Church Unity By Humility Series

Unity by Imitating Christ’s Humility

Philippians 2:1-11

Online Sermon: http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567

What does Christ mean to you? After Apostle Paul finished advising the Philippians the way to handle persecution was to live a life worthy of the Gospel by standing firm in one Spirit and fearlessly striving as one for the faith of the Gospel, he now gives his advice on how to “heal the wounds of strife within the Philippian church itself.” Many of the people in the Greco-Roman world experienced a lot of anxiety due to the fear of “becoming victims of disease, famine, war, and untimely death.” In response to an unknown future they would not only seek the aid of their gods through “incantations, sacrifices, and amulets” but also became fiercely competitive and tended to only do good to others to receive reciprocal favors in return. To combat the Greek philosophy that all love must be conditional Paul gave the Philippians four things to remember about their relationship with Christ to help motivate them to love and seek unity within the church. Paul masterfully used a series of “if statements” that were not meant as possibilities but certainties of what the Philippians have experienced in Christ. First, Paul invited the Philippians to remember how much encouragement they had received from the “blessing of knowing Christ (3:10), being found in Him (3:9), and having been given the gift of faith (1:29).” Second, Paul reminded the Philippians that being a “new creature with a new heart and new sensitivities” meant they did not need to feel anxiety like the Romans of their day, after all they were unconditionally loved by God who sent His Son to atone for their sins and because Christ had sovereignty over all things seen and unseen they were secure in His hand! Third, Paul reminded the Philippians that having been sealed by the Holy Spirit “whose first fruit is love” (Galatians 5:22) meant unity and fellowship would be obtained because it was aided by divine strength. With the aid of the Holy Spirit the Philippians were to “be to each other what God in Christ had been to each of them,” an unconditionally loving, supportive family with Christ as their head! And the final motivation Paul gave to seek unity was to remember how in the Father, Son, and Spirit they constantly found “deep consolation, the voice that speaks to their sorrows, and the hand that touches their hurts!”

Reflection. How easy is it to get so caught up in life’s difficulties that even we as God’s very own children forget the blessings that we have in His Son Jesus? Are there people in your life that you love unconditionally, or have you bought into the world’s way of loving only to receive what has been given?

The Command for Unity

With the encouragement of being united with Christ, comfort from His love, common sharing of the Spirit, tenderness and compassion received; Paul told the Philippians that they could “make his joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and mind” (2:2). While Paul received great joy in his shared partner in the Gospel, if the Philippians desired to “fill his cup to the brim with joy” then they must seek unity with a single, unified goal of living and proclaiming the truth of the Gospel. Their “souls were to beat together” and their lives were to become so in sync that they would be like “clocks striking at the same moment!” Disunity in the church can only be overcome when its members “take on a common yoke and pull together in the same direction.” It is when believers have different goals, belong to separate interest groups, and agendas that conflict arises because ministry stops being focused on the head of the church, Christ. Paul was not telling the Philippians everyone must have the same thoughts and feelings about everything nor is he “prohibiting personal diversity,” but he is merely saying that to obtain unity one must remember and share the same affection, love, comfort, and compassion that one has received from Christ with one another! If the Philippians were to make the joy of this apostle complete, who was chained to guards 24/7 in a Roman prison, unjustly accused, vilified by those who ought to be his friends, with no comforts and no guaranteed future;” then they simply must put aside their “human pride, selfishness, and preoccupation with personal interests!” To be united they must stand firm arm in arm, striving together and not only declare “that to live is Christ” (1:21), but also bow their knee to Jesus Christ as their Lord (2:11) so that their love might abound more and more in the knowledge of Christ, and they might be found blameless upon His return (1:9-10)! As Christians we are here to worship God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Without Christ at the center of our ministry it is not NT worship. Christ is the head of the church (Ephesians 1:22) and without keeping our eyes fixed on Him (Hebrews 12:2) unity is easily broken by self-serving interests of individuals or groups clamoring for power. So, the Philippians were called to gladly bow their knee to the Lord as they looked out for the interests of each other (2:4) not just to make Apostle Paul’s joy complete but also to the feel unspeakable joy that only comes from being a unified body of Christ who celebrates having but one Lord, one Baptist and one Spirit (Ephesians 4:4-6).