Humility Leads To Unity Series

Technicolor Joy:

Philippians 2:1-2

Pastor Jefferson M. Williams

Chenoa Baptist Church

6-11-2023

Narcissus

The story is told that Echo, a wood nymph, fell in love with a Narcissus. She followed him through the woods but could only repeat back what he said to her. He rejected her and she retreated to the woods and shrank away until only her voice could be heard bouncing off the rocks.

His mother was so angry that she led him to the Stygian River. He saw his reflection in the water and fell in love with it. His obsession with his own beauty was so great that he stopped eating and drinking just to continue looking at his reflection.

His obsession bordered on madness and he wasted away while forever staring at his own beauty.

This is where we get the term narcissism from - a preoccupation with self that keeps the person from ever having real relationships with others.

This preoccupation with self is something that can cause division and conflict in churches and Paul is going to address it forcefully in this morning’s verses.

Review

Last week, we saw Paul turn his attention from his own situation to the Philippians.

He encouraged them to live a life worthy of the Gospel. They were to remember where their citizenship really was, in heaven, not Rome, and live in such a way that those around them would see the Gospel in action.

They were to do that by consistently being united and standing firm as one and striving side by side for the sake of the Gospel.

They were not to be afraid of those pagans who opposed them because that was a sign to them that they were on the right path and to the enemies that they were doomed for destruction.

Then Paul highlights two gifts that God had given to the Philippians. First, the gift of faith to believe in Jesus and then the grace of suffering to make them more like Jesus.

Later in this letter, we are going to learn that there were two women in the church at Philippi that were in conflict and the church was taking sides.

Paul isn’t going to allow this conflict to fester and he proactively gives them the secret to overcoming conflict and selfishness - a unity borne out of humility.

Turn to Philippians 2.

Prayer.

Basis for Unity

“Therefore 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 tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete”

Some of your translations don’t have the “therefore” but it is there in the Greek.

These four verses are one long sentence in the Greek and the main clause is “make my joy complete.”

But first, Paul begins with four motivations for unity.

The “ifs” Paul uses are not how we use the word “if” in English. It makes more sense to us if we substitute the word “since” or “because.”

These act as rhetorical questions. Paul knows that the Philippians know these things but he wants to remind them what the basis for unity really rests on.

Encouragement from being united to Christ

Paul isn’t questioning this, he’s saying, “I know that you have experienced the encouragement that comes from being in Christ.”

This word means to “come alongside.” In English, it literally means to “put courage into someone.”

Where do you look when you are running out of courage? Do you know the encouragement of Christ in your life?

Comfort of his love

Do you know the comfort/consolation of the love of God in Christ? Does the fact that God cannot love you more than He does and will never love you less than He does bring you peace?

This is not only the comfort that God gives us but that we, in turn, give to each other.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” (2 Cor 1:43-5) 

When we are able to rest in God’s love for us then we are able to love others well.

Any common sharing in the Spirit

This is a word we have seen before. In chapter one, it’s translated as “partnership.” It’s the Greek word for “fellowship.”

When we become Christians, we are born into a new family, a spiritual family, that consists of brothers and sisters, not blood-related but related by the new birth.

“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ…” (I John 1:3)