Philippians 2:1-4 (p. 819) November 3, 2013
Introduction:
The Apostle Paul is in jail as he writes this letter to the Philippians. In fact he’s told them “Now I want you to know brothers and sisters that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel. As a result it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ...and because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.” (Phil. 1:12-14)
Paul is experiencing opposition, persecution, even imprisonment, and the Philippians are experiencing that same kind of struggle. In fact the “therefore” in our text refers to this truth: “Since you are going through the same struggle as me...” (Phil. 1:30)
Something happens to us in Christ when we realize we’re not going through struggles by ourselves...That there are others who not only understand, but are being victorious.
I. THE ENCOURAGMENT THAT UNITES US TO CHRIST
In the book some of us are studying on Wednesday nights called “Messy Spirituality” Mike Yaconelli shares this story:
Walking by a pet shop on his way to school, a young boy stopped and stared through the window. Inside were four black puppies playing together. After school he ran home and pleaded with his mother to let him have one of the puppies. “I’ll take care of it, Mom, I will. If you can just give me an advance on my allowance, I’ll have enough money to buy one with my own money. Please, Mom, please.”
The mother, knowing full well the complications having a new puppy would bring to a busy household, could not resist her son. “Okay, you can get the puppy, but I will expect you to take care of it.”
“Yes, Mom, I will.” Filled with excitement, the little boy ran to the pet shop to buy his new puppy.
After determining that the boy had enough money, the pet shop owner brought him to the window to choose his puppy. After a few minutes, the young boy said, “Um...I’ll take the little one in the corner.”
“Oh no,” said the shop owner, “not that one; he’s crippled. Notice how he just sits there; something is wrong with one of his legs, so he can’t run and play like the rest of the puppies. Choose another one.”
Without saying a word, the boy reached down, lifted his pant leg to expose a chrome leg brace to the owner.
“No,” he said firmly, “I think I’ll take the puppy in the corner.”
It turned out that what disqualified the puppy from being chosen by others is what most qualified him to be chosen by the little boy.
You see God doesn’t love us because we’re clean, whole and fixed...He loves us because we’re not...And what disqualifies me...what makes me “crippled” is what most qualifies me to be chosen by Jesus.
It’s forgiveness and grace that unites me and you to Christ...And if that is true Paul says the encouragement you receive from that truth will ooze out of your attitude into the lives of others.
This has nothing to do with your personality. Whether you are loud and crazy or shy and soft spoken...A type A or a Type Q.
You cannot change your personality...That D.N.A. was established in your mother’s womb and impacted by God’s knitting needle. (Ps. 139) BUT you choose your mindset..your attitude...daily...even if you’re in prison or undergoing a terrible struggle.
Paul is not saying be “Fake, be Plastic, Wear a Mask.” What he is saying is instead of looking in a mirror and saying “O, woe is me! How horrible my life has become. Everyone hates me, nobody loves me, think I’ll eat some worms.” Choose in Christ to focus on God’s plan...and others.
Paul uses 4 “If’s” in 1 verse of scripture.
“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any kindness and compassion....”
You understand what he’s saying right?!! The Spirit of Christ Jesus cannot live in you and work through you without bearing fruit. In this case the fruit is encouragement, comfort, unity, tenderness and compassion.
Jack Moreland and I were talking about the Holy Spirit the other day and I think I made him chuckle when I said, “Holy isn’t the spirit’s first name...it’s what He does...Holiness is the work He’s involved in...it’s why Jesus left Him here.
When the Holy Spirit convicts a lost person of their sin...it’s unholiness that He’s identifying. It’s the work God’s Spirit does in those outside of the Kingdom. It’s the cutting of the heart referred to in Acts 2, and the identity of our accountability to God’s judgment in John 6, our accountability to God’s judgment in John 16. Jesus says “when the Holy Spirit comes he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin, and righteousness and judgment.” (v8)
We have a choice when the Spirit does that cutting of our hearts. We can turn to God, or run from that feeling.
If we turn toward God, that’s “repentance.” We’re willing to confess to the world Jesus is my Savior, Jesus is my King. And baptism is where we die and are reborn. Our sins, our unholiness is washed clean in the blood of the sacrificial Lamb...and we rise to walk and live in a new way because the Holy Spirit is given to us by God, a gift to live inside our hearts, minds and souls, a deposit, guaranteeing our eternal inheritance. And, the work of “Holiness”, what scripture calls sanctification, begins as God’s Spirit changes our thinking, changes our attitudes, and the clearest proof of this occurring is “How we trust other people.”
In the Galatian church there was individuals who hurt other people. Paul calls them “agitators.” (Like that thing in the middle of your washing machine that separates and divides clothing).
Paul addresses this problem with a real antidote.
GALATIANS 5:14-26 (p. 813)
Look for “fruit.” Agitators hate. They cause discord, they’re jealous, angry, selfish, and because of these attitudes they cause dissension, factions. They will not inherit the Kingdom of God. They were in the church, but they weren’t in the Kingdom of God!!! They were not going to heaven.
But “Encouragers” have fruit also: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control. Self is being crucified. The Spirit is leading, unless we become conceited, provoking, and envying one another.
Here’s an essential truth from Philippians Chapter 2:
II. THERE ARE JOY KILLERS AND JOY COMPLETERS
Satan is unable to steal our salvation. So, He tries to steal our JOY. And, because the church is filled with “messy, broken, stubborn” people who still live in a “body of death” at different levels of spiritual maturity, he has success. Instead of unity produced by spiritual encouragement, he divides. Instead of being like minded, having the same love, being one in Spirit and of one mind, selfish ambition and vain conceit win out.
[My sister Barby loves jigsaw puzzles. Her daughter LeeAnn inherited that love. Every Christmas LeeAnn gives me a jigsaw puzzle. Huge ones, 3D ones, Psychodelic ones. All of them are still in the box. I hate jigsaw puzzles. When my sister was about 16 or 17 she was putting together this huge 5,000 piece jigsaw puzzle of London. When she got down to a few hundred pieces I wanted to help. I was like 8 or 9. She didn’t want me to help. She wanted to complete it herself. We argued and I grabbed one of the few remaining pieces and ate it. I’m pretty sure that left her emotionally scarred even till today.]
Satan wants us to fight. He wants discord, and some of us are still at an 8 or 9 year old level, demanding our own way, and eating the puzzle piece, because we don’t care about the BIG picture. We don’t care about the interests of others.
Paul says “Make my joy complete.”
Paul’s joy is when the church presents a loving, spirit-united, Christ focused picture to the world.”
How can broken pieces do that? I think the Church is more like a “Mosaic” than a jigsaw puzzle. If you look around you in this beautiful place where we worship, you’re surrounded by mosaics. Pictures of broken pieces of glass all put together by an artist to form a picture. Pictures from God’s Word...Pictures of God’s Son.
Real joy is found when each of us, broken redeemed pieces, are put together to form a picture of Jesus for this world to see.
I wrote a poem a while back entitled “Mosaic.” It goes like this:
All the little bits
of broken shards of glass
Scattered in the ruble
thrown into the trash.
Selected by the artist
picked with the utmost care
Held within his gentle hand
washed and cleansed to share
Placed within the puzzle
some bright some very dark
The picture comes alive
with the creator’s spark
The Church is His Mosaic
filled with broken bits and parts
Put together for His purpose
it’s the picture of His Heart
Ezekiel the prophet talked about Israel and the Holiness of God. How He called them to be His nation. Not for their sake, but for the sake of His holy name. Here’s what he prophesized. God told His people:
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” (Ez. 36:26-27)
When we die to self and are resurrected in Christ we are given a heart transplant.
[Watch this video: It’s called the Taylor Storch Story] – 2:24
I promise you that our Father’s sacrifice, His gift was His one and only Son. Taylor’s death was a tragic accident. Jesus’ death was no accident. It wasn’t murder. He gave His life. God sacrificed His son, all for one reason. We needed a heart transplant. And, God’s Spirit would transform our cold, dead, rock hard hearts into the compassionate, loving, others oriented heart of Jesus.
I promise you He hears the heartbeat of His Son. He knows it. And, it’s easily identifiable by those whose hearts beat with the same rhythm. For those of us who were dead and without hope, like Patricia Winters, the only way she had a chance at life was with a new heart...She has Taylors. The only way I had a chance at life, abundant life, was with a new heart. By God’s amazing grace He gave me His son’s.
Let’s Pray.
