Philippians 4:2-3 - I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. Indeed, true companion, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
3 ways to develop gospel unity
I. Grow in Unity by Understanding the Work of the Gospel in Your Life (vv. 1-2)
Philippians 2:1 - Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion…
Philippians 1:27-30 - Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents-which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
A. The motivators for gospel unity (v.1)
1. Is there any encouragement in Christ?
“Paraklēsis (encouragement) has the root meaning of coming alongside someone to give assistance by offering comfort, counsel, or exhortation.” (John F. MacArthur Jr., Philippians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Chicago: Moody Press, 2001, 104)
paraklēton = “another helper”
John 14:16 - I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (paraklēton) that He may be with you forever…
2. Is there any consolation from love?
“Paramuthion (consolation) has the literal meaning of speaking closely with someone, and with the added idea of giving comfort and solace.” (John F. MacArthur Jr., Philippians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Chicago: Moody Press, 2001, 104)
Romans 5:6-8 - For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
3. Is there any fellowship of the Spirit?
Believers have the fellowship of the Spirit in their lives
- We are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1Corinthians 6:19)
- We are sealed by the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:22)
- We are empowered by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8)
- We produce spiritual fruit as a result of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)
- We are strengthened in our weakness by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26)
4. Is there any affection and compassion?
Colossians 3:12 - So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience…
B. The indicators of gospel unity (v. 2)
Philippians 2:2 - …make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
1. Being of the same mind
Philippians 4:8 - Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
Romans 8:4-5 - …so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
Colossians 3:2 - Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
2. Maintaining the same love
Romans 12:10-13 - Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.
3. United in Spirit
“To be united in spirit is to live in selfless harmony with fellow believers. By definition, it excludes personal ambition, selfishness, hatred, envy, jealously, and the countless other evils that are the fruit of self-love.” (John F. MacArthur Jr., Philippians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Chicago: Moody Press, 2001, 108)
4. Intent on one purpose
II. Grow in Humility to Strengthen Our Unity (vv. 3-4)
Philippians 2:3-4 - Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
A. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit
Isaiah 14:12-17 - How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! But you said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit. Those who see you will gaze at you, they will ponder over you, saying, “Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world like a wilderness and overthrew its cities, who did not allow his prisoners to go home?”
B. With humility of mind regard others as more important than yourself
1. Recognize the importance of another’s first approach to life
Galatians 6:2 - Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
Romans 12:10 - Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor…
“Care for another person is at the heart of a right relationship to God, and all rebellion against God is inevitably linked to a corresponding disregard for others.” (James Montgomery Boice, Philippians: An Expositional Commentary, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000, 103)
“Everything in our Christian lives is designed to produce a greater humility in us. The word of God sanctifies us, promoting humility as a mindset. The cross tells us that all we bring to our salvation is our sin. It is impossible to enter the Christian life with pride! Prayer puts us on our knees before God with empty hands. Worship causes us to look up to God, which puts us in our proper place. Our trials humble us, reminding us of our human frailty. And yet despite all this, our hearts still struggle not to feel proud. Our default position is to exalt ourselves, despite all the evidence that there is nothing about which we should be proud. So, we need to take Paul’s words here to heart. Just as he stated them to the Philippians for their growth, so we need to affirm them to ourselves for our own growth today. Since we have all the encouragement and consolation and fellowship of Christ through his Spirit, we should see others not as opportunities to bring glory to ourselves, but as people we can serve in order to bring glory to Christ. Since we know the affection and compassion of Christ, we must aim to calculate others’ interests and needs as far above our own as our Savior did for us.” (Steven J. Lawson, Philippians for You, ed. Carl Laferton, God’s Word for You, The Good Book Company, 2017, 94)
III. Follow the Example of Christ (vv. 5-11)
Philippians 2:5-11 - Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
A. Christ the humble servant (vv. 6-8)
1. He existed in the form of God
John 1:1-2 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
John 17:5 - Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
“From eternity past, Jesus was fully and truly divine. From before time began, he has always possessed all of the divine perfections that belong to God alone. Jesus was in the form of God from before the foundation of the world. The divine perfections that have belonged to the Father are also the eternal possession of the Son. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father.” (Steven J. Lawson, Philippians for You, ed. Carl Laferton, God’s Word for You, The Good Book Company, 2017, 95)
2. He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped
3. He emptied Himself
Matthew 20:28 - …just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.
John 13:14-17 - If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
4. He became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross
John 10:18 - No one has taken it (my life) away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.
John 15:13 - Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
Romans 5:6 - For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
B. Christ the exalted Lord (vv. 9-11)
We know that the book of Philippians is a letter written by the Apostle Paul. And we certainly know that Paul had a purpose for writing this letter.
In our sermon last week you may have noticed that Paul was pointing toward the importance of unity among the believers in the church of Philippi.
As you read through the rest of the book of Philippians you will catch on to the fact that the unity of the church may be at risk thanks to a squabble that was taking place.
Philippians 4:2–3 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. Indeed, true companion, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
As I have spent my entire life actively involved in churches, I have been amazed by the lack of unity that exists among believers. However, unity should be one of the defining marks of those who have placed their faith in Christ.
With that thought in mind would you please take your Bibles and turn with me to Philippians chapter 2 (that’s page _________ of the back section of the Bible located under the chair in front of you).
We have chosen as a theme for this year Growing in Gospel Gratitude.
Today I want us to consider how to Encourage Unity by Growing in Humility. And with the time remaining we will look for 3 Ways to Develop Gospel Unity.
I. Grow in Unity by Understanding the Work of the Gospel in your Life (1-2)
Throughout the entire first chapter of Philippians, we have been encouraged and challenged by the Apostle Paul’s love and dedication to the Gospel.
- We learned that Paul was in prison as a result of the boldness with which he preached the Gospel.
- We learned that Paul was now under the watchful eye of the Praetorian Guard in prison in Rome
- He had wanted to bring the Gospel to Rome
- He had wanted to bring the Gospel to the house of Caesar
- He viewed his imprisonment as a blessing to be able to advance the Gospel within the Palace of Caesar.
- They thought they held him captive, but he had a captive audience to the Gospel while they watched him.
- In fact, we have reason to believe that there were converts among the Praetorian Guard.
- Paul was torn over the idea of going to heaven to be with Christ or continuing to live on earth to continue to spread the Gospel.
- Last week we learned that Paul found the Gospel worthy of taking a stand for, and oh, suffering as a result of the Gospel was actually a joy.
Today’s passage starts out with several obvious statements to the one who has understood the Gospel.
Philippians 2:1 1 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,
- I am sure you probably noticed as soon as we started reding this passage that there was a key word that told you to start looking around for some context.
- THEREFORE, whenever you see a therefore you need to look to see what it is there for!
Philippians 1:27–30 (NASB95)
27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
28 in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.
29 For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
30 experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
Did you pick up on what the context seems to point towards?
- Live worthy of the gospel
- Stand firm in one spirit
- With one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel
- Standing against your opponents because of the Gospel
- Suffering for the cause of the Gospel.
Paul is trying to get everybody on the same page.
He decides to remind them with out passage today of the importance of being unified by the Gospel because we are saved by the same Gospel.
Today’s passage starts out with several obvious statements to the one who has understood the Gospel.
The Motivators for Gospel Unity. (1)
As we read through the passage, we see 4 legs on which we will stand in unity as a result of the Gospel work in our lives.
- Is there any encouragement in Christ?
Paraklēsis (encouragement) has the root meaning of coming alongside someone to give assistance by offering comfort, counsel, or exhortation.[1] (John MacArthur)
This idea of coming alongside of someone to help them works in many different ways.
Have you ever had a really true real friend who cares deeply about you? This could be a spouse, a parents, a peer, or even a mentor.
- They are there for you no matter what it is that you need.
- When life is hard, they comfort you.
- When you are unsure what do in life, they counsel you.
- When you are being stubborn and living your life wrong, they exhort you.
Did you know that God was aware that is something we all needed as well?
So, as part of our salvation he provided a paraklēton = “another helper”
John 14:16 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (paraklēton) , that He may be with you forever;
The first leg that Paul points out is that we ought to be standing as a result of having the same Spirit, the Holy Spirit.
In other words, believers all have the same Helper, the same comforter, the same counselor, and the same exhorter, so we should be able to find unity to stand firm in “one Spirit (1:27).”
- Is there any consolation from love?
This consolation of love is very similar to ideas of the encouragement in Christ.
The idea of consoling love Paramuthion (consolation) has the literal meaning of speaking closely with someone, and with the added idea of giving comfort and solace. – (MacArthur)[2]
How has Christ demonstrated this consoling love to us?
Through salvation.
- Romans 5:6–8 (NASB95)
- 6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
- 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die.
- 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Have you ever experienced the sense of unity that comes as a result of being in a similar situation with someone else?
- You may recall that the last time I preached on this stage I was sitting in a wheelchair.
- I was going through some physical challenges that required me have almost daily appointments at the wound care center.
- I would have to go have my bandages changed and my wounds cleaned out.
- I tried to schedule my appointments to be close to the same time every single day.
- Guess what started to happen with the other people that were there as well at the same time every single day.
- We started to care for each other and started to develop a friendship based on our common situation.
- We comforted each other when the doctor would have to change the treatment plan.
- We encouraged each other on the days we had to struggle to get into our appointments.
- We cheered for each other when we finally were able to be cleared.
- You needed a Savior.
- We sit here knowing that without Christ we would be hopeless.
- We all needed the ultimate demonstration of love in order to be made right with Christ.
- Brothers and sisters let us live united under the Gospel!
- Is there any fellowship of the Spirit?
Fellowship has the idea of a partnership.
- The Lord has given us the Holy Spirit for us to fellowship with.
Believers have the fellowship of the Spirit in their lives.
- We are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1Corinthians 6:19)
- We are sealed by the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:22)
- We are empowered by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8)
- We produce spiritual fruit as a result of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)
- We are strengthened in our weakness by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26)
If we all share the same fellowship with the same Holy Spirit then certainly we ought to share fellowship with each other.
- Is there any affection and compassion?
Because of his great love God has given us grace and mercy. All who have been saved by grace through faith have experienced the affection and compassion of Christ.
Colossians 3:12 (NASB95) So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
We who have received the affection and compassion of Christ ought to be known for our compassion and affection.
So, we have seen the 4 effects of the Gospel that stand as our anchor points, but let us look now at the unity that should come from our understanding of the Gospel’s work in our lives.
The Indicators of Gospel Unity (2)
Just like verse 1 showed us 4 legs to stand on as a result of the Gospel’s work, verse 2 shows us 4 responses we ought to have to other believers as a result of the Gospel’s work.
Verse 2 says,
Philippians 2:2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
Now remember, Paul is currently sitting in prison.
- He does not say, Make my joy complete by bailing me out of prison.
- Make my joy complete by finding me a way to be free.
- NO! He is thinking about how much joy he will have by the unity of the Philippian church.
- He cares about the spiritual growth far more than his current situation.
Let’s look at these 4 indicators.
- Being of the same mind.
As believers we are called to have the same values for life.
Philippians 4:8 (NASB95)
8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
Romans 8:4–5 (NASB95)
4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
Colossians 3:2 (NASB95)
2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
One of the greatest causes for a lack of unity among believers is a lack of focus on the things of the Lord. We must all be focusing on things of God in order to be unified.
- Maintaining the same love.
There ought to be a love that comes as a result of the Gospels’ work in our lives.
Romans 12:10–13 (NASB95)
10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer,
13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.
{Develop: the importance of one another love to those within our church}
- United in Spirit
“To be united in spirit is to live in selfless harmony with fellow believers. By definition, it excludes personal ambition, selfishness, hatred, envy, jealously, and the countless other evils that are the fruit of self-love.” – John MacArthur[3]
This does not mean that we will agree on every single issue. Some in here have differing opinions on things that do not cause a lack of being united in spirit.
- Ford vs. Chevy
- Purdue vs. IU
- Cubs vs. Cardinals
- Ketchup on hot dogs vs. the right way to eat a hot dog
- Etc.
The goal here though is that even though we have differences in those areas of life we still will not allow those things to separate us when it comes to serving the Lord.
- Intent on one purpose.
As you can see all for of these indicators overlap with each other, but you could summarize this unity as.
- One mind
- One love
- One spirit
- One purpose
II. Grow in Humility to Strengthen Our Unity (3-4)
Philippians 2:3–4 (NASB95)
3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
I have a love for sports. Currently in our family this results in a love for youth sports. I have had the privilege of coaching youth baseball and basketball over the last year.
One of the things I have learned and try to teach the children I get to coach is the importance of individual humility to help strengthen the team unity. If one player is all about their own statistics then it will not be long before they are only using their team selfishly to exalt themselves.
Obviously, it will not take long until that is the thing that destroys that team.
The same is true for a church. If we are exalting our own desires, our own thoughts above the one mind, one love, one spirit, one purpose that we should be unified over, then it will not be long until there is damage that is caused.
Humility is not a natural response in life, but it is a very important part to our unity as a church.
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit (3)
Ultimately selfishness is found at the root of all sin. It is the idea of self-exaltation and self-preservation.
- It was used many times to refer to a politician who would do whatever it took to keep their position of power.
- It is common among us to want to place ourself over every other person we come in contact with.
However, it is also what led to the fall of Lucifer.
Isaiah 14:12–17 (NASB95)
12 “How you have fallen from heaven,
O star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who have weakened the nations!
13 “But you said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north.
14 ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
15 “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol,
To the recesses of the pit.
16 “Those who see you will gaze at you,
They will ponder over you, saying,
‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble,
Who shook kingdoms,
17 Who made the world like a wilderness
And overthrew its cities,
Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?’
Friend, let me ask you a question to consider this morning. Are you willing to live in a way that does not seek first your own happiness, prestige, and importance over others?
How do you do that?
With Humility of Mind Regard Others as More Important than Yourself.
Recognize the importance of an other’s first approach to life.
Galatians 6:2 (NASB95)
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
Romans 12:10 (NASB95)
10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;
“Care for another person is at the heart of a right relationship to God, and all rebellion against God is inevitably linked to a corresponding disregard for others.” – James Montgomery Boice[4]
{Develop the reasons why we emphasize serving in the youth group over all other activities}
“Everything in our Christian lives is designed to produce a greater humility in us. The word of God sanctifies us, promoting humility as a mindset. The cross tells us that all we bring to our salvation is our sin. It is impossible to enter the Christian life with pride! Prayer puts us on our knees before God with empty hands. Worship causes us to look up to God, which puts us in our proper place. Our trials humble us, reminding us of our human frailty. And yet despite all this, our hearts still struggle not to feel proud. Our default position is to exalt ourselves, despite all the evidence that there is nothing about which we should be proud. So, we need to take Paul’s words here to heart. Just as he stated them to the Philippians for their growth, so we need to affirm them to ourselves for our own growth today. Since we have all the encouragement and consolation and fellowship of Christ through his Spirit, we should see others not as opportunities to bring glory to ourselves, but as people we can serve in order to bring glory to Christ. Since we know the affection and compassion of Christ, we must aim to calculate others’ interests and needs as far above our own as our Savior did for us.” – Steven Lawson[5]
Develop more application.
III. Follow the Example of Christ (5-11)
Philippians 2:5–11 (NASB95)
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Christ the Humble Servant (6-8)
In all his talk about being unified and being humble the Apostle Paul drops the ultimate example.
- Jesus is the ultimate example here for us to consider this morning.
- He existed in the form of God.
A better translation of this phrase may be, Being in very nature God.
John 1:1–2 (NASB95)
The Deity of Jesus Christ
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
John 17:5 (NASB95)
5 “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
From eternity past, Jesus was fully and truly divine. From before time began, he has always possessed all of the divine perfections that belong to God alone. Jesus was in the form of God from before the foundation of the world. The divine perfections that have belonged to the Father are also the eternal possession of the Son. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father. – Steven Lawson[6]
- He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped.
In other words He willingly gave up his heavenly spot in order to obey the desires of God the Father.
- He Emptied Himself.
There are a couple of defining descriptions of Jesus as He emptied Himself that are quite important for us to understand.
- He took the form of a bond-servant.
- A bond servant owned nothing. They were completely dependent on the one they served.
- Christ did not even claim ownership over the very things that He had created.
- He came in lived in a body like the body you and I live in.
- He felt hunger, tiredness, sorrow, and pain like we do.
- Yet he never decided to abandon the goal of ultimately dying on the cross for us.
- o Matthew 20:28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
- Christ becomes the ultimate example for us as He lives His life not for what He can gain but for whom He can serve.
- Should we not then have the stature of one who is willing to serve first.
- Do not look at your schedule and decide that you are too busy to serve.
- Look at your schedule and decide that you need to serve more.
- Do not look at others and decide that they ought to be serving you.
- Look at others and determine to serve them.
- Be like Christ.
- Serve like Christ.
- Have compassion like Christ.
- Stegers
- Snow shoveling crew
- Sunday School volunteers
- Chair resetting
- Christmas for Everyone
- Living nativity
- VBS
- He Became Obedient to the Point of Death, even death on a cross.
John 10:18 “No one has taken it (my life) away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”
John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
Romans 5:6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
Christ became the suffering servant who served to His very death.
What an example for us.
- We can never claim our serving hurts too much, Christ served to the point of death.
- We can never claim we do not need to serve, Christ served.
Christ the Exalted Lord (9-11)
God has exalted Him above all Creation.
- He is seated at the right hand of God the Father.
God has made all whom Christ came to serve submit to Him
- They will all bow before Him.
God has made it that all who will worship God must confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
How can we learn to Grow in Gospel Gratitude as a result of our passage today?
- Grow in unity by understanding the work of the Gospel in your life.
- Grow in humility to strengthen our humility.
- Follow the Example of Christ
[1] John F. MacArthur Jr., Philippians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 2001), 104.
[2] John F. MacArthur Jr., Philippians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 2001), 104.
[3] John F. MacArthur Jr., Philippians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 2001), 108.
[4] James Montgomery Boice, Philippians: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000), 103.
[5] Steven J. Lawson, Philippians for You, ed. Carl Laferton, God’s Word for You (The Good Book Company, 2017), 94.
[6] Steven J. Lawson, Philippians for You, ed. Carl Laferton, God’s Word for You (The Good Book Company, 2017), 95.
Authors
