JOY/FULL: A GENEROUS AND CONTENT LIFE
(Joy in unity - October 15, 2023)
Series Big Idea: "Because God exalted Jesus, the crucified servant, with the name above every name, knowing Jesus Christ is more joyous and vital than anything else"
Sermon Big Idea: “Having the attitude of Christ is the key to Christian unity"
Key Scripture (Philippians 2:1-5)
I found this illustration a pastor gave once concerning unity. “An ad in the Lawrence, Kansas, Journal- World, purported: “We will oil your sewing machine and adjust the tension in your home for only $1.” (In Reader’s Digest [5/85], p. 190.) Who cares if they oil the sewing machine--if only someone could adjust the tension in our homes, I’ll bet we’d all gladly pay $100!”
We all want our relationships to go smoothly and steadily. We want harmony in our marriages. We yearn for harmony in our relationships with our children. Most certainly, we want harmony in our churches. But do we always experience joy in these? Probably not and that is why I am glad that we have somewhere to turn to lead and guide us through life. Holy Spirit working through the Bible. It was written to real people with real problems.
As we continue to follow the theme of joy through the Book of Philippians, we will see in chapter 2 that Paul is not addressing a perfect church. The problems they experienced were much like what we deal with in our modern day. He is going to help them work through their differences by reminding them why Christians are to be like-minded and how to live that out in their daily lives.
(Philippians 2:1-5)
If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy 2 fulfill my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, sharing the same feelings, focusing on one goal. 3 Do nothing out of rivalry or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. 4 Everyone should look out not only for his own interests; but also for the interests of others. 5 Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus,
In our English Bibles the word “if” is used four times in the first verse. Paul could have just as easily formed all these statements as questions, but would it have had the same effect? Not really because his goal was not to get them to question these four things, it was to remind them that each one was present in their lives as followers of Christ. The manner Paul frames (2:1) forces the reader to believe what follows.
All these true “if” statements drive the reader to positively respond to the “then” sentence in verse 2. Paul is encouraging like-mindedness with his argument. If Christ provides encouragement, consolation, camaraderie, and grace why can't Christians get along? Because at times we forget what makes Christian unity possible. He will show in the next two verses what it looks like to be like-minded.
In verses (3-4) Paul gives a negative statement followed by a positive statement twice. Why does he do this? Could it be that he wants to highlight his idea of being like-minded? Sure, he could have just scolded them and said he wanted them to work harder at meeting one another’s needs and look out for the interests of others, but the positive/negative statements highlight his main idea.
Verse 4 is very practical. The words “not only” and “also” are keywords in the sentence. Is Paul saying his readers are to give up their own interests bearing in mind serving others? No. Is one or the other more important? No. He wants us to do both. Don’t miss this. As sinful humans, we typically prioritize our own interests over others! The hard part is to do the one without disregarding the other. We risk burnout or abuse if we don't protect ourselves. But we also contradict Scripture when we ignore others' concerns.
Conclusion:
Even with the people we love, living in like-minded unity is hard. Paul pushes us to keep our behavior consistent with our beliefs. He realistically outlines unity-promoting behavior. Remember that like-minded unity produces Christ's enormous benefits of comfort, affection, fellowship, and compassion. If we follow Paul's advice to get along, we can experience these.
(Verse 5) is the key to how all this happens. We are to make our attitude like that of Jesus Christ. We are reminded in (2:6) that Jesus is God, with all the rights and benefits that come with being God. His heavenly position frames His example. So, what does Jesus do with all this power and authority? Jesus did not exploit His entitlements and didn’t use them to His own advantage. He does not struggle for God's equality. Read (Philippians 2:5-11).
Pastor Beaver's thoughts and ideas are inspired by:
Holman Christian Standard Bible
English Standard Version Bible
King James Version Bible
Christian Standard Bible
Walvoord, John F., and Roy B. Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985.
Richards, Lawrence O. The Bible Reader’s Companion. Electronic ed. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1991.
Barnes, Albert. Notes on the New Testament: Ephesians, Philippians & Colossians. Edited by Robert Frew. London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885.
Hoehner, Harold W., Philip W. Comfort, and Peter H. Davids. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, Philemon. Vol. 16. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2008.
Merida, Tony, and Francis Chan. Exalting Jesus in Philippians. Edited by David Platt, Daniel L. Akin, and Tony Merida. Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2016.
Phillips, John. Exploring Ephesians & Philippians: An Expository Commentary. The John Phillips Commentary Series. Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp., 2009.
Butler, John G. Analytical Bible Expositor: Galatians-Philemon. Clinton, IA: LBC Publications, 2009.
Anders, Max. Galatians-Colossians. Vol. 8. Holman New Testament Commentary. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999.
Easley, Kendell H. Holman QuickSource Guide to Understanding the Bible. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2002.
Hansen, G. Walter. The Letter to the Philippians. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009.
MacArthur, John F., Jr. The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006.
George, Jim. The Basic Bible Pocket Guide: *book by Book Summaries *key Verses *life Applications *life Applications. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2016.
Motyer, J. A. The Message of Philippians. The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1984.
Thielman, Frank. Philippians. The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1995.
Runge, Steven E. High Definition Commentary: Philippians. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2011.
Cole, Steven J. Philippians. Steven J. Cole Commentary Series. Dallas: Galaxie Software, 2017.
Melick, Richard R. Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. Vol. 32. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1991.
Martin, Ralph P. Philippians: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 11. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1987.
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