Be Happy Through Love And Humility Series

Be Happy Through Love and Humility

Jeffery Anselmi / General

Be Happy / Love; Happiness; Joy / Philippians 2:1–11

Joy is maximized when we love one another well, and Jesus modeled humility as the way to do so.

INTRODUCTION

• Have you noticed the division and strife that is going on in our country?

• A spirit of discord is taking root in our society, and sadly at times, within a church.

• When you are caught up in the middle of fighting and division, how do you feel?

• Do you feel a sense of joy and happiness?

• The title of the series through Philippians we have been digging through is entitled, Be Happy.

• We are examining this letter from Paul to look for some insights into how to be happy or joyful in life, even when the situation may not look like one of which we could be happy.

• As I have pointed out, Paul was in prison when he penned this letter, which was not the only problem he was facing at the time.

• He was dealing with people who were preaching the Gospel with sinister motives, he was dealing with some division, he was fighting off personal attacks as well.

• When we start to examine life, we will see the issues we will discuss today have an impact on our ability to be happy.

• When we are quarreling with others, we do so because we want something so bad that we forget how we are called to deal with other people.

• James deals with this subject in James 4:1-3.

James 4:1–3 CSB

1 What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from your passions that wage war within you?

2 You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and wage war. You do not have because you do not ask.

3 You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

• When I forget why and I am here and what my calling is, I will forget how to treat you, and when that happens, no one is happy.

• In the passage today, we will see three things we can do to be happy in life.

› Our BIG IDEA TODAY IS THIS: Joy AND HAPPINESS are maximized when we love one another well, and Jesus modeled humility as the way to do so.

• Let’s begin by turning to Philippians 2:1-2.

Philippians 2:1–2 CSB

1 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 make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

SERMON

I. Gaining happiness through unity.

• In verse one, the phrase IF, THEN ties this passage back to Philippians 1:27-30, where Paul speaks of living a life worthy of the Gospel.]

• Paul implores his readers to “make [his] joy complete” by living a life of love toward one another (v. 2).

• A similar phrase is used by Jesus in John 15:11–13:

John 15:11–13 CSB

11 “I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.

12 “This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you.

13 No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.

• In verse one, we see the word IF used four times because Paul is trying to punctuate his point.

• The assumption is that each of the statements following the IF clause is not being questioned about their existence, but rather, the assumption is that they exist.

• The technique that Paul employs is known as First Class Conditional sentences.

• The clauses are intended to establish powerful motives or incentives for doing what is asked in verses 2-4.

• The first reality that motivates unity is encouragement in Christ. Encouragement has the root meaning of coming alongside someone to give assistance by offering comfort, counsel, or exhortation. MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2001). Philippians (p. 104). Chicago: Moody Press.

• Paul is telling everyone that God will supply the strength we need to carry out the ideas in verses 2-4. The word ENCOURAGEMENT also carries the idea of consolation or strengthening.

• The things that are asked of all Christians will require God to come alongside of us to help!

• The next motivation is CONSOLATION OF LOVE!

• The phrase refers to the persuasive power, a friendly persuasion.

• Love is to be a motive to which Paul appeals, the motive of love based on the idea that love does move a person to action and that love drives one to do more than what is required.