Lights To Our Generation

Lights to Our Generation

Philippians 2:12-18

Good morning.

Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

Isaiah 5:21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! NKJV

I believe we are living in the types of days Isaiah prophesied about. Sometimes we may hear people talk about the fact that society is so different today than it was years earlier.

My grandfather grew up during the Depression era and he was the person I probably looked up to the most as I was growing up.

I remember my grandfather talking about politics in the 1970s and early 1980s.

He would constantly say how crooked and perverse things were during those times.

I wonder what he would say about the world we live in now.

Please open your Bibles to Philippians 2, as we continue in our verse-by-verse study of Paul’s Epistle to the Church at Philippi.

Last week was part three of a series, on Philippians 2:5-11, the Apostle Paul wrote, as he was inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Commentators refer to these verses as a hymn or a poem written by the Apostle Paul. That hymn tells us to have the Mind of Christ, and there is also a breakdown of the character of Jesus.

The portion of scripture we looked at last week told us that Jesus is “Highly exalted” in Philippians 2:9 and “Highly exalted” can be translated as super exalted.

God the Father chose to give Jesus a name, that has no rivals and is far greater than any other name in the universe.

Because of who Jesus is and the lengths that He went to save lost sinners, (God humbled Himself to come in the form of a slave to pay sin’s price), Jesus deserves adoration and praise.

There is more to the statement than simply stating that every knee should bow. We should bow as a response because someday, everyone will bow to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Then we learned there is cooperation between believers and the Lord when it comes to fulfilling His call in our lives.

Our PART: Philippians 2:12, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. In the original language, fear means respect and trembling means quaking with fear.

God's PART: Philippians 2:13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. NKJV

This exhortation to work is for believers in Christ, to respond and live in the new life in Christ, showing the fruits of salvation.

Jesus is the most exalted person in the universe, so we should stop and realize who the Lord is as we serve and worship Him!

Today, the Apostle Paul will encourage believers to live as lights in a dark world and then he will explain how he was being used as an offering to the Lord.

I. Complaining and disputing.

Read Philippians 2:12-14

I struggle in the area of complaining, even against myself at times. I have an idea of how I want to see things happen and I can gravitate towards the negative at times.

Complaining or grumbling is the word gongysmos (gon – goose – mose). According to the Greek Lexicon, it means an utterance made in a low tone of voice or behind-the-scenes talk.

In the original language, complaining is a petty dialogue, behind the scenes, that calls every decision into question.

Kenneth Wuest defined this word as, “Discussions which carry an undertone of suspicion or doubt.”

Paul may have been referring specifically to the conflict between the two women he will discuss in Philippians 4 because disputes and complaining are not new in the church.

Throughout the history of the church critical, complaining people have existed. But I want us to think back to the best or worst, depending on how we view it, complainers in scripture.

The Children of Israel were in captivity in Egypt for a period of four hundred years. Israel became enslaved in Egypt after Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers.

This enslavement happened through many different trials and situations. Eventually, Joseph interpreted the Pharaoh’s dreams and prevented a major famine from destroying Egypt.

Later, due to the famine, Joseph's family went to Egypt which had grain for them, and Israel prospered under that Pharaoh.

When that particular Pharaoh died, the new Pharaoh was concerned that the Israelites were too powerful and might join their enemies to defeat them, so he enslaved the Hebrew people.

Exodus 1:8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.

Exodus 1:9 And he said to his people, "Look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we;