “only.” This is really the only thing that matters – that you live in a way that is worthy of the gospel.
The King James puts it like this: “Let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel.” That is a bit cumbersome for most of us to get hold of. The literal translation of the word rendered “becometh” is “in a worthy manner.” This word is translated “worthy” again and again in the New Testament (this is the adverb built upon the adjective).
But what about those words, “Let your conversation”? “Conversation” meant something different in 1611 than it does now. Paul is not talking about words. And this isn’t even the word that is usually translated “conversation” in the King James. The Greek word is politeuw (politeuo). Can you hear the root of our term “politics” in that word? A form of this same word is used in Phil. 3:20, where Paul says, “For our conversation is in heaven.” No, it doesn’t mean our politics are in heaven. It means our citizenship is in heaven. Here in 1:27 Paul is literally talking about living as good citizens, but he isn’t talking about our citizenship in this world.
It is no accident that Paul used this kind of language. Philippi was a Roman colony. That means basically that Philippi was a little Rome, though it was 800 miles away. Those who lived in Philippi took their position very seriously and were proud of the fact that they were a Roman colony. They spoke the Latin language of Rome and dressed like the Romans and addressed their leaders with Latin names and titles. As a result of this fierce pride in being a Roman colony, they were careful about the way they lived. The good of the city and the people of the city were very important to them. They must live in a way that was worthy of a Roman citizen.
Paul uses that imagery to speak of a much greater citizenship. He commanded the Philippian believers to live lives that were befitting of citizens of God’s kingdom. Specifically, he tells them to live in a manner worthy of the gospel. As we have seen, Paul has already spoken a great deal about sharing the gospel of Christ. They had seen him do it when he was in Philippi, and that is what he had taught them to do. But it wasn’t enough to proclaim the gospel, they must also live it. If they preached Christ but did not live lives worthy of the gospel, their message would fall on deaf ears.
Let’s bring it up to date. We proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. We tell people that through Christ we can be forgiven and delivered from the domination of sin. But then if they see us live lives (even moral lives) that are pretty much like the world around us, they are not going to have much use for our gospel. They can’t gauge whether we are forgiven or not, but they can see that we don’t appear to have much deliverance from sin’s power. On the contrary, we must live lives that are consistent with the gospel we preach. We must live as citizens of heaven, that people may view us as a bit out of this world. Basically, we must live as Jesus lived. And that is the good news – we can. That is why the early Christians in Antioch were called Christians, because they had a remarkable resemblance to Christ Himself. With life and lip we must live as citizens of heaven.
Paul couldn’t guarantee that he would be able to stay with them very long. He wasn’t even positive that he would be able to come and see them, but that didn’t matter. The key was not their relationship to Paul, but the lives they lived before a watching world. And so it is with us. These instructions are not addressed to the leaders of the church, but to the church itself. You… you who are in Christ, live lives worthy of the gospel.
II. Are There Any Specifics for Us?
That is a wonderful command and extremely important, but does Paul give us any specific marks to aim at? Indeed he does. Let’s look at three of them in the rest of verse 27…
1. Standing firm
Whether he came to see them or didn’t come to see them, he wanted to hear “that ye stand fast.” Most translations render it “stand firm,” and that is certainly the idea here. Militarily, it was used of a soldier who refused to move from his post. He was commanded to stand firm, and that is what he did. This speaks of a refusal to compromise.
We must stand firm in both our doctrine and our behavior. Both are vitally important. Don’t be deceived into thinking it only matters how we live, but not what we believe. Ultimately, what we truly believe will determine how we live. On the other hand, it isn’t enough to just believe the right things. We are commanded to be doers of the Word, and not hearers only (James 1:22).
2. (Dwelling) in Unity
Notice what he says, “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…” This is one of a number of passages where Paul emphasizes the importance of unity in the Philippian church. Because Paul mentions it so often, some believe that unity was a major problem in the Philippian church. I’m still chewing on that; I’m not sure I agree.
Whether unity was a particular problem in the Philippian church or not, Paul stressed that it is extremely important. He doesn’t just say that he wants to hear that they are standing firm, but that they are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind. Every translation I checked agreed that Paul is talking about the human spirit, rather than the Holy Spirit. While it is true that all we who are believers have been baptized with one Spirit into one body, here he seems to speak of a common attitude among the members of the body of Christ. I don’t see much value in trying to make a hard and fast distinction between “spirit” and “mind” in this verse. Paul is simply emphasizing the importance of unity in the church by using both terms.
Of course, this concept of unity is a vital part of the new covenant. Jesus prayed that we all might be one, that the world may believe that He is Jesus was sent from the Father (John 17:21). In Ephesians 4 Paul says that diligently seeking to guard the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace is a part of walking worthy of our calling (Eph. 4:1-3). Indeed, a lack of unity will demonstrate that we are not living lives worthy of the gospel.
3. Contending for the Faith
We might ask, “But how do we guard the unity that the Spirit of God has given us?” How do we stand firm in one spirit with one mind? Please hear me. We do not guard our unity by seeking unity. If unity becomes our goal, we have lost the battle. Real unity is achieved (or maintained in our case) among people who are fighting for the same goal. Notice what Paul says: “that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” This oneness he speaks of is for the purpose of contending for the faith of the gospel.
It is very easy to illustrate this truth. Consider a group of soldiers on the battlefield. These soldiers may have very little in common. As a matter of fact, one soldier doesn’t really like one particular fellow-soldier because of his loose morals. Nevertheless, when they are on the battlefield, they function as one. They respect one another as soldiers and they obey the commander. Why? Because they are fighting for something bigger than themselves. Their own safety and the safety of others depends upon them working together as a team.
This term “striving together” in the KJV is the translation of a single term. I much prefer “contending together” to “striving together.” The actual term is the word from which we get “athlete.” Paul moves from the picture of the soldier who stands firm at his post to the athlete who is contending together with others for a great cause. It is the picture of an athletic team which works together for a common goal. This team may not look like much off the field and may appear to be scattered, but on the field those team members work like a well oiled machine. They are competing to win and they must work together.
This contending for the faith of gospel is spoken of in Jude 3, "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." The word translated “earnestly contend” here in Jude 3 is not the same word that is used in Phil. 1:27, but it is another very graphic term. I don’t want to bore you with needless details, but I believe these two words will help us see the importance of contending for the faith. This is the word from which we get our words “agony” and “agonize.” This is the same word that we will see used down in Phil. 1:30 (“conflict”). It speaks of entering a contest, of contending in the games. This is the way Paul uses it in I Cor. 9:25, where he tells us that every man who competes in the games (agonizes) exercises self-control. It is to struggle with difficulty, to fight. Contending for the faith will not be an easy thing. With one mind we are to contend for the faith of the gospel.
But wait a minute. Tell me again what it is for which we are earnestly contending. The faith of the gospel. But what is “the faith of the gospel”? There is no better answer than what we find in Jude 3, where Jude speaks of earnestly contending for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. More literally, it is “the once-for-all-delivered-to-the-saints faith.” It is the truth of the gospel. It is that truth that was given to us by the Lord Jesus and was imparted to us through the apostles in the New Testament. At first, some of you may react against that. You like to think of faith as a simple trust in the Lord. While that is one meaning of “faith,” the term “the faith” here refers to the great truths of the faith. We must be willing to give ourselves in a lifelong fight to preserve the purity of those truths.
But why is it necessary to contend for the faith of the gospel? Are we in danger of losing it? Yes, definitely. To much of religious America the faith of the gospel has already been lost. Paul was aware of the danger in his day. He not only told the Philippians to contend for the faith of the gospel, but he gave them a noble example. At the end of his life, Paul could say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” Paul guarded the faith of the gospel in his day, and we must do the same in our day.
The reason we have trouble seeing the need to contend for the faith is because the attacks on the once-for-all-delivered faith are not direct and obvious. While there are those who are directly proclaiming that the gospel is a myth and that Jesus is of no consequence in real life, that is not what is devastating our religious society. The problem is that so many people have swallowed the lie that what is important is not the great truths of the faith, but how you feel about Jesus. I repeat – that is a lie. So which is more important, to know the truth or to believe in Jesus? The great problem is that we don’t recognize that this is the wrong question. A better question would be: “What Jesus do you believe in?” When the great truths of the faith are obscured, then a false Jesus is preached. And that is exactly what is happening throughout our society. Instead of the reality of the Jesus who is God come in the flesh to rescue sinners who are dead in their trespasses and sins, multitudes are grasping an add-on Jesus who can give them a comfortable life at no cost.
How do we contend for the faith of the gospel? “O how I love your law, it is my meditation all the day” (Ps. 119:97). “I have rejoiced in the way of your testimonies as much as in all riches” (Ps. 119:14). “The law of your mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver” (Ps. 119:72). “…The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb” (Ps. 19:9-10). "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night" (Ps. 1:1-2). We contend together for the faith of gospel as each one of us mines the truths of the faith from the Word, which God has given to us at great cost. I use the term “mine” because mining is hard work.
The truths of the gospel do not take hold of us automatically because we have several Bibles in the house and we pick one up once in a while. This is where we have been conformed to the world. The world has slowly convinced us that busyness is a way of life. If busyness keeps us from the Word of God, it is sin for which we must repent. But wasn’t Jesus busy about His Father’s business? Indeed, He was, but what was the Father’s business? Yes, Jesus was a busy man, but did you notice that He didn’t begin His ministry until He was 30. What do you think He was doing with all those years? The answer is in Jesus’ response to the devil in the wilderness, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). While it is true Jesus was busy, He was not too busy to rise a great while before day and depart into a lonely place to be alone with His Father.
III. Your Gift from Christ
That brings us to verses 28-30. Let’s read again Phil. 1:28-30…
And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. 29. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; 30. Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
Just as Paul had adversaries, those who opposed him, so did his brothers and sisters in Philippi. Paul encourages them not to be frightened by their opponents. This is very important advice. How could they effectively contend for the faith of the gospel, if they were frightened by their adversaries? And if they didn’t contend for the faith, then they wouldn’t be standing firm and dwelling in unity. And if not, that means they weren’t living lives worthy of the gospel. Fear paralyzes, but God has not given us the spirit of fear.
Turn for just a moment to that passage in II Timothy 1. Let’s read II Tim. 1:7-8, “For God hath not given us a spirit of fear (timidity), but of love, and of power, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.” In other words, “Timothy, don’t be frightened by your adversaries.”
Then Paul gives his fellow-believers in Philippi a little word of encouragement. The fact that they oppose you and the gospel you proclaim is a clear sign of their destruction. At the same time, it is just as much a sign that you have been saved by the power of God. Why do they oppose you? Because you stand for the faith of the gospel. They are opposing God’s truth and therefore God Himself. The fact that you are not frightened by them but continue to stand firm, together contending for the faith of the gospel, should give you assurance that you are being empowered by the living God who has saved you and changed you.
Now think with me for a moment. A life that is worthy of the gospel is a life that is lived in unity with other believers. Together with other believers, that life stands firm in both doctrine and practical living. It is a life that joins brothers and sisters in contending for the faith of the gospel. Even when this life is opposed strongly, it is not frightened or alarmed. Perhaps some of us look at that and we have some doubts. We see that happening in believers in other parts of the world, even as we think today about the persecuted church. But we wonder if we will be able to stand, if and when such affliction comes to us.
Please hear me. Now I want us to come to a key concept that undergirds everything we have talked about this morning. Notice that verse 29 begins with the word “for.” You could translate it “because.” The reason you won’t be frightened by your adversaries and will be able to stand firm and contend for the faith of the gospel with your fellow-believers, thus living a life worthy of the gospel, is THIS… Here it is. This is the attitude that must undergird this kind of life. Verse 29, “Because unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.”
Brothers and sisters, this is the gift. Don’t miss those words “it is given.” This isn’t the normal Greek word for “give.” No, this is the word whose root is “grace.” This is given to you as a gift of grace. God has graciously given you a present. Now let me ask you a question: What kind of gift of grace would be given to a son or daughter by a God as magnificent and holy and gracious and loving as our Lord? Matt. 7:11, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” He even gives good gifts, when we don’t ask! James 1:17, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
So what is the gift? “Not only to believe on him…” Let’s stop right there. Before he unveils the gift, Paul reminds us of another gift of grace that we have been given. We were gifted to believe on Him. “For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). We didn’t just decide to believe on Jesus Christ; it was a gift of grace from God Himself.
Suppose it is your birthday and a loved one has presented you with a beautifully wrapped gift. When you open it, you discover that there are two gifts. You thought it was one gift, but it is two. So it is with Christ. It is not only a gift of grace to believe on Him, but it is also a gift of grace to suffer for His sake. Suffering for Christ is a gift of grace from our loving God. Until we understand this truth and embrace it, how can we stand firm and earnestly contend together for the gospel, while we are opposed by our adversaries? Until we see suffering for Christ as a gift, we will fight against it. Picture yourself standing in the presence of your Lord. He is handing you a gift, but you keep pushing it away. “Lord, I want you, but I don’t want this gift that you are giving me.”
Do you see how important this truth is? This is why from time to time I warn you against false teachers, many of whom preach on various religious TV networks. They are telling you that God wants you to have plenty and be happy and comfortable, but when have they told you that suffering for Christ is a gift of grace that you must embrace with your whole heart?
When we see suffering for Christ as a gift of grace, we will not be frightened by our adversaries. Instead, their opposition will only confirm that we do indeed belong to the Lord. Things are playing out just as the Lord told us in His Word. We are contending for the faith; they are opposing us; we rejoice that we are able to suffer for His holy name. The Holy Spirit moved Peter to put it this way in 1 Pet 4:12-13, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13. But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy." Don’t be surprised by fiery trials, but rejoice that you can share in the sufferings of Christ. This is what Paul is talking about in Phil. 3:10, when he says, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable to his death.”
Paul was not asking his brothers and sisters to embrace an attitude that was foreign to him. In verse 30 we see that the apostle calls attention to his own trials. “Having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear to be in me.” “Conflict” is the translation of that word “anonia.” It speaks of the fight that Paul was waging, a fight that brought much suffering and affliction. They saw the opposition to Paul when he was in Philippi years earlier, and now they were hearing about his afflictions in Rome. Paul was asking them to continue joining him in a life of not only trusting Christ, but suffering with Him as well.
Conclusion
You might say, “But I didn’t know about this when I repented and put my faith in Jesus.” Remember what the kingdom of heaven is like. Matt. 13:44, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." Isn’t the treasure you found worth anything and everything? When you came to Christ, didn’t you believe that He was worth everything you would ever have to give up, everything you would have to face in the future? The problem is this: the enemy has gradually and smoothly worn down our resistance and slipped little lies into our thinking, just as he did with Adam and Eve. Gradually, our minds are corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ (II Cor. 11:2-3).
This morning it is my prayer that the Spirit of God would strike a blow for freedom in our individual lives and in the life of this church. It is my prayer that the people of God will embrace the truth of God and receive suffering for Christ as a gift of grace from a loving Father. As the Lord’s representative this morning, I am asking you to do just that. I am pleading with you to consciously receive this gift of grace from your Lord.
Perhaps some of you feel a bit betrayed by your Lord, kind of like the situation with my little gift at the start of the service. You kind of feel like this suffering for Christ is something you didn’t bargain for. Look at it this way. When Fred stepped into that box, into that prison cell, who stepped in there with him? When a Christian steps into the cell of suffering, who goes with him? The rest of the world was shut out. That world that tempts him and sometimes overcomes him is shut out, and he is shut in with Christ. If we do not see that, it is because we have set up our own goals, goals which have more to do with comfort and temporary happiness than with living a life worthy of the gospel. Do you see? If suffering for Christ appears to you as a great burden that is unfair, it is because you have been deceived. You have lost sight of the goal – living a life worthy of the gospel. You have forgotten what your true treasure is, the Lord Jesus Christ.
As we bow in prayer, would you receive this suffering for Christ as a gift of grace? Don’t think you can avoid the choice. How can you reject the gift without rejecting the giver?
Silent Prayer
A GIFT OF GRACE – SUFFERING FOR CHRIST
Phil. 1:27-30
This morning I brought a present with me. It’s a little bit unusual. I expect it to appear here shortly. (A couple of the guys bring in a huge box that is gift wrapped). I usually get young people to volunteer, but this morning I need an adult. Would anyone like to have this gift? (Wait for a volunteer). Okay, ______, come on up here. You will need to go into the box to find out what the gift is. (Open the door in the back and usher him in. Then close the door and peel off the wrapping paper. Slits have been cut in the box to make it look like a jail cell.) I used a lot of wrapping paper on this gift, but I was afraid no one would want it, if it wasn’t presented as a gift. I would leave you in the box, but I’m afraid it would be distracting; come on out and go back to your seat. We’ll talk more about this gift a little bit later.
This morning we come to the last section of chapter 1. In verses 12-26, Paul has dealt openly and honestly with his imprisonment. The amazing thing is the joy that Paul possessed, even though he was in prison. He rejoiced that the gospel was being advanced and that Christ was being preached, even if some of the preaching was out of bad motives. Though he wasn’t sure whether he would be released from prison or not, the uncertainty didn’t take away from that wonderful joy he knew. His earnest expectation and hope was that Christ would be magnified in Him. And it didn’t matter whether that came through his life or his death, because for Paul, to live was Christ and to die was gain. Though he longed to depart and be with Christ, he also realized that there was a great need for him to remain on earth and continue to serve the Lord Jesus. Somehow he sensed from the Lord that he would indeed remain for some time and even be reunited again with the Philippians to whom he wrote.
In this last section, verses 27-30, Paul ceases to talk about his own situation and turns the spotlight on his readers. Let’s go ahead and read it in Phil. 1:27-30…
Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; 28. And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. 29. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; 30. Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
We begin with the command that dominates this section…
I. Live Lives Worthy of the Gospel
Notice how this command is linked with what Paul has been saying about his own ministry. Let’s go back and read 1:24-26…
Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. 25. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; 26. That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.
Paul believes that he will come to them again and that will be an occasion of great rejoicing for the Philippians. Now in 27 he says, “But whether I come and see you or not, live lives worthy of the gospel.” Paul recognizes the fact and tells them that ultimately the important thing is not whether or not he comes and sees them, but how they live their lives. Notice the word “only.” This is really the only thing that matters – that you live in a way that is worthy of the gospel.
The King James puts it like this: “Let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel.” That is a bit cumbersome for most of us to get hold of. The literal translation of the word rendered “becometh” is “in a worthy manner.” This word is translated “worthy” again and again in the New Testament (this is the adverb built upon the adjective).
But what about those words, “Let your conversation”? “Conversation” meant something different in 1611 than it does now. Paul is not talking about words. And this isn’t even the word that is usually translated “conversation” in the King James. The Greek word is politeuw (politeuo). Can you hear the root of our term “politics” in that word? A form of this same word is used in Phil. 3:20, where Paul says, “For our conversation is in heaven.” No, it doesn’t mean our politics are in heaven. It means our citizenship is in heaven. Here in 1:27 Paul is literally talking about living as good citizens, but he isn’t talking about our citizenship in this world.
It is no accident that Paul used this kind of language. Philippi was a Roman colony. That means basically that Philippi was a little Rome, though it was 800 miles away. Those who lived in Philippi took their position very seriously and were proud of the fact that they were a Roman colony. They spoke the Latin language of Rome and dressed like the Romans and addressed their leaders with Latin names and titles. As a result of this fierce pride in being a Roman colony, they were careful about the way they lived. The good of the city and the people of the city were very important to them. They must live in a way that was worthy of a Roman citizen.
Paul uses that imagery to speak of a much greater citizenship. He commanded the Philippian believers to live lives that were befitting of citizens of God’s kingdom. Specifically, he tells them to live in a manner worthy of the gospel. As we have seen, Paul has already spoken a great deal about sharing the gospel of Christ. They had seen him do it when he was in Philippi, and that is what he had taught them to do. But it wasn’t enough to proclaim the gospel, they must also live it. If they preached Christ but did not live lives worthy of the gospel, their message would fall on deaf ears.
Let’s bring it up to date. We proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. We tell people that through Christ we can be forgiven and delivered from the domination of sin. But then if they see us live lives (even moral lives) that are pretty much like the world around us, they are not going to have much use for our gospel. They can’t gauge whether we are forgiven or not, but they can see that we don’t appear to have much deliverance from sin’s power. On the contrary, we must live lives that are consistent with the gospel we preach. We must live as citizens of heaven, that people may view us as a bit out of this world. Basically, we must live as Jesus lived. And that is the good news – we can. That is why the early Christians in Antioch were called Christians, because they had a remarkable resemblance to Christ Himself. With life and lip we must live as citizens of heaven.
Paul couldn’t guarantee that he would be able to stay with them very long. He wasn’t even positive that he would be able to come and see them, but that didn’t matter. The key was not their relationship to Paul, but the lives they lived before a watching world. And so it is with us. These instructions are not addressed to the leaders of the church, but to the church itself. You… you who are in Christ, live lives worthy of the gospel.
II. Are There Any Specifics for Us?
That is a wonderful command and extremely important, but does Paul give us any specific marks to aim at? Indeed he does. Let’s look at three of them in the rest of verse 27…
1. Standing firm
Whether he came to see them or didn’t come to see them, he wanted to hear “that ye stand fast.” Most translations render it “stand firm,” and that is certainly the idea here. Militarily, it was used of a soldier who refused to move from his post. He was commanded to stand firm, and that is what he did. This speaks of a refusal to compromise.
We must stand firm in both our doctrine and our behavior. Both are vitally important. Don’t be deceived into thinking it only matters how we live, but not what we believe. Ultimately, what we truly believe will determine how we live. On the other hand, it isn’t enough to just believe the right things. We are commanded to be doers of the Word, and not hearers only (James 1:22).
2. (Dwelling) in Unity
Notice what he says, “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…” This is one of a number of passages where Paul emphasizes the importance of unity in the Philippian church. Because Paul mentions it so often, some believe that unity was a major problem in the Philippian church. I’m still chewing on that; I’m not sure I agree.
Whether unity was a particular problem in the Philippian church or not, Paul stressed that it is extremely important. He doesn’t just say that he wants to hear that they are standing firm, but that they are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind. Every translation I checked agreed that Paul is talking about the human spirit, rather than the Holy Spirit. While it is true that all we who are believers have been baptized with one Spirit into one body, here he seems to speak of a common attitude among the members of the body of Christ. I don’t see much value in trying to make a hard and fast distinction between “spirit” and “mind” in this verse. Paul is simply emphasizing the importance of unity in the church by using both terms.
Of course, this concept of unity is a vital part of the new covenant. Jesus prayed that we all might be one, that the world may believe that He is Jesus was sent from the Father (John 17:21). In Ephesians 4 Paul says that diligently seeking to guard the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace is a part of walking worthy of our calling (Eph. 4:1-3). Indeed, a lack of unity will demonstrate that we are not living lives worthy of the gospel.
3. Contending for the Faith
We might ask, “But how do we guard the unity that the Spirit of God has given us?” How do we stand firm in one spirit with one mind? Please hear me. We do not guard our unity by seeking unity. If unity becomes our goal, we have lost the battle. Real unity is achieved (or maintained in our case) among people who are fighting for the same goal. Notice what Paul says: “that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.” This oneness he speaks of is for the purpose of contending for the faith of the gospel.
It is very easy to illustrate this truth. Consider a group of soldiers on the battlefield. These soldiers may have very little in common. As a matter of fact, one soldier doesn’t really like one particular fellow-soldier because of his loose morals. Nevertheless, when they are on the battlefield, they function as one. They respect one another as soldiers and they obey the commander. Why? Because they are fighting for something bigger than themselves. Their own safety and the safety of others depends upon them working together as a team.
This term “striving together” in the KJV is the translation of a single term. I much prefer “contending together” to “striving together.” The actual term is the word from which we get “athlete.” Paul moves from the picture of the soldier who stands firm at his post to the athlete who is contending together with others for a great cause. It is the picture of an athletic team which works together for a common goal. This team may not look like much off the field and may appear to be scattered, but on the field those team members work like a well oiled machine. They are competing to win and they must work together.
This contending for the faith of gospel is spoken of in Jude 3, "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." The word translated “earnestly contend” here in Jude 3 is not the same word that is used in Phil. 1:27, but it is another very graphic term. I don’t want to bore you with needless details, but I believe these two words will help us see the importance of contending for the faith. This is the word from which we get our words “agony” and “agonize.” This is the same word that we will see used down in Phil. 1:30 (“conflict”). It speaks of entering a contest, of contending in the games. This is the way Paul uses it in I Cor. 9:25, where he tells us that every man who competes in the games (agonizes) exercises self-control. It is to struggle with difficulty, to fight. Contending for the faith will not be an easy thing. With one mind we are to contend for the faith of the gospel.
But wait a minute. Tell me again what it is for which we are earnestly contending. The faith of the gospel. But what is “the faith of the gospel”? There is no better answer than what we find in Jude 3, where Jude speaks of earnestly contending for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. More literally, it is “the once-for-all-delivered-to-the-saints faith.” It is the truth of the gospel. It is that truth that was given to us by the Lord Jesus and was imparted to us through the apostles in the New Testament. At first, some of you may react against that. You like to think of faith as a simple trust in the Lord. While that is one meaning of “faith,” the term “the faith” here refers to the great truths of the faith. We must be willing to give ourselves in a lifelong fight to preserve the purity of those truths.
But why is it necessary to contend for the faith of the gospel? Are we in danger of losing it? Yes, definitely. To much of religious America the faith of the gospel has already been lost. Paul was aware of the danger in his day. He not only told the Philippians to contend for the faith of the gospel, but he gave them a noble example. At the end of his life, Paul could say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” Paul guarded the faith of the gospel in his day, and we must do the same in our day.
The reason we have trouble seeing the need to contend for the faith is because the attacks on the once-for-all-delivered faith are not direct and obvious. While there are those who are directly proclaiming that the gospel is a myth and that Jesus is of no consequence in real life, that is not what is devastating our religious society. The problem is that so many people have swallowed the lie that what is important is not the great truths of the faith, but how you feel about Jesus. I repeat – that is a lie. So which is more important, to know the truth or to believe in Jesus? The great problem is that we don’t recognize that this is the wrong question. A better question would be: “What Jesus do you believe in?” When the great truths of the faith are obscured, then a false Jesus is preached. And that is exactly what is happening throughout our society. Instead of the reality of the Jesus who is God come in the flesh to rescue sinners who are dead in their trespasses and sins, multitudes are grasping an add-on Jesus who can give them a comfortable life at no cost.
How do we contend for the faith of the gospel? “O how I love your law, it is my meditation all the day” (Ps. 119:97). “I have rejoiced in the way of your testimonies as much as in all riches” (Ps. 119:14). “The law of your mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver” (Ps. 119:72). “…The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb” (Ps. 19:9-10). "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night" (Ps. 1:1-2). We contend together for the faith of gospel as each one of us mines the truths of the faith from the Word, which God has given to us at great cost. I use the term “mine” because mining is hard work.
The truths of the gospel do not take hold of us automatically because we have several Bibles in the house and we pick one up once in a while. This is where we have been conformed to the world. The world has slowly convinced us that busyness is a way of life. If busyness keeps us from the Word of God, it is sin for which we must repent. But wasn’t Jesus busy about His Father’s business? Indeed, He was, but what was the Father’s business? Yes, Jesus was a busy man, but did you notice that He didn’t begin His ministry until He was 30. What do you think He was doing with all those years? The answer is in Jesus’ response to the devil in the wilderness, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). While it is true Jesus was busy, He was not too busy to rise a great while before day and depart into a lonely place to be alone with His Father.
III. Your Gift from Christ
That brings us to verses 28-30. Let’s read again Phil. 1:28-30…
And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. 29. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; 30. Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
Just as Paul had adversaries, those who opposed him, so did his brothers and sisters in Philippi. Paul encourages them not to be frightened by their opponents. This is very important advice. How could they effectively contend for the faith of the gospel, if they were frightened by their adversaries? And if they didn’t contend for the faith, then they wouldn’t be standing firm and dwelling in unity. And if not, that means they weren’t living lives worthy of the gospel. Fear paralyzes, but God has not given us the spirit of fear.
Turn for just a moment to that passage in II Timothy 1. Let’s read II Tim. 1:7-8, “For God hath not given us a spirit of fear (timidity), but of love, and of power, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.” In other words, “Timothy, don’t be frightened by your adversaries.”
Then Paul gives his fellow-believers in Philippi a little word of encouragement. The fact that they oppose you and the gospel you proclaim is a clear sign of their destruction. At the same time, it is just as much a sign that you have been saved by the power of God. Why do they oppose you? Because you stand for the faith of the gospel. They are opposing God’s truth and therefore God Himself. The fact that you are not frightened by them but continue to stand firm, together contending for the faith of the gospel, should give you assurance that you are being empowered by the living God who has saved you and changed you.
Now think with me for a moment. A life that is worthy of the gospel is a life that is lived in unity with other believers. Together with other believers, that life stands firm in both doctrine and practical living. It is a life that joins brothers and sisters in contending for the faith of the gospel. Even when this life is opposed strongly, it is not frightened or alarmed. Perhaps some of us look at that and we have some doubts. We see that happening in believers in other parts of the world, even as we think today about the persecuted church. But we wonder if we will be able to stand, if and when such affliction comes to us.
Please hear me. Now I want us to come to a key concept that undergirds everything we have talked about this morning. Notice that verse 29 begins with the word “for.” You could translate it “because.” The reason you won’t be frightened by your adversaries and will be able to stand firm and contend for the faith of the gospel with your fellow-believers, thus living a life worthy of the gospel, is THIS… Here it is. This is the attitude that must undergird this kind of life. Verse 29, “Because unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.”
Brothers and sisters, this is the gift. Don’t miss those words “it is given.” This isn’t the normal Greek word for “give.” No, this is the word whose root is “grace.” This is given to you as a gift of grace. God has graciously given you a present. Now let me ask you a question: What kind of gift of grace would be given to a son or daughter by a God as magnificent and holy and gracious and loving as our Lord? Matt. 7:11, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” He even gives good gifts, when we don’t ask! James 1:17, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
So what is the gift? “Not only to believe on him…” Let’s stop right there. Before he unveils the gift, Paul reminds us of another gift of grace that we have been given. We were gifted to believe on Him. “For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). We didn’t just decide to believe on Jesus Christ; it was a gift of grace from God Himself.
Suppose it is your birthday and a loved one has presented you with a beautifully wrapped gift. When you open it, you discover that there are two gifts. You thought it was one gift, but it is two. So it is with Christ. It is not only a gift of grace to believe on Him, but it is also a gift of grace to suffer for His sake. Suffering for Christ is a gift of grace from our loving God. Until we understand this truth and embrace it, how can we stand firm and earnestly contend together for the gospel, while we are opposed by our adversaries? Until we see suffering for Christ as a gift, we will fight against it. Picture yourself standing in the presence of your Lord. He is handing you a gift, but you keep pushing it away. “Lord, I want you, but I don’t want this gift that you are giving me.”
Do you see how important this truth is? This is why from time to time I warn you against false teachers, many of whom preach on various religious TV networks. They are telling you that God wants you to have plenty and be happy and comfortable, but when have they told you that suffering for Christ is a gift of grace that you must embrace with your whole heart?
When we see suffering for Christ as a gift of grace, we will not be frightened by our adversaries. Instead, their opposition will only confirm that we do indeed belong to the Lord. Things are playing out just as the Lord told us in His Word. We are contending for the faith; they are opposing us; we rejoice that we are able to suffer for His holy name. The Holy Spirit moved Peter to put it this way in 1 Pet 4:12-13, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13. But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy." Don’t be surprised by fiery trials, but rejoice that you can share in the sufferings of Christ. This is what Paul is talking about in Phil. 3:10, when he says, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable to his death.”
Paul was not asking his brothers and sisters to embrace an attitude that was foreign to him. In verse 30 we see that the apostle calls attention to his own trials. “Having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear to be in me.” “Conflict” is the translation of that word “anonia.” It speaks of the fight that Paul was waging, a fight that brought much suffering and affliction. They saw the opposition to Paul when he was in Philippi years earlier, and now they were hearing about his afflictions in Rome. Paul was asking them to continue joining him in a life of not only trusting Christ, but suffering with Him as well.
Conclusion
You might say, “But I didn’t know about this when I repented and put my faith in Jesus.” Remember what the kingdom of heaven is like. Matt. 13:44, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field." Isn’t the treasure you found worth anything and everything? When you came to Christ, didn’t you believe that He was worth everything you would ever have to give up, everything you would have to face in the future? The problem is this: the enemy has gradually and smoothly worn down our resistance and slipped little lies into our thinking, just as he did with Adam and Eve. Gradually, our minds are corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ (II Cor. 11:2-3).
This morning it is my prayer that the Spirit of God would strike a blow for freedom in our individual lives and in the life of this church. It is my prayer that the people of God will embrace the truth of God and receive suffering for Christ as a gift of grace from a loving Father. As the Lord’s representative this morning, I am asking you to do just that. I am pleading with you to consciously receive this gift of grace from your Lord.
Perhaps some of you feel a bit betrayed by your Lord, kind of like the situation with my little gift at the start of the service. You kind of feel like this suffering for Christ is something you didn’t bargain for. Look at it this way. When Fred stepped into that box, into that prison cell, who stepped in there with him? When a Christian steps into the cell of suffering, who goes with him? The rest of the world was shut out. That world that tempts him and sometimes overcomes him is shut out, and he is shut in with Christ. If we do not see that, it is because we have set up our own goals, goals which have more to do with comfort and temporary happiness than with living a life worthy of the gospel. Do you see? If suffering for Christ appears to you as a great burden that is unfair, it is because you have been deceived. You have lost sight of the goal – living a life worthy of the gospel. You have forgotten what your true treasure is, the Lord Jesus Christ.
As we bow in prayer, would you receive this suffering for Christ as a gift of grace? Don’t think you can avoid the choice. How can you reject the gift without rejecting the giver?
Silent Prayer
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Living Dangerously -- 11/1/09
Sunday, November 1, 2009
LIVING DANGEROUSLY
Phil. 1:19-26
None of you knew me when I was in high school. Those were precious years in my life. I knew the Lord Jesus and He was working in my life. On the other hand, there were things that had become so established in me by the time I was 14 years old that undoing them has taken a long time. Though some of you might have a hard time believing it, I was a straight “A” student. Believe me, I am not boasting; this was a great weakness that would plague me for many years. I had a reputation and I defended it vigorously. That is called pride, and it is sin. Period. And sin has consequences.
Because I had a reputation to defend and was so addicted to getting my “A’s,” certain limitations were placed on me. I found myself steering away from certain classes, if I thought I might not be able to get an “A” in that class. It wasn’t that I was lazy. I took algebra, geometry, calculus, biology, chemistry, physics, and some difficult English classes. I knew myself pretty well. I knew that in any of those classes, if I worked hard enough, I could get an “A.” I was a person of reasonable intelligence and I knew how to study. But there was one class that I had a desire to take. It was “chorus” … you know, “choir.” I really wanted to take that class. After I had come to know the Lord, I really liked music. I liked to sing and I tinkered with the piano. There was one big problem – I wasn’t sure I could get an “A” in that class. It wasn’t that I couldn’t carry a tune, but I didn’t know how good you had to be to get an “A.” I knew it wasn’t something I could do better at just because I studied hard, and intelligence didn’t seem to have much to do with it either. Final result – I never took the class. I played it safe, and I got my “A’s.” My reputation was not soiled, but I was poorer because I wouldn’t take the risk of not getting an “A.” I never experienced some things because I was afraid and chose to play it safe.
As I shared with many of you Wednesday evening, our theme for November is simply “Living Dangerously.” I’m not talking about the physical realm. I am not referring to riding scary roller coasters or driving a car at a high rate of speed. No, I’m not talking about jumping off bridges and fighting dangerous animals. Rather, I want us to confront the danger of playing it safe in our spiritual lives. I don’t have all the answers, but I confess that I have spent far too much of my life with Christ playing it safe. And some of you are just like I am. So by God’s grace, we are going to prayerfully explore the subject of living dangerously.
What better place to start than with this passage in Philippians. This morning we are going to be looking at Phil. 1:19-26. We will continue to look at the life of a man who lived dangerously, and that man was the apostle Paul. Let’s read Phil. 1:19-26…
For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20. According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. 21. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. 23. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: 24. Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. 25. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; 26. That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.
Just in case you missed it somewhere, Paul was writing from prison to his Christian brothers and sisters in Philippi. But he wasn’t griping and complaining. Rather, he was rejoicing that the gospel was being advanced and that Christ was being preached. God was actually using his imprisonment as a way to cut a new path for the good news of Christ. Even though there were some who were preaching Christ in order to make things more difficult for the apostle, Paul’s attitude was simply: “As long as Christ is preached, I rejoice and will continue to rejoice.”
That is where we take it up this morning. We are going to tie our thinking to some phrases that Paul used. In verse 19 “my salvation.” In verse 20 “my earnest expectation and my hope.” And although we don’t find the exact phrase in verse 21, the idea is “my life.” My salvation, my expectation and hope, my life.
I. My Salvation… through prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ
Notice the connection between the words at the end of verse 18 and what we then find in verse 19… “Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” Paul connects his future rejoicing with the knowledge that this shall turn to his salvation. That raises a few questions that we must examine.
Paul says that “this shall turn to my salvation.” This what? What does he mean by “this”? It isn’t clear. I think it best to understand “this” to refer to Paul’s present situation in its entirety. He is confident that this whole set of circumstances will turn out for his salvation. That raises a second question: what does he mean by “salvation”? He certainly isn’t talking about redemption, about being saved in the sense of Eph. 2:8. So what is this salvation or deliverance of which he is speaking? At first, we might think that he is talking about being delivered from prison. The only problem with that is that the following verses indicate that this salvation will be accomplished regardless of the verdict in court. In the context, it seems Paul is saying that he will be saved from disgracing Christ and the gospel in any way. He will be saved in the sense that he will be fully vindicated in his stand for Christ.
That isn’t the whole story. Notice that this will happen through their prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Read it again in verse 19, “For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” If his salvation is his continued witness for Christ without disgracing the gospel, then we should understand that Paul’s Christian brothers and sisters were not just praying for his release. Release from prison was not the salvation he was talking about. If they were encouraged to preach Christ because of the way his imprisonment for Jesus’ sake was advancing the gospel, then they would be willing to join him in praying that the gospel would continue to advance. They couldn’t just pray that Paul be released.
On the surface, it would seem that their prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ are linked too closely together. How could there be any comparison between human prayer and the divine supply of the Spirit? If Paul had the help of the Spirit, what value was there in the prayers of his brothers and sisters? We see here that Paul links them very closely together, and so he should. God has chosen to use the prayers of His people. We may not understand that, but it is a truth of scripture. They prayed, and the help of the Spirit was supplied.
There may be a link between what Paul says here and what Jesus said in Matt. 10:16-20…
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 17. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; 18. And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 19. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. 20. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
This may be some of what Paul is talking about when he speaks of the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Remember that he in prison waiting for a trial. It is obvious that Paul is not consumed by what is going to happen at that trial; he is consumed by Christ and the gospel.
II. My Expectation and Hope… that Christ be magnified
Now let’s read verse 19 together with verse 20…
For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20. According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
As Paul is thinking about this salvation through their prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, he links it with his earnest expectation and his hope. And what was his earnest expectation and his hope? That in nothing he would be ashamed. Perhaps more likely, “that in nothing I shall be put to shame.” Paul was not worried about his own reputation. He was thinking of his testimony for Christ. We see this clearly in the rest of the verse. He didn’t want to bring shame upon Christ in any way.
That is the negative side of his expectation and hope, but what is the positive side? “But that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body.” He longs for Christ to be magnified through him. “Body” certainly includes the physical flesh, but it goes beyond that to include the whole person. This magnifying of Christ through Paul must include his boldness. Paul has been bold in the past, and he longs for that to continue. This word “boldness” is not the same word that is translated “bold” in verse 14. This is that word that is used a number of times in the New Testament and literally refers to freedom in speaking. It doesn’t give the idea of cockiness or forcefulness. We often think of bold as the person who comes on strong. That isn’t what this word conveys. The idea is simply that Paul be able to say what he needs to say without any hindrance. That will be a big part of Christ being magnified in him.
Paul could have spoken of Christ being glorified in him, but he didn’t. It is interesting that he uses the word “magnify.” Do you know what the actual Greek word means? It means “to magnify, to make large, to enlarge.” Part of the word is “mega,” which we use very freely in our Enlgish language to speak of something that is huge. So Paul’s expectation and hope is that Christ be magnified in him.
Does anyone have a magnifying glass? (Have someone bring out the huge magnifying glass, the one made with a hula hoop). Let’s take a look at this picture (projected on the screen). Now let’s put it under the magnifying glass (put the magnifying glass up and enlarge the picture at the same time). Isn’t it amazing how much larger it is once we look at it through the magnifying glass! At first, you notice the magnifying glass, but the more you study the actual item under the glass, the less attention you pay to that magnifying glass.
This is exactly what Paul was confidently expecting to happen – that Christ would be seen larger as people looked at Paul. His desire was that their attention be turned away from Paul to Christ Himself. Isn’t that beautiful? Isn’t that what we long for? We don’t want people to see us as large. Rather, we want them to notice us less and less and be captivated by Christ. We want Jesus to become larger and larger for them. It reminds me of what John the Baptist said about Jesus: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). In a moment, we are going to look at what is necessary for that to happen.
By the way, that phrase “earnest expectation” is the translation of a single word that is rich in meaning. It is actually a compound word made up of “from,” “head,” and “to watch.” It pictures a person watching with head outstretched and attention focused. This desire that Christ be magnified was no small thing for Paul. It wasn’t a wish; it was his hope, his confident expectation. He waited eagerly to see it happen, to see Christ magnified in him.
We must not overlook the last words of verse 20, “whether it be by life or by death.” Paul did not know exactly how Christ would be magnified in him. The truth is that it didn’t matter. Paul didn’t pray, “Father, magnify your Son in me by showing your power in getting me out of prison.” No. Rather, “Magnify your Son in me regardless of what happens to me. It doesn’t matter whether I live or die.” Do you see? Paul was just the magnifying glass; he was expendable. The only thing that mattered was that Christ was magnified. If that could best be down through his life, praise God. If it could be best done through his death, praise God.
III. My Life… Christ Himself
Now we come to verse 21, where we find those words that many of you know well, “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” The word “for” (because) connects verse 21 closely with what we just read in verse 20. Why is it that Paul is confident that Christ will be magnified in his body, whether by life or by death? It is because for Paul, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Do you see the connection? Christ will not be magnified in my body unless it can be said truthfully: “For Ron, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Brothers and sisters, this isn’t an attitude for an apostle; this is the attitude for believers, for all the children of God. “To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” But what exactly is meant by that little and well-known phrase?
To live is Christ. Paul writes these words in Col. 3:1-4…
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
If you have been raised with Christ, then you died with Him and you are hidden with Him in God. Indeed, Christ is your very life. You are not your own; you have been bought with a price, with the precious blood of Christ. Christ is your life. In terms of the Philippian letter, you are able to do all things through Christ, who strengthens you (4:13). You have the mind of Christ (2:5). You long to know more of Him in personal experience, being eager even to suffer with Him (Phil. 3:10). You rejoice in Him (3:1, 4:4). To live is Christ.
BUT we do have an enemy who is working hard to deceive us into thinking that our lives are our own, that living this kind of sold-out life is optional. It’s a lie. This “my life is Christ” attitude is our spiritual heritage. No one on earth can be like this except the child of God, the one who has been redeemed by the blood of Christ, justified through His death and resurrection. We and we alone can say, “To me, to live is Christ.” May God give us grace to claim this great spiritual privilege.
Paul didn’t know exactly what the future held. In verses 22-26 he weighs the future carefully, wondering out loud what might await him. Let’s read it again (22-26)…
But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. 23. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: 24. Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. 25. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; 26. That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.
In the language of my background, Paul was between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, to depart and be with Christ was the better of the two options. Here we see the second part of what he said in verse 21 – “to die is gain.” Death would not be a loss for Paul. Why not? Why did he feel like the most desirable option would be to depart and be with Christ? Because he would indeed be with Christ. As he put it in II Cor. 5, he would be absent from the body and present with the Lord. He would no longer have any hindrance in his fellowship with Christ. As we read in Matt. 25, he would then enter into the joy of his Lord. He would know fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore.
Please take note of something at this point. There is disagreement among Christians concerning what happens after death. Some believe that the Christian will go to sleep and won’t wake up again until Christ returns. However, it seems quite clear from this passage that Paul was anticipating immediate fellowship with Christ. It is hard to imagine Paul, who was inspired by the Holy Spirit, writing like this, if this joyous fellowship with Christ was going to begin in a few thousand years. He was looking forward to being with Jesus as soon as he departed from this world.
By the way, that word “depart” is another term with rich meaning. It was used to speak of a ship that had been loosed from the dock to sail the wide seas. It was also used to speak of a military unit breaking camp. Literally, it means “loosing away upward.” We might think of a hot air balloon being loosed from its tethering to do what it was designed to do – fly through the bright blue skies. Paul was looking forward to being released from this world to do what he was designed to do – fellowship with his Lord Jesus. As one author put it, “Death is gain because it brings more of Christ to Paul, and more of Paul to Christ” (William Hendricksen, Philippians, p. 76).
Also notice where Paul’s focus is. While it is certainly true that departing this life will mean the end of sorrow and pain for the Christian, that wasn’t what Paul emphasized. Rather, he was caught up with the thought of being with the Lord Jesus Christ. Let the Lord examine your own heart. Are you longing for the end of sorrow and pain and tears and anxiety, etc.? That is certainly understandable, but if we aren’t careful, those longings will choke out our anticipation of being with our Lord. Being with Christ is a thousand times more important than being rid of all those other things. Yes, I know they go together, but Paul reminds of what is the proper focus. It is Christ.
Though to depart and be with Christ is the option that is “far more better” (a piling up of the comparative terms), Paul realizes that there is also a need for him to remain with the believers. That is why he said, “Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.” If he remains in this world, there will be more fruit for his labor. The Lord will continue to use him for His glory. The choice between these two options is so difficult, that he declines to make known which he would choose.
Ultimately, it wasn’t Paul’s choice. As he thought on these things, he says in verse 25 that he is confident the Lord is going to leave him in this world so that he might continue to strengthen the faith and joy of his brothers and sisters. Some have concluded that there must have been a preliminary hearing in which it was indicated that Paul would likely be set free. However, I believe that is unnecessary speculation. The Lord had spoken to Paul directly on more than one occasion and was certainly capable of showing him that he would remain on the earth to minister to believers. How the Lord showed him this we are not told. Not only was he confident that he would be released from prison, but he spoke openly of seeing the Philippians again (26). And what a great time of rejoicing that would be.
Again, let’s emphasize the great truth here. If we want Christ to be magnified through us, then we must live the life that says clearly: “To live is Christ and to die is gain.” Don’t view this as some kind of moral obligation. This is our privilege. We can live like this. This is the Christian life. Some of you brothers will ask the standard question: But how do we do that? Just be who you are. Just live in Christ. Surely that isn’t difficult, because Christ is your life. Your sphere of life is not the world, but Christ.
Conclusion
Two weeks ago we looked rather intently at Phil. 1:12-13 under the title, “The Gospel on the Move.” Let me read those verses again (12-13)… "But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; 13. So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places." I commented that there is nothing more certain than the fact that things happen to us, just like things happened to Paul. I went on to say that we can’t control the things that happen to us. While that is true, I must admit that we can have a certain amount of influence on the things that happen to us.
Let me show you what I mean by giving you a biblical example from Paul’s own life. Go back a few years to the time before Paul had been arrested in Jerusalem. Please turn to Acts 21. At the time, Paul and his associates were in Caesarea. Let’s pick up the story in Acts 21:10-14…
And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus. 11. And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. 12. And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13. Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. 14. And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done.
Paul’s friends feared for his safety, even for his life. They were well aware that Paul had many enemies. And now a prophet of God, claiming to speak by the authority of the Holy Spirit of God, is telling Paul and the rest of them that this apostle is going to be taken by the Jews and delivered over to the Gentiles. Immediately, they tried to talk Paul out of going up to Jerusalem. If Paul wanted to be safe, it certainly seemed that he should avoid Jerusalem at all costs. Notice his response. He wasn’t harsh. He didn’t contradict the prophet. He didn’t proudly say, “You stay out of my business; I’ll do what I think best.” Instead, with great tenderness, he reminded his precious brothers and sisters in Christ that he was willing not only to be arrested and jailed, but he was willing to die for the name of Jesus. They were not giving Paul any kind of biblical counsel; they were simply afraid for him. They didn’t want anything to happen to Paul. But even then, Paul wanted Christ to be magnified in him, whether it be by life or by death.
Paul could have tried to control what might happen to him. In other words, he could have played it safe. If he would just change his itinerary and maybe soften his stand for Christ a bit, surely things would go better for him. It is clear that Paul had enemies because they didn’t like what he preached about Jesus. Couldn’t he just be content to settle down in one place and encourage the Christians in place to serve the Lord? Only if that was God’s will for him, and he was convinced it was not. Paul refused to play it safe. He would not try to control what happened to him, because that would interfere with his earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing he should be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ should be
magnified in his body, whether it be by life or by death.
Paul lived dangerously. It was a dangerous thing for a man of his background to proclaim Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah. Brothers and sisters, it is still a dangerous thing to live Christ and declare Him to be the Savior of the world. It is a dangerous thing to proclaim the truth of God’s Word, not only that Christ is the Savior, but that judgment is coming. That is why this same Paul said bluntly that all who want to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (II Tim. 3:12). You may well be able to avoid that persecution, if you just play it safe. But is that what you want? Or do you want to rejoice that you are counted worthy to suffer shame for His name? (Acts 5:41).
You don’t have to be an apostle 2,000 years ago to live dangerously. God calls all of His children to live dangerously in this present age. That is the theme we are going to be exploring in November. I challenge you to come tonight, as we begin to do just that. Don’t play it safe and stay home. Let other things go and join us, as we learn and pray about how to live dangerously for the glory of God.
LIVING DANGEROUSLY
Phil. 1:19-26
None of you knew me when I was in high school. Those were precious years in my life. I knew the Lord Jesus and He was working in my life. On the other hand, there were things that had become so established in me by the time I was 14 years old that undoing them has taken a long time. Though some of you might have a hard time believing it, I was a straight “A” student. Believe me, I am not boasting; this was a great weakness that would plague me for many years. I had a reputation and I defended it vigorously. That is called pride, and it is sin. Period. And sin has consequences.
Because I had a reputation to defend and was so addicted to getting my “A’s,” certain limitations were placed on me. I found myself steering away from certain classes, if I thought I might not be able to get an “A” in that class. It wasn’t that I was lazy. I took algebra, geometry, calculus, biology, chemistry, physics, and some difficult English classes. I knew myself pretty well. I knew that in any of those classes, if I worked hard enough, I could get an “A.” I was a person of reasonable intelligence and I knew how to study. But there was one class that I had a desire to take. It was “chorus” … you know, “choir.” I really wanted to take that class. After I had come to know the Lord, I really liked music. I liked to sing and I tinkered with the piano. There was one big problem – I wasn’t sure I could get an “A” in that class. It wasn’t that I couldn’t carry a tune, but I didn’t know how good you had to be to get an “A.” I knew it wasn’t something I could do better at just because I studied hard, and intelligence didn’t seem to have much to do with it either. Final result – I never took the class. I played it safe, and I got my “A’s.” My reputation was not soiled, but I was poorer because I wouldn’t take the risk of not getting an “A.” I never experienced some things because I was afraid and chose to play it safe.
As I shared with many of you Wednesday evening, our theme for November is simply “Living Dangerously.” I’m not talking about the physical realm. I am not referring to riding scary roller coasters or driving a car at a high rate of speed. No, I’m not talking about jumping off bridges and fighting dangerous animals. Rather, I want us to confront the danger of playing it safe in our spiritual lives. I don’t have all the answers, but I confess that I have spent far too much of my life with Christ playing it safe. And some of you are just like I am. So by God’s grace, we are going to prayerfully explore the subject of living dangerously.
What better place to start than with this passage in Philippians. This morning we are going to be looking at Phil. 1:19-26. We will continue to look at the life of a man who lived dangerously, and that man was the apostle Paul. Let’s read Phil. 1:19-26…
For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20. According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. 21. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. 23. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: 24. Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. 25. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; 26. That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.
Just in case you missed it somewhere, Paul was writing from prison to his Christian brothers and sisters in Philippi. But he wasn’t griping and complaining. Rather, he was rejoicing that the gospel was being advanced and that Christ was being preached. God was actually using his imprisonment as a way to cut a new path for the good news of Christ. Even though there were some who were preaching Christ in order to make things more difficult for the apostle, Paul’s attitude was simply: “As long as Christ is preached, I rejoice and will continue to rejoice.”
That is where we take it up this morning. We are going to tie our thinking to some phrases that Paul used. In verse 19 “my salvation.” In verse 20 “my earnest expectation and my hope.” And although we don’t find the exact phrase in verse 21, the idea is “my life.” My salvation, my expectation and hope, my life.
I. My Salvation… through prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ
Notice the connection between the words at the end of verse 18 and what we then find in verse 19… “Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” Paul connects his future rejoicing with the knowledge that this shall turn to his salvation. That raises a few questions that we must examine.
Paul says that “this shall turn to my salvation.” This what? What does he mean by “this”? It isn’t clear. I think it best to understand “this” to refer to Paul’s present situation in its entirety. He is confident that this whole set of circumstances will turn out for his salvation. That raises a second question: what does he mean by “salvation”? He certainly isn’t talking about redemption, about being saved in the sense of Eph. 2:8. So what is this salvation or deliverance of which he is speaking? At first, we might think that he is talking about being delivered from prison. The only problem with that is that the following verses indicate that this salvation will be accomplished regardless of the verdict in court. In the context, it seems Paul is saying that he will be saved from disgracing Christ and the gospel in any way. He will be saved in the sense that he will be fully vindicated in his stand for Christ.
That isn’t the whole story. Notice that this will happen through their prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Read it again in verse 19, “For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” If his salvation is his continued witness for Christ without disgracing the gospel, then we should understand that Paul’s Christian brothers and sisters were not just praying for his release. Release from prison was not the salvation he was talking about. If they were encouraged to preach Christ because of the way his imprisonment for Jesus’ sake was advancing the gospel, then they would be willing to join him in praying that the gospel would continue to advance. They couldn’t just pray that Paul be released.
On the surface, it would seem that their prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ are linked too closely together. How could there be any comparison between human prayer and the divine supply of the Spirit? If Paul had the help of the Spirit, what value was there in the prayers of his brothers and sisters? We see here that Paul links them very closely together, and so he should. God has chosen to use the prayers of His people. We may not understand that, but it is a truth of scripture. They prayed, and the help of the Spirit was supplied.
There may be a link between what Paul says here and what Jesus said in Matt. 10:16-20…
Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 17. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; 18. And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 19. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. 20. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
This may be some of what Paul is talking about when he speaks of the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Remember that he in prison waiting for a trial. It is obvious that Paul is not consumed by what is going to happen at that trial; he is consumed by Christ and the gospel.
II. My Expectation and Hope… that Christ be magnified
Now let’s read verse 19 together with verse 20…
For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20. According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.
As Paul is thinking about this salvation through their prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, he links it with his earnest expectation and his hope. And what was his earnest expectation and his hope? That in nothing he would be ashamed. Perhaps more likely, “that in nothing I shall be put to shame.” Paul was not worried about his own reputation. He was thinking of his testimony for Christ. We see this clearly in the rest of the verse. He didn’t want to bring shame upon Christ in any way.
That is the negative side of his expectation and hope, but what is the positive side? “But that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body.” He longs for Christ to be magnified through him. “Body” certainly includes the physical flesh, but it goes beyond that to include the whole person. This magnifying of Christ through Paul must include his boldness. Paul has been bold in the past, and he longs for that to continue. This word “boldness” is not the same word that is translated “bold” in verse 14. This is that word that is used a number of times in the New Testament and literally refers to freedom in speaking. It doesn’t give the idea of cockiness or forcefulness. We often think of bold as the person who comes on strong. That isn’t what this word conveys. The idea is simply that Paul be able to say what he needs to say without any hindrance. That will be a big part of Christ being magnified in him.
Paul could have spoken of Christ being glorified in him, but he didn’t. It is interesting that he uses the word “magnify.” Do you know what the actual Greek word means? It means “to magnify, to make large, to enlarge.” Part of the word is “mega,” which we use very freely in our Enlgish language to speak of something that is huge. So Paul’s expectation and hope is that Christ be magnified in him.
Does anyone have a magnifying glass? (Have someone bring out the huge magnifying glass, the one made with a hula hoop). Let’s take a look at this picture (projected on the screen). Now let’s put it under the magnifying glass (put the magnifying glass up and enlarge the picture at the same time). Isn’t it amazing how much larger it is once we look at it through the magnifying glass! At first, you notice the magnifying glass, but the more you study the actual item under the glass, the less attention you pay to that magnifying glass.
This is exactly what Paul was confidently expecting to happen – that Christ would be seen larger as people looked at Paul. His desire was that their attention be turned away from Paul to Christ Himself. Isn’t that beautiful? Isn’t that what we long for? We don’t want people to see us as large. Rather, we want them to notice us less and less and be captivated by Christ. We want Jesus to become larger and larger for them. It reminds me of what John the Baptist said about Jesus: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). In a moment, we are going to look at what is necessary for that to happen.
By the way, that phrase “earnest expectation” is the translation of a single word that is rich in meaning. It is actually a compound word made up of “from,” “head,” and “to watch.” It pictures a person watching with head outstretched and attention focused. This desire that Christ be magnified was no small thing for Paul. It wasn’t a wish; it was his hope, his confident expectation. He waited eagerly to see it happen, to see Christ magnified in him.
We must not overlook the last words of verse 20, “whether it be by life or by death.” Paul did not know exactly how Christ would be magnified in him. The truth is that it didn’t matter. Paul didn’t pray, “Father, magnify your Son in me by showing your power in getting me out of prison.” No. Rather, “Magnify your Son in me regardless of what happens to me. It doesn’t matter whether I live or die.” Do you see? Paul was just the magnifying glass; he was expendable. The only thing that mattered was that Christ was magnified. If that could best be down through his life, praise God. If it could be best done through his death, praise God.
III. My Life… Christ Himself
Now we come to verse 21, where we find those words that many of you know well, “For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” The word “for” (because) connects verse 21 closely with what we just read in verse 20. Why is it that Paul is confident that Christ will be magnified in his body, whether by life or by death? It is because for Paul, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Do you see the connection? Christ will not be magnified in my body unless it can be said truthfully: “For Ron, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Brothers and sisters, this isn’t an attitude for an apostle; this is the attitude for believers, for all the children of God. “To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” But what exactly is meant by that little and well-known phrase?
To live is Christ. Paul writes these words in Col. 3:1-4…
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
If you have been raised with Christ, then you died with Him and you are hidden with Him in God. Indeed, Christ is your very life. You are not your own; you have been bought with a price, with the precious blood of Christ. Christ is your life. In terms of the Philippian letter, you are able to do all things through Christ, who strengthens you (4:13). You have the mind of Christ (2:5). You long to know more of Him in personal experience, being eager even to suffer with Him (Phil. 3:10). You rejoice in Him (3:1, 4:4). To live is Christ.
BUT we do have an enemy who is working hard to deceive us into thinking that our lives are our own, that living this kind of sold-out life is optional. It’s a lie. This “my life is Christ” attitude is our spiritual heritage. No one on earth can be like this except the child of God, the one who has been redeemed by the blood of Christ, justified through His death and resurrection. We and we alone can say, “To me, to live is Christ.” May God give us grace to claim this great spiritual privilege.
Paul didn’t know exactly what the future held. In verses 22-26 he weighs the future carefully, wondering out loud what might await him. Let’s read it again (22-26)…
But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour: yet what I shall choose I wot not. 23. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: 24. Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you. 25. And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith; 26. That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.
In the language of my background, Paul was between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, to depart and be with Christ was the better of the two options. Here we see the second part of what he said in verse 21 – “to die is gain.” Death would not be a loss for Paul. Why not? Why did he feel like the most desirable option would be to depart and be with Christ? Because he would indeed be with Christ. As he put it in II Cor. 5, he would be absent from the body and present with the Lord. He would no longer have any hindrance in his fellowship with Christ. As we read in Matt. 25, he would then enter into the joy of his Lord. He would know fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore.
Please take note of something at this point. There is disagreement among Christians concerning what happens after death. Some believe that the Christian will go to sleep and won’t wake up again until Christ returns. However, it seems quite clear from this passage that Paul was anticipating immediate fellowship with Christ. It is hard to imagine Paul, who was inspired by the Holy Spirit, writing like this, if this joyous fellowship with Christ was going to begin in a few thousand years. He was looking forward to being with Jesus as soon as he departed from this world.
By the way, that word “depart” is another term with rich meaning. It was used to speak of a ship that had been loosed from the dock to sail the wide seas. It was also used to speak of a military unit breaking camp. Literally, it means “loosing away upward.” We might think of a hot air balloon being loosed from its tethering to do what it was designed to do – fly through the bright blue skies. Paul was looking forward to being released from this world to do what he was designed to do – fellowship with his Lord Jesus. As one author put it, “Death is gain because it brings more of Christ to Paul, and more of Paul to Christ” (William Hendricksen, Philippians, p. 76).
Also notice where Paul’s focus is. While it is certainly true that departing this life will mean the end of sorrow and pain for the Christian, that wasn’t what Paul emphasized. Rather, he was caught up with the thought of being with the Lord Jesus Christ. Let the Lord examine your own heart. Are you longing for the end of sorrow and pain and tears and anxiety, etc.? That is certainly understandable, but if we aren’t careful, those longings will choke out our anticipation of being with our Lord. Being with Christ is a thousand times more important than being rid of all those other things. Yes, I know they go together, but Paul reminds of what is the proper focus. It is Christ.
Though to depart and be with Christ is the option that is “far more better” (a piling up of the comparative terms), Paul realizes that there is also a need for him to remain with the believers. That is why he said, “Nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.” If he remains in this world, there will be more fruit for his labor. The Lord will continue to use him for His glory. The choice between these two options is so difficult, that he declines to make known which he would choose.
Ultimately, it wasn’t Paul’s choice. As he thought on these things, he says in verse 25 that he is confident the Lord is going to leave him in this world so that he might continue to strengthen the faith and joy of his brothers and sisters. Some have concluded that there must have been a preliminary hearing in which it was indicated that Paul would likely be set free. However, I believe that is unnecessary speculation. The Lord had spoken to Paul directly on more than one occasion and was certainly capable of showing him that he would remain on the earth to minister to believers. How the Lord showed him this we are not told. Not only was he confident that he would be released from prison, but he spoke openly of seeing the Philippians again (26). And what a great time of rejoicing that would be.
Again, let’s emphasize the great truth here. If we want Christ to be magnified through us, then we must live the life that says clearly: “To live is Christ and to die is gain.” Don’t view this as some kind of moral obligation. This is our privilege. We can live like this. This is the Christian life. Some of you brothers will ask the standard question: But how do we do that? Just be who you are. Just live in Christ. Surely that isn’t difficult, because Christ is your life. Your sphere of life is not the world, but Christ.
Conclusion
Two weeks ago we looked rather intently at Phil. 1:12-13 under the title, “The Gospel on the Move.” Let me read those verses again (12-13)… "But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel; 13. So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places." I commented that there is nothing more certain than the fact that things happen to us, just like things happened to Paul. I went on to say that we can’t control the things that happen to us. While that is true, I must admit that we can have a certain amount of influence on the things that happen to us.
Let me show you what I mean by giving you a biblical example from Paul’s own life. Go back a few years to the time before Paul had been arrested in Jerusalem. Please turn to Acts 21. At the time, Paul and his associates were in Caesarea. Let’s pick up the story in Acts 21:10-14…
And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus. 11. And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. 12. And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13. Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. 14. And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done.
Paul’s friends feared for his safety, even for his life. They were well aware that Paul had many enemies. And now a prophet of God, claiming to speak by the authority of the Holy Spirit of God, is telling Paul and the rest of them that this apostle is going to be taken by the Jews and delivered over to the Gentiles. Immediately, they tried to talk Paul out of going up to Jerusalem. If Paul wanted to be safe, it certainly seemed that he should avoid Jerusalem at all costs. Notice his response. He wasn’t harsh. He didn’t contradict the prophet. He didn’t proudly say, “You stay out of my business; I’ll do what I think best.” Instead, with great tenderness, he reminded his precious brothers and sisters in Christ that he was willing not only to be arrested and jailed, but he was willing to die for the name of Jesus. They were not giving Paul any kind of biblical counsel; they were simply afraid for him. They didn’t want anything to happen to Paul. But even then, Paul wanted Christ to be magnified in him, whether it be by life or by death.
Paul could have tried to control what might happen to him. In other words, he could have played it safe. If he would just change his itinerary and maybe soften his stand for Christ a bit, surely things would go better for him. It is clear that Paul had enemies because they didn’t like what he preached about Jesus. Couldn’t he just be content to settle down in one place and encourage the Christians in place to serve the Lord? Only if that was God’s will for him, and he was convinced it was not. Paul refused to play it safe. He would not try to control what happened to him, because that would interfere with his earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing he should be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ should be
magnified in his body, whether it be by life or by death.
Paul lived dangerously. It was a dangerous thing for a man of his background to proclaim Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah. Brothers and sisters, it is still a dangerous thing to live Christ and declare Him to be the Savior of the world. It is a dangerous thing to proclaim the truth of God’s Word, not only that Christ is the Savior, but that judgment is coming. That is why this same Paul said bluntly that all who want to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (II Tim. 3:12). You may well be able to avoid that persecution, if you just play it safe. But is that what you want? Or do you want to rejoice that you are counted worthy to suffer shame for His name? (Acts 5:41).
You don’t have to be an apostle 2,000 years ago to live dangerously. God calls all of His children to live dangerously in this present age. That is the theme we are going to be exploring in November. I challenge you to come tonight, as we begin to do just that. Don’t play it safe and stay home. Let other things go and join us, as we learn and pray about how to live dangerously for the glory of God.
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