Shine as lights in the world. Philippians 2:15
In our study of Philippians we have looked at the amazing author, Paul, who writes this most positive letter from prison. It's a letter laced with joy. Why? Because of the relationship the writer has with Jesus Christ. His every breath is about Christ.
In Chapter one he says Christ is our purpose – verse 21: For me to live is Christ, to die is gain!
In Chapter two he says Christ is our pattern – verse 5: Have this mind in you which was also in Christ.
In Chapter three he says Christ is our prize – verse 14: I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
In Chapter four he says Christ is our power – verse 13: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
What an amazing author - one who started out as a persecutor of Christ's followers, to whom Jesus Christ himself appeared, and who then became perhaps the most fervent and effective evangelist for Christ of all time.
Then we took a look at the church there in Philippi from Acts 16 and met some of the members. First, Lydia and her household, next, a slave girl out of whom Paul cast out a spirit of divination to the great chagrin of her owners, and finally, a jailor and his household who were won to Christ in the middle of the night. If you weren't here for that lesson, you really need to read Acts 16 and see the things God did. He lead Paul and his mission team there, opened the hearts of Lydia and her household, demonstrated power over the spirit world, and shook the earth to save a jailor and his family.
God wants a relationship with you and me! The entire Bible is filled with stories, poems, laws, proverbs, parables, letters, prophecies, and on and on with one singular message: God who made us to be like himself, wants us to know him and love him and spend eternity with him! That's not to say that the way is easy! Far from it! But God himself supplies all we need to come to him. The message of God's word can be summed up in three relationships.
Philippians echoes the same message and calls for us to know and practice God's way in these three relationships. Most of our problems come from messing up or missing what God says about these three relationships. Today, if you will take this lesson to heart and put it into practice, you will be so blessed! But, if you don't, you will be so sorry.
1. The first and primary relationship in the Bible is our relationship with God. It is the first and most important commandment. It is the prime directive. God created us in His own image and likeness so we could enjoy a relationship with Him and spread his glory everywhere. Jesus tells us to be like our Father! Be perfect as your Father is perfect, be merciful as your Father is merciful. Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called children of God. Do all your acts of righteousness to be seen by your Father who sees in secret. Eph. 5:1 says, Be imitators of God as dearly loved children. Col. 3 tells us to set our minds of things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Jesus said in John 17:3 “This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Paul wrote to the Thessalonians in 2 Thessalonians 1:8 that when the day of Judgment comes Jesus will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel. They will be punished with everlasting destruction... WHAT? You heard right. Knowing God is a life or death issue. It determines where you spend eternity. Knowing God and having a saving relationship with God through faith and obedience to the gospel are critically important to us. God wants us not just to know Him, but to seek Him. The one word that sums up the proper response to God is worship.
Look at some things Philippians says about our relationship with God through Jesus Christ:
1:9-11
9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
2:1, 12-13
1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.
3:3-4, 7-11
3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit,[e] rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, 4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:
7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the surpassing greatness of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Christ and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
All the benefits of the Bible come to those who know and worship God according to God's will as given in God's word. And the fruit of this relationship is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
The Bible is loaded with information and instruction concerning our relationship with God. That IS its primary focus. Loving God by humble submission, obedient faithfulness and true spiritual worship...
I love you Lord... song.
2. The second relationship we need to get right is our relationship with Christians, this is the second most important and discussed relationship in the New Testament. It ties so directly to the first that Jesus, when asked what is the most important commandment gave both love God and love others in answer. This love for others includes the third relationship, but Jesus also makes a distinction between loving those who are His disciples and loving those who are not. We are to love like Jesus loved. Watch the way Jesus relates to various people and you will see a distinction between his relationship with those who sought God and those who did not. Listen to his words toward those who humbly responded to God and compare them with his words to the Jewish leaders who opposed him. Read Matthew 23. Jesus also said, “Beware of false prophets, they are like wolves in sheep's clothing. By their fruit you will recognize them.” He said this in the same sermon where he said, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Paul also speaks harshly toward those who resist the gospel and oppose the cause of Christ. Check out Philippians 3:2, 18-19 again. 2 Peter 2:10-22 uses some choice words about people who were hindering the gospel. Or read Jude sometime and you will get an ear full of harsh language against those who change the grace of God into a license for sin. Wow!
God's word distinguishes between our relationship with the saved and our relationship with the lost. There is a much higher and holier connection between fellow Christians than we sometimes appreciate.
The one word that perhaps best sums up our relationship together as Christians is the word fellowship.
Listen to some what of Philippians tells us about this relationship.
1:3-8
3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, 5 for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; 7 just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. 8 For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.
1:27-28
27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of their destruction, but to you of salvation, and that from God.
2:1-4
1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
3:17
17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.
4:9
9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
We learn how to live for God as we share life together in Christ. Our Christian fellowship includes relationships with young and old Christians, some are more faithful and mature spiritually and others are weak and even worldly.
Christian fellowship receives more instruction in the New Testament than any other relationship! It reflects how our relationship with God is going.
We all need three kinds of Christian relationships: looking up to more mature spiritual mentors, sharing life with brothers and sisters at our own spiritual maturity, and reaching out to lift up and build up those who are weaker or younger in the faith.
A healthy relationship with God will have these relationships too.
Paul strongly taught the Philippians to be like him and follow his example and life. Paul himself was accountable to others.
This is one area we must work hard at. Our children are growing up in a confusing world where spiritual boundaries are vague and unsure. If we as parents are not training our children to distinguish between the holy and unholy who will? If we allow them to participate in entertainment and the world's systems without teaching the clear boundaries and enforcing those boundaries, we will lose them to the world.
Fellowship with God demands a clear discernment and distinction of other fellowships. Listen to 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1.
14 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and the Devil? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
17 “Therefore come out from them
and be separate,
says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
and I will receive you.”
18 “I will be a Father to you,
and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.”
1 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
When Jesus came into Jerusalem on that Palm Sunday and saw how His Father's house had become a market place his blood boiled! He made a whip and ran out all those who were buying and selling there. Zeal for his Father's house and the honor of His Father's holiness burned in Him.
You and I are a fellowship that God calls a holy temple in which his Holy Spirit dwells. We are to demonstrate this in the world around us. We are separate from the world. We've been redeemed from the world by the blood of Christ. We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God that we may declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light!
We share the Holy Spirit of God together! We share the holy blood of Jesus Christ together! We are called to live and shine as light to the world together!
We are one in the Spirit... song.
3. Finally, the third relationship we have is with others. This relationship has one purpose. To bring them to Christ. The word that sums up this relationship is the word: evangelism.
If your closest friends are not Christians, and you are not sharing your faith with them and praying for them to become Christians you have a bigger problem than you think!
Paul told the Philippians in chapter 1 all about his joy over them and their sharing the gospel (5) and how his imprisonment worked to spread the gospel (12) how to him the important thing is that in every way, whether by false motives or true, Christ is preached!
Do you see his purpose in life?
He says this about living. For me to live is Christ, to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. In other words, if I keep living, I will be leading as many to Christ as I can until I die.
Who do you think Paul had as friends that he didn't share Christ with?
Who did Jesus have as friends that he didn't share the kingdom with?
Who do you have as friends that you aren't trying to win for Christ?
Why do you have any relationship with anyone who is not a Christian if it is not to bring them to Christ?
Philippians 2:14-16
Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot by men. You are the light of the world, a city on a hill cannot be hidden, neither do men light a lamp and put it under a bowl, but on a lamp stand and it gives light for all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Jesus closed that lesson saying, “Whoever hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man that built his house on the rock. The rains came and the streams rose and the winds blew and beat against that house, but it stood firm because it was founded on a rock. But anyone who hears these words of mind and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rains came and the streams rose and the winds blew and beat against that house and it fell with a great crash.
What kind of house are you building? What kind of houses are your children building?
