KEEPING A SWEET, SWEET SPIRIT IN OUR CHURCH--Philippians 2:1-5
Proposition: God will give us a sweet, sweet spirit in our church when we let Him get our heart right and we rejoice in His love and mercy as God’s people.
Objective: My objective is to challenge God’s people to keep a sweet, sweet spirit in our church in the coming year.
INTRODUCTION:
It is interesting to know why a church is named as it is. I heard of these recently: "The Last Generation Baptist Church," Little Hope Baptist Church, Clarksville, TN, Harmony Baptist Church, Freedom Baptist Church, Decoy Baptist Church in Florida, The Church for the Churchless, The Church of Critical Thinking (Critical Speaking), "Knockemstiff Baptist Church." (Knockemstiff is a small community in Ohio). What’s amazing is that many of these arguments that divide the body are not of a doctrinal nature, but about church practice.
Illustration: There is a small town in Tennessee that has a place of worship with a sign in front that reads: "Left Foot Baptist Church." One wondered about the meaning of the name. Eventually he asked somebody in town about its significance. It seems that a number of years ago, there had been a split in the local congregation, which practiced foot-washing. An argument broke out over which foot should be washed first. The group insisting on the left foot taking precedence finally withdrew and started their own church...you guessed it..."The Left Foot Baptist Church."
SWEET, SWEET SPIRIT IN OUR CHURCH--There’s a sweet, sweet spirit in this place
And I know that it’s the spirit of the Lord There are sweet expressions on each face
And I know that it’s the presence of the Lord Sweet Holy Spirit Sweet heavenly dove
Stay right here with us Filling us with your love And for these blessings
We lift our hearts in praise (hearts in praise) Without a doubt we’ll know that we have been revived When we shall leave this place.
Circumstances may cause us to lose our joy, but people can also bring trials that rob us of joy. How many times we lose our peace and joy because of what people say and do. Paul’s triumphant spirit rang out in the first chapter as he pealed the bells of our joy in Christ. In this chapter he introduces other triumphant figures into his letter. He tries to persuade them to put away the partisan spirit like at Rome by sharing of the kind of spirit every Christian should display--the spirit displayed by Christ and others. In this section, he re-emphasizes the necessity of oneness among the brothers and sisters, a quality that is possible only then when there is true lowliness of mind and helpfulness of disposition. People can rob us of our joy. Paul was facing his problems with people at Rome (Phil. 1:15-18) as well as with people in Philippi, and it was the latter who concerned him the most. When Epaphroditus brought a generous gift from the church in Philippi, and good news of the church’s concern for Paul, he also brought the bad news of a possible division in the church family. Apparently there was a double threat to the unity of the church; false teachers coming in from without (Phil. 3:1-3) and disagreeing members within (Phil. 4:1-3). What Euodia (“fragrance”) and Syntyche (“fortunate”) were debating about, Paul does not state.
I. HARMONY: BE LIKE-MINDED (vvs. 1-2) “By being like-minded” “on the same wave length”-- “Thinking the one thing.” Like clocks that strike at the same moment. Paul is saying: "Your disagreements reveal that there is a spiritual problem in your fellowship. It isn’t going to be solved by rules or threats; it’s going to be solved when your hearts are right with Christ and with each other." Paul wanted them to see that the basic cause was selfishness and the cause of selfishness is pride.
Illus: There are 2 ways of being united -- one is by being frozen together, & the other is by being melted together. What Christians need is to be united in brotherly love, & then they may expect to have power. D.L. Moody
1. Motives of spiritual unity (v. 1) “Therefore if”--The meaning is that what he is about to say is grounded, at least in part, on what he has just said. The point is that, “Because we have the divine injunction to be of one mind and spirit (1:27), we must therefore . . .” “If this condition is true, and it is, then . . .” Consequently, the word may also be rendered “because,” “since,” or “so” in order to give a more complete idea of its meaning. The basis of the appeal is:
1). Encouragement: The strength of Christ "If any consolation in Christ"-- Yes, they had been encouraged by their union with Christ. This strength is a practical manifestation of the life that flows from Christ.
2). Experience: The incentive of love “If any comfort of love”—Yes, they had experienced God’s love. God’s love in His people’s hearts produces spiritual unity in their lives.
3). Enjoyment: A fellowship through the Holy Spirit-- "If any fellowship of the Spirit"-- Yes, they had enjoyed the fellowship of God’s Spirit. This is a result of the Spirit’s permanent indwelling ministry (1 Cor. 6:19).
4). Empathy: A heart of compassion “If any affection and compassion”-- One of the Spirit’s ministries is to produce within each believer a concern and love for other members of God’s family. This may be received or rejected by a believer, but the Spirit’s work is a reality and is a basis for spiritual unity.
2. Marks of spiritual unity (v. 2) “Fulfill my joy by being like-minded”-The apostle adds a personal desire: make my joy complete. To so reward a faithful servant of the Lord is a legitimate goal for believers to have. This is the concern of the appeal. This is a satisfying appeal with these marks:
1). A proper consideration "like minded"--Same mind. The mind or inner disposition is basic. This means to think the same thing.
2). A proper comfort "having the same love"—The comfort and encouragement provided by love should prompt the Philippians to join hands in common action.
3). A proper concern "of one accord"--Same heartbeat. The fellowship produced by the Holy Spirit should stimulate the practical exercise of unity. They have been made one by the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13) and thus are partners with him and with each other.
4). A proper concentration "of one mind"--Same goal with a singular purpose. The existence of tenderness and compassion among them would make the unity that was being called for the normal and expected thing.
Illus: Illus: A cartoon shows two boys walking to school, discussing their parents. One of them says to the other one, "I’ve figured out a system for getting along with my Mom. She tells me what to do and I do it."
II. HUMILITY: BE LOWLY-MINDED (vvs. 3-4) “in lowliness of mind”—Unity is impossible if each is out for himself, each is promoting his own cause, and each is seeking his own advantage. Humility is thus not to be confused with false modesty (“I’m no good”). Rather it has to do with a proper estimation of oneself, the stance of the creature before the Creator, utterly dependent and trusting.
1. Unselfishness (v. 3a) “Let nothing be done through selfish
ambition”-- A selfish ambition is an enemy of unity. This includes factions (factious strife, a desire to put one’s self forward and self seeking) and conceit ( a spirit of display, an empty, proud or groundless self esteem when self is at the center).
Illus: "Concentration on self inevitably means elimination of others; and the object of life becomes not to help others but to push them down." William Barclay
2. Unassuming (v. 3b) “or conceit”-- Empty conceit refers to a highly exaggerated self-view, which is nothing but empty conceit. Whereas selfish ambition pursues personal goals, empty conceit seeks personal glory and acclaim. The former pertains to personal accomplishments; the latter to an over-inflated self-image. Understandably, a person with such conceit considers himself always to be right and expects others to agree with him. The only unity he seeks or values is centered on himself.
Illus: Alexander the Great got everything happening his way. He conquered everything and then sat down to cry, because he was so young and there was nothing else to conquer. For people who get everything they want. They have everything, and they don’t know what to do with it.
3. Unequalled (v. 3c) Let each esteem others better than
himself”-- Here one is well aware both of one’s weaknesses and of one’s glory (we are in God’s image, after all) but makes neither too much nor too little of either. True humility is therefore not self-focused at all but rather, as further defined by Paul, considers others better than yourselves. Here is the sure cure for selfish ambition or vain conceit, not to mention “complaining or arguing” (Phil 2:14).
Illus: At the beginning of a New Year, a high school principal decided to post his teachers’ New Year’s resolutions on the bulletin board. As the teachers gathered around the bulletin board, a great commotion started. One of the teachers was complaining. "Why weren’t my resolutions posted?" She was throwing such a temper tantrum that the principal hurried to his office to see if he had overlooked her resolutions. Sure enough, he had mislaid them on his desk. As he read her resolutions he was astounded. This teacher’s first resolution was not to let little things upset her in the New Year.
4. Unforgettable (v. 4) “Look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others”--What Paul means is that our consideration for others must precede concern for ourselves (Rom. 12:10). Humility, not pride, is to be the hallmark of the Christian. Humility is not weakness but strength. If we have a poor self-image and let people run over us, that is weakness. Illus: "Humility is to make a right estimate of oneself." Charles H. Spurgeon
Illus: Little Chad was a shy, quiet young fella. One day he came home and told his mother he’d like to make a valentine for everyone in his class. Her heart sank. She thought, I wish he wouldn’t do that because she had watched the children when they walked home from school. Her Chad was always behind them. They laughed and hung on to each other and talked to each other. But Chad was never included. Nevertheless, she decided she would go along with her son. So she purchased the paper and glue and crayons. For three whole weeks, night after night, Chad painstakingly made thirty-five valentines. Valentine’s Day dawned, and Chad was beside himself with excitement! He carefully stacked them up, put them in a bag, and bolted out the door. His mom decided to bake him his favorite cookies and serve them up warm and nice with a cool glass of milk when he came home from school. She just knew he would be disappointed…maybe that would ease the pain a little. It hurt her to think that he wouldn’t get many valentines--maybe none at all.
That afternoon she had the cookies and milk on the table. When she heard the children outside she looked out the window. Sure enough here they came, laughing and having the best time. And, as always, there was Chad in the rear. He walked a little faster than usual. She fully expected him to burst into tears as soon as he got inside. She noticed his arms were empty, (he did not receive one valentine) and when the door opened she choked back the tears.
"Mommy has some warm cookies and milk for you." But he hardly heard her words. He just marched right on by, his face aglow, and all he could say was: "Not a one…not a one." And then he added, "I didn’t forget a one, not a single one!" He wasn’t worried about receiving valentines, instead, he was proud that he didn’t forget to give one child a valentine. What an attitude!
III. HAPPINESS: BE CHRIST-MINDED (v 5) “Let the mind be in you…in Christ Jesus”—How different is the mind of Christ from that of Satan or Adam. Have this attitude means to set one’s mind or heart upon something, to have understanding, to be wise, to direct one’s mind to a thing, to seek or strive for.
1. The selfless mind (v. 6) “who being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God”-This tells us of His preexistence. Equality with God is something that was inherent to Christ in His preexistence; but he did not consider Godlikeness to consist in “grasping” or “seizing” or as “grasping it to his own advantage,” which would be the normal expectation of lordly power—and so He was willing to give Himself for others.
Illus: John MacArthur states: “The idea is that, before the Incar-nation, from all eternity past, Jesus preexisted in the divine form of God, equal with God the Father in every way. By His very nature and innate being, Jesus Christ is, always has been, and will forever be fully divine.
2. The servant mind (v.7) “Taking the form of a bondservant”—This tells of Christ’s service. He came to serve and give His life a ransom for many. How many can you serve this year?
Illus: Several years ago, a man in a church wanted to be an
deacon. However, he was not qualified. Since He couldn’t be a deacon, he along with several other people, left and started their own church so he could be a deacon. That split was all about selfish ambition.
3. The sacrificial mind (v. 8) “He humbled himself…the
death of Christ”—This tells of Christ’s humiliation.
Illus: Robert Murray M’Cheyne said..."It’s not great talents that God blesses, but great likeness to Jesus."
Illus: I think that some of us have a hunch that we’re just not good enough to be so totally accepted when, in fact, God keeps on saying to us, "You don’t have to be good enough." That’s what grace is all about: accepting you when you’re not good enough.
CONCLUSION: Unity is essential for the spiritual growth of the church, the progress of the Gospel and the victory of believers over their adversaries.
1. Visualize a portrait of a church with a sweet, sweet spirit.
2. Picture what cause a sour, sour spirit. The Problem Is Not The
Problem --- How We React To The Problem --- Is The Problem. We Need To Focus On The Problem Solver Himself --- Rather Than The Problem Itself.
3. Pray to have and practice having the mind of Christ.
4. The presence of the glorified Christ makes the difference.
Illus: Christian joy is found in the way the believer thinks—his
attitudes." A number of years ago, in a mental institution outside Boston, a young girl known as "Little Annie" was locked in the dungeon. The dungeon was the only place, said the doctors, for those who were hopelessly insane. In Little Annie’s case, they saw no hope for her, so she was consigned to a living death in that small cage which received little light and even less hope. About that time, an elderly nurse was nearing retirement. She felt there was hope for all of God’s children, so she started taking her lunch into the dungeon and eating outside Little Annie’s cage. She felt perhaps she should communicate some love and hope to the little girl. In many ways, Little Annie was like an animal. On occasion, she would violently attack the person who came into her cage. At other times, she would completely ignore them. When the elderly nurse started visiting her, Little Annie gave no indication that she was even aware of her presence. One day, the woman brought some brownies to the dungeon and left them outside the cage. Little Annie gave no hint she knew they were there, but when the nurse returned the next day, the brownies were gone. From that time on, the nurse would bring brownies when she made her Thursday visit. Soon after, the doctors in the institution noticed a change was taking place. It was significant enough that after a period of time they decided to move Little Annie upstairs. Finally, the day came when the "hopeless case" was told she could return home, but Little Annie did not wish to leave. She chose to stay, to help others. Her name was Anne Sullivan and it was she who cared for, taught, and nurtured another person, who but for her efforts would have been cast off by society...Helen Keller.
Prepared By: Gerald R. Steffy
6206 N. Hamilton Road, Peoria, IL 61614
E-Mail: grsteffy@yahoo.com to receive
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