CHRISTIAN AFFECTIONS
PHILIPPIANS 1:7-8
(Part #1)
11/09/94
I am sure that some of the older folks can recall when the USS Pueblo was captured by the North Koreans. The 82 surviving crew members who were captured were brutally treated and tortured. In one instance 13 men from the Pueblo were required to sit i a rigid manner around a table for hours at a time. After several hours the door flung open an a North Korean officer came in and brutally beat the man in the first chair with the butt of his rifle. The next day came, and as each man sat in his assigned place the door once more flung open and once again the man in the first chair was brutally beaten. On the third day the same thing happened. Knowing that the man could not survive these continuous beating another young sailor took his place. When the door flung open the guard automatically began to beat the man in the first chair. For weeks, each day a new man would step forward and sit in the first chair, knowing full well that they would receive a terrible beating. At last the guards gave up in their game, unable to beat the sacrifical love which was shown by these men.
And as we look to those sailors and their willingness to take on brutal beating for the sake of their brothers in arms we have an example of type of love we should have for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. That is our theme today as we continue to look at the letter written by Paul to the saints at Philippi. Today we will be looking at verse 7 & 8 of chapter 1. Please turn with we there as we read;
"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. For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ."
As I stated Paul here continues his greeting to the Philippians. He states in verse 7 that is right for him to think of them in this way. Looking back to the previous verses we can see how Paul thought of them, he though them in every prayer, he thought of them with thanksgiving, he thought of them with joy. He thought of the fellowship he had with them, he thought of them with the confidence that the work God had begun in them God would continue on until the day of Christ’s return.
Paul states that is right or only natural for him to feel this way about these people. Then he states the reasons that this is the right way for him to feel. As the rest of verse 7 and 8 read;
"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. For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ."
In other words Paul felt this way about these people because he loved them with the affection or as some translate this phrase, the "tender mercies of Christ." Paul loved these people in the same way in which Christ loved these people. And God as called upon each one of us to love each other just as Paul loved these people. This is the type of love that Christians are to have for one another. And if you do not have this type of love for your brothers and sisters in Christ, as we shall see, you have got a big spiritual problem.
So it is one thing to say we need to love each other, but it is another to but that into practice. In order to love as Christ loved and as Paul states he loves these people we need to learn some things concerning this love that Christians are to have for one another. As I studied this area of Christians loving each other, I was surprised at the amount of passages found in the New Testament which deal with this subject. In fact there was so much on the subject that I thought it best to break down this sermon into two parts. So I want you to all put on seat belts as we will be kind of driving around the New Testament as we see what kind of love this is;
I also encourage you to jot down these verse so that you can look them up later and see for yourselves the love which God wants you to have for each other.
First of all I need to reiterate that love we are to have for one another is the same kind of Love which Christ has. We see this in ver. 8, "the affections of Christ", and also in verse such as John 15:12 which reads;
"This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."
Just as Christ loved us we are to each other. That is the love I am to have for you and you for me. Just look around and ask yourself "Do I love that person, or this person, as Christ loves me?" I know that there are some here who cannot answer that question with a yes, and that is in direct violation of a commandment of Jesus Christ. And has we go along we will see how serious of an offense not loving each other as Christ loves us is.
You see we need to realize that loving one another is not an option which the Lord gives us it is command. The fact it is of such importance to the Lord that we show love for one another that in the New Testament this command is repeated to us more the any other except for the command to believe in the Lord Jesus as our personal Saviour. I think that should tell us something.
Some examples besides John 15:12 1 John 3:23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us this commandment." Here we have the two most frequently given commands in the New Testament side by side. I cannot stress the importance which I see in how the Scripture presents the commandment for Christians to love each other.
1 John 4:21 And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.
John 13:34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
And the list could go on. But over and over God tells us to love one another. And if you are not loving one another, you need to repent, and grow to love one another.
That may be one of our problems in that we do not think it is possible to grow to love someone. Yet up until resent times most marriages were arranged. And up until resent times most marriages lasted. Why? Because these people learned to love each other. And we can learn to love each as brothers and sisters in Christ. The only thing which prevents this is our own sin. Sins such as selfishness, jealousy and envy, pride and others. We need to set aside our own sins and begin to love each other just as Christ loves us.
Also realize that the love we have for each other is a love which God himself enables us to give and also teaches us to give;
1 Thessalonians 4:9 But concerning brotherly love you have no need that I should write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another;
Romans 5:5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
You see because we have the love of God in us, poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Further we have been taught by God how to love one another, we have absolutely no excuse for not obeying His commandment to love each other just as Christ loves us.
We cannot say Lord I do not know how. Lord I just don’t have the strength to love that person, Lord he or she is to hard love." None of those excuses hold up, because we have been taught how to love by God, in His word, and we have very love of God dwelling in through the Holy Spirit. You need to remember the fact that God loves you in spite of all your faults. He loves in spite of the fact that on your own you fall dreadfully short of what he expects from you. So you have no right not to love a brother or sister in Christ because they fall short in your eyes.
The love which God has for us allows Him to look beyond our faults through Christ. And we have that same love in us by which we should look beyond the faults of others in Christ. This love is not a gushy love, but a spiritual love, a love which has it’s very beginnings in the heavens. It’s very beginning in the nature of the Almighty God.
The love we are to have for one another is all so a love of concern and action. It is love which is not just to be stated, but love which is put into actions.
1 John 3:18 "My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth."
In other words 1 John 3:18 tells us to put our money where are month is. Just don’t tell some one you love them, show them love them. Just as I pointed out last week concerning God’s love. God just did not just "love in word or in tongue" but God loved in deed and in truth, by sending His only begotten Son to die for us that we could have eternal life. And this is the same type of love which the Bible tells us that God has poured out into our hearts through His Holy Spirit. A love which is a love of concern and action.
We can also see that the Philippians showed their love for Paul not just in "word or in tongue" but in deed. We see that they supported Paul with gifts so that he could continue his ministry of preaching the gospel of Christ. The showed Paul their love by praying for him.
Perhaps I should give example of how you can show love toward a brother or sister in Christ. How about a card of encouragement or thanks. Just letting someone know that you are thinking of them can be a great display of Christian love. Instead of sharing something bad about someone to others about a brother or sister in Christ how about sharing something good about that person. How about a phone call to someone you know is going through a rough time. Or perhaps a visit to that person, baking them something. Or why not lift up a certain brother of sister up to the Lord in prayer. Showing someone that you love them is not really that difficult, and it is something that Scripture doe not give us a choice in, it commands that we are not to love in word and in tongue, but in deed.
The Love which we are to have for one another is love of sharing suffering and affliction. No Christian should feel that he or she is alone in their suffering or affliction.
Notice in verse 7 Paul states that the Philippian people were partakers of his chains. They shared in the imprisonment of Paul. Paul did not feel alone in suffering, he felt as though these people were right there with him. He speaks of the them partaking in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. Paul seems to be making reference to his upcoming trial. He knew that he was not going at this alone. He knew that not only was God with him, but God’s people as well, his brothers and sister in Christ. Paul knew he was not alone, but on the basis of Christian love, he knew these people were with him all the way.
I think of the verse Romans, 12:15; "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep."
Paul begins that section of Scripture with a call to love one another. And lists quite a few items which show our love with this begin one of them. "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep". As I said earlier no Christian should go through any time of trouble alone, and as this passage points out none should go through a time of rejoicing alone.
As I read this I wondered how well this church is doing in that area. Do we all rejoice when someone in our fellowships rejoices? I think most of us do. Do we all weep when one of us weeps. In this I think we all fall short. And remember sharing in ones sorrows does not mean simple that we sit at home at say to ourselves, ’Boy that’s to bad". No, it means we show our sorrow in deeds not just in words. Let us show how much we love each other buy standing by one another in times of rejoicing and times of weeping. Let us do it in such a way that the person going through that time can say as Paul said, "you are partakers with me." And I know that you are there with me. And I ask this of you, not only because it is what the Lord commands us to do, but because it is what we ought to do.
The love which we are to have for one another is also a love that puts others before ourselves. This is one of those things that prevents us from loving our brothers and sisters in Christ, we think somehow we just a little better then they are. That we somehow are a little closer to God then they are. This thing is called pride.
But God’ word tells us that we are to get rid of our pride, get rid of the thought that we are better them others and but them first.
Romans 12:10 "Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;"
We are to give preference to one another. I point to the illustration which I gave at the beginning of this sermon about the USS Pueblo. Those men put others before themselves. Our brotherly love that we have for one is displayed by putting others before ourselves.
Later on in Philippians in chapter 2 Paul tells his readers that we "are to esteem others better than" ourselves. While I will be discussing this aspect of placing others before ourselves in greater length in the future. Let us just say that an aspect of Christian love is putting others before yourself.
So know comes the tough part of the sermon, seeing how well we measure up to where the Scripture tells us we ought to be. Christian love is one of those things that Christian like to brag about to the unsaved world, but is seems to me to be one area that we fall way short of were the Bible tells us we should be. I don’t think any of us love each other in the way we ought, so we all need to examine ourselves, and pray that the Holy Spirit would convicts us, and brings us where we need to be.
Are we being obedient to the commandment of our Lord Jesus in loving each other just as He loves us. Again look around, and ask yourself that question.
Is the love you have each other a love which produces action and concern. Or is it a love of word and tongue only. One where you say "Oh yes I love that person" but never have done a single thing to show that person your love. If you have never shown a person that you love them, then the love that you have that person is not the love which God states he has placed in you. It is not the love which God has said He has taught you.
Is the love you have for one another a love which shares in sorrows, trials, and also in joy. Or are you indifferent. Or do you simply think to yourself how sad it is and do nothing in response to that persons pain or joy. If you do nothing again the love you have for that person is not the love of God in you, it is not the love He has taught you, it is not the love you need to have.
And finally is the love you have for your brothers and sisters for Christ a love that puts them first. Or do you think of yourself before other Christians. If you do you are breaking the commandment which the Lord has given. And breaking a commandment which the Lord has given is always a serious thing.
So I call on you, and I challenge you to love one another as God states we should. Let us love one another that God may be glorified and Christ be seen in us all.
SHALL WE PRAY
