The Conduct and Joy of a Worthy Purpose

The verses before us this morning are chapter one, verse 27, through chapter two, verse two.

I've titled today's sermon, The Conduct and Joy of a Worthy Purpose.

The Conduct and Joy of a Worthy Purpose. Let's start with the reading of God's word.

Philippians chapter one, and for the sake of context, we'll start back in verse 21.

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me, and I do not know what

I will choose. But I am hard -pressed between the two. Having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better.

Yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. And convinced of this,

I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith.

So that your reason for boasting may abound in Christ Jesus in me through my coming to you again.

Verse 27. Only live your lives in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent,

I will hear about your circumstances that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind contending together for the faith of the gospel, in no way alarmed by your opponents, which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you.

And that, too, from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake, having the same struggle which you saw in me and now hear to be in me.

Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the

Spirit, if any affection and compassion, fulfill my joy that you think the same way, by maintaining the same love, being united in spirit, thinking on one purpose.

And we'll stop there for now. Let me share with you some findings from a part of a survey from the

Arizona Christian University. Arizona Christian University.

The survey was titled American Worldview Inventory 2020.

This particular survey was a service of the school's Cultural Research Center, and according to the findings of the survey, 44 % of self -identified

Christians said they think the Bible is ambiguous in its teaching about abortion.

The Bible doesn't teach anything about abortion. 44%. 34 % of self -identified

Christians said they think, quote, abortion is morally acceptable if it spares the mother from financial or emotional discomfort or hardship.

Over a third there. Again, 34 % of self -identified

Christians reject the idea that marriage is defined as being between one man and one woman.

34 % of Christians. 40 % of self -identified

Christians say that lying is morally acceptable, and here's the catch.

If it advances personal interest or protects one's reputation, 40 % lying is okay.

These statistics are disturbing in a lot of ways. A third or almost half in some of these areas regarding some very, very grievous sins.

I would argue in some sense that they are the result of false teaching and false teachers having a wrong view, really having a secular worldview versus a biblical worldview.

But I would say this is what you get when God's people are not united in what they believe about the

Word of God. The powers of darkness that rule this world are always on the attack against the truth of God's Word.

The truth of God's Word is really crystal clear. The truth is abortion is murder.

The truth is God hates those who lie. The truth is marriage is between a man and a woman.

The truth is sexual immoral behavior is not acceptable in the sight of God.

In verses 27 through 2, Paul teaches that conducting ourselves in a worthy manner of the calling means standing firm with each other in our convictions.

Paul makes it clear we cannot defend our beliefs with one spirit in mind if we all believe something different about God's Word.

The passage can be summed up really with one word, unity. Paul is talking about unity.

The main thrust of today's text is conducting ourselves in a worthy manner of the calling in Christ.

If we desire unity in the body, we must be united in what we believe the

Bible teaches, the teachings of Jesus, the doctrines of Jesus.

In today's passage, the Apostle Paul gives two helpful commands so that you can know how to live a purposeful life, a life worthy of the calling of the gospel of Christ.

Two commands that explain worthy living. Number one, conduct yourselves in a united manner.

We'll see that in verses 27 through 30. And the second command is complete joy, fulfill joy by being like -minded, verses 1 and 2.

Two commands that explain worthy living. Number one, conduct yourselves in a united manner.

We'll look at verse 27 a little closer. The biblical concept of worthiness is that of integrity.

Believers are to be marked by integrity. And this verse introduces another major theme in Philippians, unity.

The Apostle Paul gives a sincere, genuine call for unity. Not a unity that's based on personal preferences, a unity that's based on the

Word of God. Paul knows that a oneness in spirit is absolutely necessary for the spiritual battle of the

Christian faith. Paul's call for unity is partly based on the love of other

Christians in the body of believers. It's partly based on genuine humbleness and humility.

His call is in response to division within the Philippian congregation. He is concerned about the relationships within the church.

Paul's view of himself was humble servant. His relationships were a chance to serve, to serve others.

That's how he viewed his relationships. Have you ever thought of your relationships at church as being an opportunity to serve?

Your relationships as an opportunity to serve? Consider that. People are not just opportunities, but are you an example of servant to fellow

Christians? In this, even in this local congregation. The example of Jesus Christ is

Paul's ultimate appeal in the unity. Jesus proved that sacrifice produces eternal glory.

Paul is calling the Philippians to live sacrificially so that Christ can be glorified.

Paul's calling for unity is really a calling for Christ's glory. And this contending together is struggling along with another person.

Relationships within the body that can glorify Christ. We don't often think about our relationships at church as something that glorifies

Christ. But it does. Think about that. Are your relationships glorifying

Christ? Or does your attitude against other believers actually bring a reproach against Christ?

Disunity in the body does not glorify God. Paul started with the metaphor of a soldier standing at his post.

Stand firm. But here Paul flips the figure of speech to one that pictures a team struggling together.

One group of people with a common goal. What is the goal of a team?

To win. They are a team struggling for one common purpose.

The faith of the gospel. The faith of the gospel. The Christian faith revealed by God and recorded in the

Bible. In the very word of God. So what does it mean to be one spirit?

One spirit. Well here the term one spirit is being used as the same in Acts chapter 4.

It's the idea of sharing among believers. All the believers were united in heart and mind and they felt that what they owned was not their own.

So they shared everything they had. So to be one spirit it kind of has a communal aspect.

To only value what they owned by the need of fellow believers.

They're on the same team. They're in the same fight. Paul encouraged the believers to live and fight for their faith side by side.

And you just think how many churches have split up over petty disagreements. We probably have all heard the illustration of a church that split up because of the color of the carpet.

One faction wanted red and another faction wanted blue. Well they installed blue so the ones that wanted the red carpet said we're leaving.

How dare you. I mean you think about it. These silly stories. I've heard that one a lot.

That might be an urban legend. But you think about how many churches have split up over things that it's not based on the word of God.

It's personal preference. Just silly petty disagreements. The reality is if you're not in agreement about the big things you'll divide over the little things.

A body of believers will lose time and effort if fighting with one another rather than fighting together for a common purpose.

Paul is saying the Philippians need to resist the temptation to quarrel amongst themselves.

Paul is saying they should maintain a common purpose to serve Jesus by serving each other.

The way we treat the least of our brothers and sisters in Christ is the way we treat

Jesus. Paul continues in verse 28. The spiritual opposition may be from the pagan environment of Philippi, certainly.

But it is more likely that Paul is referencing the Judaizers that are discussed in chapter 3 verse 2.

You can flip there. Just flip right back. It says beware the evildoers. Actually, Paul says beware the dogs, those who mutilate the flesh, the mutilators, referring to those who hold to a very strict adherence to the

Old Testament law and the right of circumcision. If you don't get circumcised, you can't be saved.

Those are the Judaizers. So very likely he's referring to them. The sign of destruction is the standing firm and the striving of true believers, true followers of Christ.

Paul is saying that when followers of Jesus suffer willingly for the gospel without being alarmed, it is a sign that the enemies of the cross will be destroyed and lost forever.

So, if you are not alarmed by personal opposition for the gospel, it is a sign that those opposing the gospel are lost.

If you are not alarmed by personal persecution for the gospel, it is a sign that you are not lost.

Standing firm and striving for the gospel is a sign of salvation.

It is the power of the Holy Spirit that allows us to have a corporate unity.

And that corporate unity allows all of us to grow together in our understanding and conviction of the

Word of God. And this comes from the Holy Spirit. First, salvation.

This comes from God. Unity through salvation. Those sharing a common salvation through faith are unified in Christ forever.

You're already unified. We already are united in Christ and nothing can ever change that.

The significance is that the sign of destruction for the unbeliever is the standing firm and striving of believers.

Paul is saying that it is a sign that the enemies of the cross will be destroyed and lost forever.

Standing firm and striving for the gospel is a sign of salvation. It is the power of the

Holy Spirit that allows us to have unity. He allows believers to have unity.

In verse 29, Paul uses this Greek verb. The Greek verb for granted,

I guess all of Paul's writings has Greek verbs. He wrote in the Greek. But this is a unique one.

This Greek verb for granted comes from the noun for grace. Kind of an interesting word usage.

The believer's suffering has been given by God. Suffering is granted by God.

And this is a radical concept. This is foolishness to the world. And to be correct, it's stupid to the world.

It's foolishness to them. Suffering is a gift of grace from God. Yes. The believer's suffering is a free gift of God's grace.

Have you ever looked at suffering as a gift? Not a natural response.

And to the world, this does not make sense. But the world is filled with false teaching, yet the

Bible is the truth. The Bible is true teaching. This is the truth.

Suffering on account of Jesus brings power in Christ's spirit.

Suffering on account of Christ brings eternal reward in persevering. Suffering is from God.

It is a free gift of God's grace that you would suffer.

And not only that, that you would suffer on account of the name of Jesus. Suffering is suffering.

No one wants it. The state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship, it's not a privilege in itself.

Suffering as you faithfully represent Christ is a privilege.

Suffering for any reason and displaying Christ in the middle of that is a privilege. Displaying Christ in the midst of suffering means our example and message have their intended effect.

This is a worthy manner of calling as we are allowed by God to represent him through sharing the gospel in the middle of trials.

Suffering also has benefits because of God's power in Christ. Suffering forces us to look beyond the earthly circumstances.

It will strengthen the faith of genuine believers. Conversely, suffering will often reveal covert unbelief and false converts.

Suffering while displaying Christ can also serve as an example for others to follow.

Have you ever considered that your trial may serve as something that encourages another believer, that is setting an example for another believer?

Or have you ever considered that our Heavenly Father may use your trial to bring an unbeliever to genuine saving faith?

I really dislike the saying God works in mysterious ways. We see some of this language in the

Psalms. The Bible says God's greatness is unsearchable. To a degree, yes, absolutely, amen.

God's ways are a mystery to us. Think about Deuteronomy 29, 29, the secret things belong to me, the things revealed belong to you.

And often we stop there in that verse, but it actually says so that you may live your life according to the works of the law, that you may live out what

I've instructed you. The secret things belong to the Lord, but God has revealed much to us.

And suffering is not a mystery. God uses it for the benefit of all people.

For the believer, suffering produces character, endurance, and perseverance. For the unbeliever, suffering often signals a drawing by the

Father may be happening. Suffering can lead to salvation because with God, nothing is impossible.

With God, all things are possible. To endure a trial as a result of our faith does not mean we have done something wrong.

Often suffering for our faith will verify our faithfulness toward God. Who would suffer for something they don't believe in?

Nobody. Who would turn to something they don't believe in in the middle of a trial?

Nobody. Paul viewed his own suffering in the service of Christ as a special favor and privilege given to him by God.

The significance is that the believer's suffering has been given by God. Paul is saying that displaying

Christ in the midst of suffering means our example and message have their intended effect.

And then in verse 30, he refers to this same struggle.

The same struggle simply refers to the same kind of suffering Paul was experiencing.

Paul is letting the Philippians know that they will experience what he has experienced. Paul was saying that the

Philippians were sharing in his ministry by their gospel witness. They were sharing in his ministry by their endurance and affliction for the cause of the gospel.

The Philippians saw Paul being afflicted for the sake of Christ, and he was afflicted for the sake of the gospel.

The Philippians witnessed the imprisonment of Paul and Silas at Philippi. Paul is saying what happened to me, it is going to happen to you.

He is saying the suffering you are about to experience, the suffering you have seen and heard in me, it's a gift from God.

Paul gives us the reason for his suffering. In the midst of a trial, is it helpful to think about God's purpose?

What is God doing here? What is the purpose here? When you are in a trial, do you think about how you can display

Christ to others? Because that's what Paul was doing. That's what he wants them to get.

The purpose of Paul's striving can be found in the same language that he used in his letter to the

Colossians. In Colossians chapter 1, Paul here speaking about the preeminence of Christ, he said, so we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom

God has given us. We want to present them to God perfect in their relationship to Christ.

That's why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ's mighty power that works within me.

He's talking about teaching. And the same applies here. You can't divorce unity from teaching.

Paul is talking about more than earthly possessions. Let's trace the logical flow of thought from Paul.

We'll go throughout the letter to the Philippians. In chapter 1, Paul described his life as being one who lives for Christ, but to him to die was gain.

In chapter 2, he exhorted the Philippians to living sacrificially and not focusing on themselves.

In chapter 3, he exhorted them to think of their citizenship as being in heaven and not to dwell on earthly things.

And in chapter 4, Paul would encourage the Philippians to develop an eternal perspective and focus on heavenly things.

When he is talking about unity in the spirit, it is living sacrificially, but it is also more than earthly life.

Paul has an eternal perspective. Paul is talking about unity in heavenly things, the teachings of Jesus, the faith delivered from God.

Without the doctrines of Christ, there is no unity. No teaching, no unity.

No doctrine, no unity. Because Jesus is the doctrine.

Jesus is the Word of God. No Jesus, no unity. Without Jesus, there is no teaching.

And without the teachings of Jesus, how can there be unity? Paul is talking about unity in spiritual things.

Throughout Paul's life of ministry, he suffered for sharing the gospel. And right now, to a lesser degree, we are like the

Philippians. Right now, to a lesser degree, we can find ourselves in the midst of personality conflicts with people who reject

Jesus. Worse, we are in a fight with those who would reject and discredit the saving message of salvation in Jesus through faith.

And this is not a physical fight. This is a spiritual fight, a spiritual battle.

And make no mistake, if you are a true believer, then you are in this battle.

Every true believer is united in this spiritual fight against a common enemy.

But Jesus has already won the victory. Isn't that great? The battle has already been won.

So what are we supposed to do? We are called to proclaim that truth. The enemy blinds the lost from seeing the truth of the gospel.

We are called to proclaim the gospel despite the enemy's attacks. But we cannot do this on our own.

Paul is saying for us to do it together, with one singular spirit, mind, and soul.

But this is impossible. But all things are possible with God.

We can have one singular spirit, mind, and soul because we are indwelled by one spirit.

Our God is one. The Holy Spirit is one. Because of the Holy Spirit's illumination of the

Word of God, we can be one. Because God is one. Think of the harmony and the union of the

Trinity. Being united in spirit, mind, and soul according to the teaching of the revealed

Word of God is conducting yourself in a manner that's worthy of the calling of the gospel in Christ.

The importance is that the same kind of suffering Paul was experiencing would be shared by the

Philippians. And that gives believers a common purpose. Paul talks about the greater purpose of the church in Ephesians 4.

We were discussing this this morning in Bible study. Why don't you turn with me to Ephesians chapter 4, and we'll start in verse 11.

And we have a slide here, but I'd like you to turn there so we can just point out a few things. So Ephesians chapter 4, and we'll start in verse 11.

Put it up on the screen. The purpose of worthy conduct.

This whole section often will be titled unity of the spirit, chapter 4.

The purpose of worthy conduct according to Paul. He writes, now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church.

The apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip

God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the

Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. And if you haven't heard me say it, you're going to hear this again and again.

Context, context, context. Let's see what Paul said right before he wrote these words.

So you have this amazing passage in 11 through 13. But even go back to the beginning of the chapter.

He says, Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, exhort you to walk worthy of the calling which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, being diligent to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.

There is one body and one spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling, one

Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

And listen to what he says in verse seven. But to each one of us, grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.

Thinking about how he gifts people to the church for the purpose of equipping.

The reality is that if you are indwelt with the Holy Spirit, you have a spiritual gift.

Every single believer in this room has a spiritual gift. The question isn't whether you have a spiritual gift.

The question is whether you're using it for building this body up for the sake of proclaiming the gospel in this community of Laurel.

You have a spiritual gift. Are you using it? That's very strong, very convicting, but it also should be very encouraging.

And you know, when we think about unity, and you can flip back to Philippians, it's so important that we understand that this isn't personal preferences, it's the word of God.

It's the gospel. Christ united us. We are united. Think about it like this.

Kind of a silly illustration. I'm sure you guys have heard this before. Impossible to break when united.

A man asked his young son to break a bundle of sticks, and he returned a little later to find the boy frustrated in the task.

He couldn't do it. The boy had raised the bundle high and smashed it on his knee, but he only bruised his knee.

He had set the bundle against a wall, he stomped on the bundle of sticks, but the bundle barely bent.

The father took the bundle from the child and untied it. Then he began to break the sticks easily, one at a time.

So it is with the church. United we are, impossible to break. But divided we can fail and be broken.

And I would argue that some of those statistics that we looked at this morning are because people are not united with other believers.

They're not united to the teaching of the Bible, and they're susceptible to false teaching.

In today's passage, the apostle gives us two helpful commands so that you can know how to live a purposeful life that's worthy of the calling of the gospel in Christ.

Two commands that explain worthy living. The first is to conduct yourselves in a united manner so that you can stand against false teaching and some of the outcomes that we saw this morning.

Two commands that explain worthy living. And number two is to complete joy by being like -minded.

Paul will switch over his thought process here. And he says, because of what

I've just said, because of that, therefore, for this reason, he then says, if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the

Spirit, if any affection and compassion, fulfill my joy.

And the word encouragement comes from a Greek word that means to come alongside of, to help, to counsel.

It can also be the idea of exhorting, to help somebody out. This encouragement is in Christ because the

Lord Jesus encourages his own. Paul's mention of encouragement and appeal for unity is based on the

Philippians' long -standing relationship, as well as Christ's comfort,

God's love and their common sharing in the Holy Spirit. If you believe

Jesus is the Son of God who was crucified for sin's penalty and that he was raised from the dead, then you are one of Jesus' own.

You belong to Jesus and nothing can ever change that. The consolation of love

Paul is speaking of is a layer of genuine affection from a loved one.

This is true Christian love. Paul uses specific language to paint a word picture of Jesus coming close and whispering gentle words of tender encouragement.

Genuine Christian love should be clearly evidenced if a person is a genuine Christian. I mean, ask yourself that question.

Does your life reflect genuine Christian love? And sometimes this may reflect in our fellowship.

Fellowship communicates the partnership of eternal life provisioned by the Holy Spirit. This is more than hanging out because we like the same football team.

This is soul fellowship. The believer's fellowship is based on eternal truths that we understand because of the

Holy Spirit's ministry of illumination. That we would understand, we would have knowledge and understanding of God's word and an ever -increasing conviction that the word of God is the truth.

In verse 27, spirit, lowercase s, clearly referred to the common shared provision amongst believers.

So, if verse 27 refers to earthly harmony in terms of earthly possessions, then the term spirit, capital

S here in verse 1, is not referring to the same thing. This is the spirit. And the term is used the same way in 2

Corinthians chapter 13. Kind of a nice section here. This is just Paul's final greeting in his second letter to the church in Corinth.

He signs off saying, Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words.

Be joyful, grow to maturity, encourage each other, live in harmony and peace, then the

God of love and peace will be with you. Greet each other with a sacred kiss. All of God's people here send you their greetings.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the

Holy Spirit be with you all. The affection and compassion

Paul is referring to here is supernatural. We can go back to verse 1.

The Lord has extended his divine affection and compassion to every believer of Jesus.

Paul is saying God has given you affection and compassion through his son

Jesus, so have unity. God has given eternal life.

Have unity. God has taught us the truth in his revealed word. Have unity.

Christian unity isn't based on agreeing with the popular opinion of the day. And that's something that we need to really do a self -inventory about.

Are you concerned about being in agreement with the popular opinion of the day? Because it's very likely if you are, you don't agree with what the

Bible teaches. You can't agree with the world and agree with the

Bible, because Satan, the devil, is the one who is over the world.

Demons, doctrines of demons, like Christians who say it's okay to kill your baby, or Christians who say it's okay to lie as long as it promotes my reputation, that's not from God.

Think about it. Are you concerned about being in agreement with the popular opinion of the day? Or are you concerned about being in agreement with the doctrines of Christ?

Just like the rest of the world, many professing Christians are very concerned about making good impressions on others.

And some to please themselves. And good impressions are not necessarily a bad thing.

Paul knows that if a person is only concerned for themselves, then that is the beginning of division and discord.

That's where it starts. So Paul is stressing unity. Paul understands that if believers work together for the common good of others, we demonstrate

Christ -likeness. And it starts with humility. Christ put others first.

Let's go back to context. Even in chapter 2. He says in verse 2, fulfill my joy that you think the same way by maintaining the same love, being united in spirit, thinking on one purpose.

Listen to what he says. Verse 3, doing nothing from selfish ambition or vainglory, but with humility of mind regarding one another as more important than yourselves.

Not merely looking out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Have this way of thinking in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a slave.

By being made in the likeness of men, being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

And he says you need to do the same thing in the way you think about yourself in relationship to other followers of Christ.

Paul knew when believers put each other first before their own needs, they create unity.

Have you ever considered that an over -importance placed on first impressions can actually strain unity?

Or an over -importance on how you come across to others may be straining relationships amongst believers.

And that may seem silly, but the motive of the heart is the issue here. Do you care about your appearance or what people might think about you if you're a

Christian or you have certain beliefs more than you do for a brother or sister in Christ who may be going through a struggle?

The motive is the issue here. Paul is pointing out the love motive. His appeal is to love.

Notice Paul ties unity to love. Not just love in word, but love in action.

There must be unity in the church. Believers display Christ by feeling and showing affectionate compassion and loving kindness to fellow

Christians. And this outward display of love is a display of unity because love is unity.

If we are not sharing the truth, then we are not showing love.

Because the truth is love. The significance is that encouragement is in Christ because the

Lord Jesus encourages his own. Paul is speaking of a layer of genuine affection from a loved one.

He communicates the partnership of eternal life provisioned by the Holy Spirit. Paul knew when believers put each other first before their own needs, they create unity.

And he'll continue this train of thinking in verse 2. Notice how

Paul ties his joy to his concern for other believers. Paul's joy was tied to the unity of the believers in Philippi.

He wants them to be unified to the point of having the same mind. He wants them to think the same.

Paul's rebuke here is not an optional command. The grammar is very clear.

Paul is giving a strong imperative command for them to make joy complete.

And he anchors his argument in outward and external displays of humility. A humble man is a man of love.

So if we, I mean just think about it like this. How are you living your life? If we asked your co -workers, your friends or family, if they thought you were a humble person, what would they say?

What would we hear? Would they describe you as a person of humility? And Paul speaks about this like -mindedness in Romans chapter 12.

And actually turn to Romans as well. Romans chapter 12, we'll look at verse 16, should be up there.

But yeah, I want to point something out here as well. I think it's helpful for us to look at what Paul says in some of his other letters.

Romans chapter 12, starting in verse 16, Paul discussing the marks of a true

Christian. How do you know if you're a true Christian? Live in harmony with each other.

Don't be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all.

Pretty strong language. But let me point out the context even in this section of Paul's thinking.

He's talking about living a holy sacrifice and the way you live your life. But in light of what he says here in verse 16, look at Romans 12, starting in verse 3.

I want you to think about this compared to what he wrote in Ephesians and what he's writing here in Philippians. For through the grace given to me,

I say to each one among you, not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think, but to think so as to have sound thinking, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another.

But having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.

Again we see the same thing. One body. One mind. One spirit.

We all have spiritual gifts. You're going to see this again and again throughout the

New Testament scriptures. And it's really important to think about that, that we are united.

We are one body. We have different members and everybody has a spiritual gift to contribute or the body doesn't work right.

This is really important to think about. Paul's basically saying what has been taught by God will affect our attitudes toward others.

Toward those that are lost. Toward other believers. Being like -minded and having an attitude of humility starts with being like -minded about what the

Word of God teaches. And this exhortation is not confusing. This teaching is repeated throughout the

New Testament. Let's look at the same love here that he mentions. Christians are commanded to love other believers in the body equally.

And this equal love is sacrificial. This same love is only possible through Christ.

It is the idea of a loving servant -minded sacrifice to all believers that was shown by Jesus Christ toward us.

Even while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Paul is speaking of a love that is active and keeps in mind others with an intentional purpose.

Being united in spirit is actually a term that was made up by Paul. It was coined by Paul.

He often took words and combined them. The apostle would take words and create pithy statements to enhance his teaching or his logical flow of thought.

He used concise and forcefully expressive words to articulate his point. This term literally means to be one -souled.

One -souled. It is more than having similar preferences. This is being joined in soul in terms of loving the same thing in the fellowship of the soul that binds together.

This is not having something in common. It is describing persons who are bonded together in harmony.

They are fused together. Believers ought to have the same desires, the same passions, and in some cases even the same ambitions.

That's Paul's point. You can be a lone wolf in the world, but there's no place for a loner in the body of believers.

We all have a shared salvation. We all learn from one another.

We all grow together in our knowledge of Christ. Remember, the way we treat the least is the way we treat

Jesus. It's almost like your desires are no longer your own.

Something greater has happened. Christ died for you. Our like -mindedness does not depend on personal perspective.

Our like -mindedness depends on the Word of God. Without the Bible being the inerrant, sufficient, and authoritative

Word of God, there is no unity. Without the Word of God, there is no unity.

And again, without Jesus, there is no unity. The significance here is that Paul ties his joy to his concern for other believers.

Paul's joy was tied to the unity of the believers in Philippi. Paul is giving an imperative command for them to make joy complete.

Being like -minded and having an attitude of humility that starts with being like -minded about what the

Word of God teaches. And Paul speaks about unity in, also back to Colossians in chapter 3, unity in the

Word. Listen to what he says here. He says, Since God chose you to be the holy people

He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you.

Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.

And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts, for as members of one body you are called to live in peace and always be thankful.

Let the wisdom of the world and popular opinions and all its richness fill your lives. Just seeing if you guys are awake.

What does he say? Let the Word of Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives.

Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom He gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.

That's what Paul is saying, to be united in one mind, in one spirit, for the sake of the gospel.

You know, one way to think about this, I'll just kind of come out here with a little illustration, humility and safety in thinking the same.

Think about it like this. For safety reasons, mountain climbers rope themselves together when climbing a mountain.

That way, if one climber should fall and slip, he would not fall to his death.

He would be held by the others until he could regain his footing. The climbers are in complete agreement about the kind of safety gear they're going to use.

There aren't any climbers who say, I'm not going to use that rope. I'm not going to use that stake in the rock.

There may be different climbing methods and even approaches, whether to climb this particular wall or that cliff face or what route might be taken.

But they are all thinking the same way when it comes to the safety and the good of the group.

The church ought to be like that. When one member slips and falls, the other should hold him up again until he regains his footing.

We can't do that if we don't think the same way about the Word of God and if we don't have humility toward fellow believers.

In today's passage, the Apostle Paul gives two helpful commands so that you can know how to live a purposeful life worthy of the calling of the gospel in Christ.

Two commands that explain worthy living. Number one, to conduct yourselves in a united manner so that you can stand against false teaching and number two, complete joy by being like -minded in what you think about the

Word of God. Remember, Paul says again and again, rejoice, again

I will say rejoice. Do you have joy in Christ, joy in the gospel?

In verse 27, Paul exhorted the Philippians to conduct their lives in a worthy manner in standing firm in attitude and conviction by defending their beliefs with one spirit and one mind.

In verse 28, he encouraged their faith in the Lord and reminded them of their salvation despite opponents of the gospel.

In 29 and 30, he said they would suffer for Christ's sake and that it was a gift granted by God.

In verses 1 and 2, Paul told them they can make joy complete by thinking of each other with humbleness and humility and by believing the same thing about God's Word.

Paul exhorted the Philippians to live in unity in their Christian conduct and their thinking about God's Word.

Paul's theme here is unity. Paul's commands are helpful because he provides an explanation for each one.

In this passage, Paul qualifies what it means for the believer to live out a worthy

Christian conduct. For believers, we should be unified in our faith and stand together in one spirit as we strive to share and proclaim the gospel.

Unity in the body is critical for ministry. The example of the early church in Acts is one that lived as a community and shared all of their possessions.

The only importance they put on the personal possessions they owned was for how much of a need their fellow

Christian had. And what would be best for the community as they sought to fulfill the great commission of gospel proclamation and disciple making.

Paul's point in this passage is that our bond together in the faith in the gospel and the

Holy Spirit should unite us in the same mindset and the same heart attitude. Unity in our lives together in the way we treat each other, in our daily lives and corporately as one unified body of believers, despite different personalities and backgrounds.

We are now commonly related to one another by our faith in the gospel of grace in Jesus Christ.

We should be of one heart in our love motivation to be together as one in our thinking of God's revealed word and the task of building another up in our knowledge of Christ with the purpose of gospel ministry.

Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit's ministry of illumination, and the

Holy Spirit does many things. He gives the gift of regeneration and washing of sin. It is the gift of God's grace in which the

Holy Spirit makes the sinner aware of his sin and is given the gift of repentance.

The Spirit makes the natural man aware of his sin and reveals the truth of God's word to the sinful mind.

As we are regenerated and born again in the Spirit, we become able to discern the truth of God's word and the revealed mind of Christ.

And I think it's important to point out here as we're thinking about the gospel that true saving faith always is connected to repentance.

Repentance, turning away from sin, always proceeds and follows true genuine saving faith.

You are called to repent, to turn away from sin and return to God and believe in the good news that Jesus Christ, he is the

Messiah promised in the Old Testament. And he took away the sins of the world. He lived a perfect, holy life and he died on the cross so that we don't have to face the deserved wrath of God, that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, that you believe that.

Repentance always proceeds and follows genuine salvation, to repent and believe.

While the depths of God are unsearchable, Jesus has revealed himself in the word of God.

In this passage this morning, the apostle tells us by giving two commands.

He helps us to understand so that you can know how to live a worthy life in the calling of the gospel.

Conduct in a worthy manner is standing firm in attitude and conviction. And making joy complete is being intent on a common purpose in attitude and conviction.

The unity of attitude and conviction is not based on human relationships.

Unity in the body is not based on shared interests. Unity in the body is not based on personality.

Unity in the body is based on the word of God alone, in Christ alone.

Let me pray for you. Heavenly Father, we are grateful for this letter.

We're grateful for your sustaining grace, your enablement. We want to acknowledge that you are good and you do good.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your message today that we can learn through the writings of Paul.

We thank you and acknowledge all of the provisions which you have given to us already today.

Lord Jesus, we thank you for your perfect and completed work on the cross. Because of you,

Lord Jesus, we have life. God, you have made us new. Now because of Jesus, we are clean.

Through Jesus, you have made us pleasing in your sight. Your words are greater than all the jewels in the world.

Father, please help us to have the ability to stand firm and stand up for your word.

Help us to stand up for the teaching from your word. Your word is perfect and holy.

Help us to defend our faith. May we strive together in the singular purpose of sharing your word in the midst of this evil generation.

May we stand boldly for the truth with humility toward one another. May we strive for gospel ministry with unity in our earthly circumstances and our heavenly outlook.

May we be united by the Holy Spirit to have unity in what we believe about your word.

I pray for connections to be made today that are beyond our own capability. Would you please help us to understand your word clearly?

Help us to grow in our knowledge of your word and produce in us an ever -increasing conviction of the truth of your word.

Father, will you please give us wisdom? Father, please conform us into the image of your son.

Help us, enable us, enable us to grow in our biblical knowledge so that we can speak bold truth into this dying world.

Let us be a light in a dark world. Enable us to have unity, to share the gospel, and to glorify