Unity Based on the Gospel

Laurel Bible Church

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I'm talking with you about unity, unity.

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I want to address when we have divisions in the church, we need a reminder that we are united not in our personal preferences, but we are united in the

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Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the gospel of our salvation, unity based on the

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Bible. So we will be looking at some selected scriptures this morning from the letter of Paul to the

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Philippians. Go ahead and turn to Philippians and we'll just take a brief overview.

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Now we did enjoy a season of preaching and spending time with Paul in the church in Philippi last year.

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Today is a reminder that our unity is not based on ourselves, it is based on the

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Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And so today I'm going to try to preach through the letter of the

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Philippians in one sermon. Let's see if we can get this done. Praise God, unity based on the

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Bible, unity based on the Word of God, unity that's based on the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, unity based on the gospel.

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Imagine for a moment you're attending a choir concert. You're all set to hear beautiful harmonies, but instead every choir member starts singing their favorite song all at once.

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You've got a little Beethoven over here, a dash of Beyonce over there, maybe a sprinkle of country yodeling somewhere in the back.

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What do you think that would sound like? Chaos, it would sound like chaos.

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And what would you do? Well hopefully you'd run for the nearest exit, especially if Beyonce was there singing, sorry for the

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Beyonce fans. Well believe it or not, sometimes that's how we act in the church. Each of us tries to sing our own song, promoting our own agendas, preferences, and opinions, thinking it's my way.

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It's my way or the highway. And instead of creating beautiful harmony as the body of Christ, we make noise.

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But Paul in his letter to the Philippians reminds us of the kind of unity the church is called to have, not based on self -interest, but humility.

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And he gives us the best example, Jesus. If anyone had the right to sing a solo, it was

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Christ. But he humbled himself, came down to our level, and invited us into harmony with him.

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So today let's explore how following Christ's humility leads us to harmony, to unity, so we can stop the noise and start singing the beautiful tune together as the church, the body of Christ.

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In the letter to the Philippians, we see three helpful topics so that you can have joy in the gospel while living in unity and demonstrating

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Christlikeness. The first topic is the circumstances of Paul in chapter 1. This section includes

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Paul's greeting to the church and his circumstances in the ministry of the gospel. The second topic is the cautions given by Paul in chapters 2 and 3.

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This section includes Paul's exhortation to the church, an update on his companions in the ministry, and Paul's warnings to the church.

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The third topic is the commendations made by Paul in chapter 4. This section includes the final encouragement from Paul, his thankfulness to the church and his farewell.

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In this letter, Paul conveyed his thankfulness for the Philippians. And he relayed his joy and rejoicing in all his circumstances resulting from the ministry of the gospel of Christ.

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Three helpful topics so that you can have joy in the gospel while living in unity and demonstrating

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Christlikeness. And the first topic Paul discusses are his circumstances.

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Read with me. I want to show you verses 12 through 20 in chapter 1. Paul says this,

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Now I want you to know, brothers, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my chains in Christ have become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else, and that most of the brothers, having become confident in the

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Lord because of my chains, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear.

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Some to be sure are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from goodwill.

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The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. The former proclaim

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Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me affliction in my chains.

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What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in this

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I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that this will turn out for my salvation through your prayers and the provision of the

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Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness

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Christ will even now, as always, be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.

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In verse 12, the meaning from Paul's perspective here is simple to understand.

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He says, I want you to know. And the verb Paul uses here means to plan on a course of action, to intend, to plan, or to will.

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It's not just a wish or a want. Paul is intent on his course of action. It is his plan and will that the

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Philippians understand. He doesn't want them to merely be aware. Paul wants them to get it.

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He wants them to understand. He is saying he wants them to be ones who know.

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He's expressing the intention that they will be ones who have come to the knowledge of God's sovereignty in the progress of the gospel.

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And Paul can't get any plainer than that. He is saying his personal circumstances, which were not great at the time that he wrote this, have actually turned out to be a profit.

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They have turned out to be for the profit of the gospel. What a way to view a personal trial.

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You think about that mindset, the power to have this mindset. Well, it's not from Paul.

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This mindset is from God, not Paul. Paul is very straightforward here. He wants his dear

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Philippians to know that his arrest and imprisonment are nothing to worry about. They've been a benefit to the gospel.

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Paul is rejoicing. Paul is encouraging them. Paul's concern is for his dear friends and new family in the faith.

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Paul's concern is for the gospel. Paul relays his thought here in verse 12, the greater progress of the gospel.

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This is the idea of forward movement, forward progress. Think like armies moving forward despite very real obstacles.

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When we go through personal trials, it is easy for us to become bitter or to give up.

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Being arrested and imprisoned would cause many people to become bitter or to give up. Paul did not become bitter.

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Paul saw his imprisonment as an opportunity, an opportunity to spread the gospel.

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Often our response to challenge is to seek the reason. We seek the reason to seek escape from the circumstance.

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The apostle understood his present circumstances were not as important as what he chose to do with them.

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Paul's chains were not a hindrance to the gospel. Paul's chains provided new opportunities to spread the good news of salvation.

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Paul did not turn a bad situation into a good one. God did. This is the sovereignty of God.

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Paul's situation was a benefit because God is faithful. God is faithful in his providence, his preservation and protection for his people.

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Paul was faithful to Christ. Paul had a Christ mindset. He did a little outreach right there in prison.

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He preached the gospel to the soldiers. He strengthened all the Christians who were terrified of persecution.

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Paul's intention is clear. The implication of what Paul is saying demonstrates God's providence over Paul's life.

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This demonstrates God's sovereignty over the gospel itself because God is sovereign over all things.

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Despite Paul's dangerous circumstances, God remains in sovereign control.

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Not only that, God used Paul's persecution for the advancement or the progress of the gospel.

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God is sovereign over trials. Paul made a choice to trust God. He made a choice to trust

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God in the trial, in the circumstances. And so this morning we see three helpful topics that help us to look upon our lives.

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We can have joy in the gospel, and we can have joy in the gospel while living in unity and demonstrate

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Christlikeness. The circumstances of Paul show the importance of joy.

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Joy in the gospel results in inner contentment, and that inner contentment leads to an increasing trust in God despite earthly circumstances.

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Imagine, dear brethren, a little bird in a cage. Now this is no ordinary bird, for though his wings are bound by iron bars and though the world looks in and sees his miserable state, the bird does not mope or sorrow.

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Instead, he sings. From morning to evening, his melody fills the room, much to the surprise of all who behold him.

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One by one, people gather around his cage and scratch their heads in wonder. What a strange bird, they say.

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Surely, he must not know he's trapped. Another remarks, he must be mad for what bird sings when he cannot fly free.

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Yet the bird continues to sing, and the louder he sings, the more people gather around to listen.

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Before long, this little bird in his cage has drawn quite the crowd, a crowd that would have never noticed him had he been flying free.

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And it is here that we must marvel, for the bird has turned his cage into a pulpit.

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Brothers and sisters, we see the same with the apostle Paul. Though his hands were chained, his feet bound, he rejoiced, for his chains were no obstacle to the gospel and to the spread of the gospel.

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Indeed, as Paul tells the Philippians, his imprisonment had served to advance the gospel.

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His chains became the very cause for the good news of Christ to spread throughout the palace guard.

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In his confinement, Paul sang, not a song of woe, but a song of joy, for he knew that no earthly circumstance could silence the message of Christ, nor steal the joy of the

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Lord from his heart. Shall we then not do the same? When we find ourselves caged by the trials of this life, by this sickness, sorrow, or struggle, may we sing and let our song be so joyful that the world stops and wonders, what is this joy that no chain can bind?

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No sorrow can silence. And thus, through our trials, we shall turn our cages into pulpits and proclaim the goodness of God, who gives joy in all circumstances.

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Paul is a humble example to point to the deeper spiritual truth of finding joy despite earthly hardships, just as he did in his imprisonment.

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And so, we see as he continues this letter, he'll change topics, and we see that the next topic

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Paul discusses are the cautions he gives to the church, starting in chapter 2.

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Look at chapter 2, the first eight verses. Paul says, therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the

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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, doing nothing from selfish ambition or vain glory, 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.

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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.

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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.

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In verse 3, the word from, very important, from literally means according to.

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It's referring to action, acting in a manner corresponding to or conforming to action.

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He's talking about behavior. This selfish ambition is translated sometimes as selfishness.

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It literally means contentiousness. It is the idea of strife or contention.

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Before its usage in the New Testament, the Greek word is found in the various works of Aristotle. In the writings of Aristotle, it denotes a self -seeking pursuit, and he's using it in the way of a self -seeking pursuit of political office by unfair means.

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The usage here in its various translations help us to see that selfishness and contentiousness are the same thing.

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They are synonymous. If selfishness and vainglory are two sides of the same coin, then selfishness and contentiousness are both on the same side.

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They are closely linked. They're really the same behavior. Contentiousness is a manifestation of selfishness and vice versa.

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Vainglory is actually one word in the original language. Its lexical meaning is so extremely rich that we need two words to understand it.

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This is a vainglory. This is translated empty conceit.

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If you have the New American Standard, you can see that, and in other translations. It conveys the idea of trying to impress other people.

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This kind of conceit is an excessive ambition. This is a vain or exaggerated self -evaluation.

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This is vanity to the max, extreme vanity, but it's empty.

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This is vanity that springs from a vain or worthless opinion. This is illusion, delusion, error.

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This is a wrong evaluation, wrong evaluation. So what is the solution?

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What is the solution to a wrong self -assessment that leads to vainglory and selfish ambition?

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What is the solution? Humility, humility. Paul said the same to the church in Rome.

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For by the grace given to me, as I say to everyone among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

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Romans 12. Paul is saying the same thing in both passages. Not more highly than he ought to think, but with sober judgment.

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This is having humility of mind. A practical and realistic self -evaluation should result in a humble attitude toward other believers.

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That is what Paul is talking about, being humble. Because humility involves having a true perspective about ourselves, a genuine self -assessment, not a haughty attitude, not a rebellious attitude.

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But also, not just theological acumen. No, we don't need theological snobbery.

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We need humble obedience to God's kingdom commands. We should not belittle ourselves or put ourselves down, and we should not put others down if they don't know as much as we think they should know.

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The point is that before the Lord Jesus Christ, we are all sinners. We are all sinners.

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We are all saved by God's grace. Remember, since we are saved by God's grace, we have great worth in God's kingdom.

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But this shouldn't give us a big head if we may have more theological acumen than the next person.

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No, the opposite should be true. This passage demands that we lay aside selfishness and treat others with respect and common courtesy.

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But this goes beyond just being nice. It's not just being nice. This is an inner concern, a sacrificial interaction with others for the benefit of other believers' souls.

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This concern goes beyond earthly interests. This concern puts sanctification and the spiritual progress of our brothers and sisters in Christ as the main ruling motivation.

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This is a divine interest and concern. We must constantly be considering others' interests as more important than our own because it connects us with Christ, Christ who is the ultimate example of humility.

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In verse 5, the passage literally reads, Have this way of thinking among yourselves.

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This attitude of humility is commanded amongst the body, within the body.

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Think of the opening of the letter. Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus.

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Paul identifies himself as a slave. He is saying, I'm a servant of Christ.

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This attitude comes from Christ. Christ himself takes on the form of a slave.

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What does a slave do? He serves. A slave serves.

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Have this mind among yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus. Mark chapter 10, for even the

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Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

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Jesus Christ is the perfect example of humble obedience. Jesus willingly practiced humility to give up his rights to obey

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God the Father and to serve people. So like our perfect model of humble humility in Christ, we as followers of Christ should have a servant's heart.

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If our master had a humble attitude, we as his followers should strive to have a humble attitude.

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The cautions given by Paul show the importance of humility.

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The importance of humility. Joy in the gospel results in humbleness which leads to living a life of humility toward others following Christ's example.

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And Paul continues to discuss the topic of him giving serious cautions to the church.

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The apostle exhorted the church in Philippi against legalism and lawlessness. And so as he continues this topic of exhortation and cautions, warnings, we see him pick up but sort of change lanes a little bit.

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Look at chapter 3. Point out a few verses here for you. Chapter 3 verses 2 through 7 and I want to show you something in 17 through 19.

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Look at chapter 3 starting in verse 2. Paul says, beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the mutilation.

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For we are the circumcision who worship in the spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.

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Although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh, if anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh,

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I far more circumcise the eighth day of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a

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Hebrew of Hebrews, as to the law a Pharisee, as to zeal a persecutor of the church, as to the righteousness which is in the law found blameless.

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But whatever things were gained to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

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And so we have the proud Judaizers, the legalists that demand that you adhere to the

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Old Testament law, the dietary restrictions, otherwise you're not saved, the legalists.

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But he'll compare or contrast now, look at verse 17 through 19, a different form.

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And here it is, he says, brothers, join in following my example and look for those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.

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For many walk of whom I have often told you and now tell you even crying as enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose

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God is their stomach, and glory is in their shame, who set their thoughts on earthly things.

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And so we have the reprobate, the libertarian, the one who practices Christian liberties to the point that they don't even care about personal holiness.

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So let's look at what Paul is saying here, these strong cautions or warnings as he continues the topic of the exhortations to the church.

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Look at verse 3 of chapter 4. When Paul says we are the circumcision, he is speaking figuratively and he's talking about believers in Jesus Christ as truly circumcised people of the promise.

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This is not literal circumcision as commanded by the law, no, this is circumcision of the heart.

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Listen to what he says to the church in Romans chapter 2, he says, for no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical, but a

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Jew is one inwardly and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the spirit, not by the letter.

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His praise is not from man but from God. The rest of verse 3 is Paul's explanation of the activity of true believers versus the activities of false believers.

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True believers worship God in faith. The contrast is critical to see so that we can understand this passage.

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The false believers who promote obedience as a means of justification, they have a false confidence of pride because they have added works to justification and they teach a false version of salvation.

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Paul says true believers glory in Christ. Our boasting or pride is in Christ's works alone.

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Paul refers to this kind of boasting when he talks about the idea of defending justification in God's grace.

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And the Greek word Paul uses here in verse 3, it's boast, I'm reading the Legacy Standard Bible, it means to take pride in something, to boast, to glory, to pride oneself.

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It's the idea of bragging. We know Paul doesn't mean his own accomplishments based on what he just said in verses 4 -7.

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Think of it like this, in his letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul explains it like this, for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which

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God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them, that's Ephesians 2.

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Even the good works we do are provided by God and enabled by God.

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God gets the credit, God gets the glory. We add nothing to our salvation and we are not saved or justified by obedience.

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We are justified by faith alone in Christ alone. Saying different is promoting a false gospel.

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There's really no other way around that. Adding anything to Christ's work on the cross in our human ability is a false gospel, it's legalism.

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Paul says true believers glory or boast in Christ's atoning death on the cross, not anything we do in obedience after our

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God -given justification. God gives the justification, we don't boast in things we do after, no, even the obedience that we have is in faith.

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It's in the faith and is given and enabled by God alone who gets all the glory.

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True believers boast in the death and resurrection of Christ which produces a genuine godly spiritual pride that puts zero confidence in the flesh, zero confidence.

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It gives 100 % of our confidence in the work of Christ alone in his laying down his life.

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This confidence is in Christ alone and this gives God 100 % of the glory, not us.

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No matter our obedience in the faith, we glory in Christ. God values the attitudes of hearts more than emphasis on human effort.

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It's easy for us to place emphasis on human effort over faith because it produces pride, but it's an extremely deadly thing to do.

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It's extremely deadly to place a false confidence in pride. People can fool themselves and others by outward religious piety.

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Don't judge a person's standing before God based on their fulfillment of duties or how many scripture they have memorized.

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Up until this point, Paul described the false converts of verse 2 that promote human obedience to attain righteousness.

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Look over at 17 through 19. Now in verse 19, notice he lumps them in with those who revel in Christian liberty.

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They revel in Christian liberty to the point that they don't even care about righteousness. He says both are doomed to destruction.

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In verse 19, Paul is referring to the professing Christians that teach another gospel.

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They promote error and their gospel is twisted. We see really two ends of the spectrum in this letter.

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Those that preach the true gospel, but they abuse its grace, and they enjoy every kind of liberty, reveling in sin.

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There is no pursuit of godliness. Christian liberty to such an extreme that they don't obey the

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Lord's commands to pursue holiness. The other end of the spectrum are the ones who preach a false gospel, admonishing everyone to adhere to the

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Old Testament law, claiming that religious obedience produces righteousness. Paul had called out the false converts who promote obedience and justification in verse 2.

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They live for human obedience and self -righteousness, the prideful legalists.

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Paul now moves on to call out those who live for their own appetites and not for the glory of God, the lawless libertarians.

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And notice, he lumps them together. Both are professing believers.

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Both groups are identified as enemies of the cross. Both groups will face the same end, destruction.

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The word Paul uses is a word that means the destruction that one experiences both completely and in the process of ruin.

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It literally conveys annihilation. Paul used the same word in his second letter to the church in Thessalonica when he spoke about the punishment of those who are enemies of the cross.

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It's a warning of what to expect at Christ's return for those who do not truly know

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Jesus. It is a very similar warning to what we see here in Philippians.

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Paul says it like this in his second letter, 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. Paul says they will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the

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Lord and from the glory of His might when He comes on that day to be glorified in His saints and to be marveled at among all who have believed because our testimony to you was believed.

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It's the exact same language here in verse 19 of Philippians. The legalists do not obey the gospel.

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The lawless do not obey the gospel, both. Both groups do not know

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God. Paul lumps both groups as enemies of the cross. He describes those that do not obey the gospel like this.

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How is it that you do not obey the gospel? But for those who are self -seeking, those who are self -seeking, they don't obey the truth.

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They actually obey unrighteousness. There will be wrath and fury for those.

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Romans chapter 2. They live for themselves. As Paul says, their

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God is their stomach. Sometimes translated, their God is their belly.

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He is using the literal word for stomach with a powerful illustration. Think of it like this, the belly or stomach is the organ of nourishment.

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The New American Standard translates this verse, whose God is their appetite. These professing

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Christians live for themselves and they pursue whatever makes them happy without any thought to worshiping

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God with their living. Not only that, they're proud of it. Remember the word for glory in the

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Greek can convey a kind of boasting. Paul is talking about honor as enhancement or recognition of status or performance.

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You want the status, you want the position. Think about it like fame, recognition, or renown.

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They assign themselves honor and prestige by living for their own earthly pursuits.

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They want it their way. The term Paul uses here for earthly is pertaining to the characteristics of earth as opposed to heaven.

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It's pretty easy to see. But Paul is using the word as it relates to worldly things with the implication of personal gratification.

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It's what I want, it's not what is best for everybody else. These are self -deceived professing

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Christians. They do not live their life as an act of worship, as a response to God's grace in the gospel.

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They are either religious legalists who brag in their self -righteous obedience, and oftentimes how much they know about the

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Bible, or they are religious reprobates who intentionally don't pursue godliness.

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In both cases, they're proud of it and they encourage others to join them. The point is, they don't have any shame about their conduct.

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They're happy to go on living that way. And when such people are in a body of Christ, they cause havoc, division, and disunity.

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And it is a grace of God when He removes people who are divisive from the body of believers. It's difficult to go through.

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It's not fun to go through. But it is a gift of God. It is a blessing. The earthly mindset is living as if there's no

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God despite claiming to know Him. That's a false walk. A false walk is a false faith.

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This is the characteristic of the false convert. To a degree, there's a consistent pattern to their walk.

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They don't care about sin. This is not a momentary stumbling that they repent of and grow from.

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No, we all struggle with sin. This is not a Christian who struggles with a remnant sinful nature.

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Praise God that you're struggling with sin because you should be convicted by the Holy Spirit of that, and you should turn away from that sin in biblical repentance, daily repentance for the genuine born -again believer.

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No, this is not a Christian who struggles with a remnant sinful nature. This is a habitual pattern, a habitual pattern of sin devoid of conviction, devoid of repentance.

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These are professing Christians that show no spiritual progress because they suffer from worldly thinking.

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They are self -seeking. They have no desire for godliness. They are proud if they check any religious box of piety.

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They love to criticize church leaders. They are extremely critical of the pastor and his teaching.

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They do not have any form of a real prayer life. They are consistently not engaged in reading the

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Word of God. They are not involved in any regular discipleship. They have little interest in serving at church, or they want to do their own thing if they serve.

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They may find regular excuses why not to serve even if there is a genuine need.

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They do not engage in evangelism of any kind. They have no compassion or mercy for the lost.

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They are gossips who spend more time talking about God's people than lovingly serving

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God's people and humbling themselves under the God -given,

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God -blessing oversight of the elders of the church. Pastors are a gift to God's people.

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So to criticize and go after the pastor is a sin against not only

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God, it's a sin against the Word of God, it's a sin against Christ, and it's an attack on the gospel and God's people.

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There really is no other way to get around this. They know how to fit in and talk the talk, but they don't walk the walk.

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And in the long run, they expose themselves. They do not have true faith. They are destined for destruction,

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Paul says. And when we see this kind of activity, we can just hope by the grace of God you're looking at someone who is in basically an extended season of unrepentant sin and pray for their soul that they'll come to their senses.

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But a habitual pattern is very deadly. They are destined for destruction.

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This is a strong exhortation from Paul. He says their appetite is what they want.

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They want what they want. He's talking about a local church. What's good for the body of Christ?

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They don't care about that. Their appetite is in their belly. He says they're doomed for destruction.

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A tough warning, a tough warning. But it's a warning that's made from an appeal in love.

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Paul gets tough with people who live to appease their appetites because he loves them.

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He loves them. The kind of professing believers who believe so strongly in their self -righteous obedience that they become slaves to pride.

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The kind of so -called Christians so concerned with trivial earthly matters that they can worship

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God while harboring resentment and bitterness toward other believers. And sometimes toward the elders and deacons of the church.

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Or maybe their secular vocation has become the God of their life. Paul says these kinds of so -called believers are headed for destruction because all they can think about in this life is here on earth.

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This earthly pursuit. And the earthly pursuit is meaningless without a heavenly perspective.

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It's all meaningless if we're not living for Christ. The true follower of Christ will not seek their own purposes and desires.

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The true follower of Christ will follow Him. We make ourselves subject to one another as unto the

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Lord. As Christians, we must set our minds on knowing Christ.

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Not only on the temporary pursuits of this world. Three helpful topics so that you can have joy in the gospel while living in unity and demonstrating

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Christ -likeness. The cautions given by Paul show the importance of humility and obedience.

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Humility and obedience. Joy in the gospel results in spiritual enablement which leads to a life of obedience.

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Avoiding legalism and lawlessness. Brothers and sisters, if you want to know what it truly means to be a

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Christian, look no further than Christ. Not a version of Christianity that elevates man, but one that exalts

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Christ alone. Paul lays this out so clearly in Philippians.

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In chapter 2, he speaks of Christ's humility, His obedience, His willingness to come down from glory, to be born in the likeness of man, and to die.

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Not just any death, but death on a cross. The most humiliating, the most excruciating.

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Christ was not seeking recognition, status, or approval. He was seeking to obey the

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Father perfectly. Now, here's the question for you. What are you seeking?

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What are you seeking? The life you have is given to you by God. What are you seeking in this life?

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Paul, in chapter 3, talks about all his achievements, his religious pedigree, his background, his standing.

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What does he say about it? He says, I count all of it as loss for the sake of Christ.

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He says it's garbage. It's garbage. He's not boasting in himself, he's boasting in the cross.

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He's warning us to beware of those who boast in the flesh, who walk in pride.

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Pride will lead you to destruction. At the end of chapter 3, Paul weeps over those who are enemies of the cross.

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Because their God is their stomach, their glory is their shame, and their mind is on earthly things.

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What about you? What about you? Do you walk in humility as Christ did?

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Do you consider others more important than yourself? Or are you chasing the praise of men, pursuing the things of this world, trying to build your own kingdom?

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Let me be crystal clear. God does not care about your titles. God does not care about your achievements or how religious you appear to be.

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What matters is this, are you following Christ in humble obedience? The measure of a man is not in his earthly accomplishments, but in his willingness to lay it all down at the feet of Christ.

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To be obedient to God no matter the cost. Christ humbled

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Himself for you. He did it for you. Are you humbling yourself for Him?

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And here's a good way to check. Are you humbling yourself for others? Are you humbling yourself for Him and for others?

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Paul is emphasizing the seriousness of Christ's humility and obedience and challenging the listener to reflect on their own walk with a strong call to reject pride and follow

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Christ's example. The second topic is the cautions that Paul gives to the church.

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The final topic brought up is the commendations made by Paul. The commendations, it relays a thankfulness.

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Look at chapter 4, we'll look at the first seven verses. Turn to chapter 4. Paul says,

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Therefore my brothers loved and longed for my joy and crown. In this way stand firm in the

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Lord my beloved. I urge you Odiah and I urge Syntyche to think the same way in the

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Lord. Indeed, I ask you also, genuine companion, help these women who have contended together alongside of me in the gospel with also

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Clement and the rest of my fellow workers whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the

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Lord always. Again I will say rejoice. Let your considerate spirit be known to all men.

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The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

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And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

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In verse 2, Paul's first command was to stand firmer. Hold fast in the

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Lord. The next two commands give us some insight on the application of standing firm in the

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Lord. In verse 2, Paul brings up some women who are identified as ministry partners.

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But there seems to be some sort of disagreement between the two. There are some clues for us to their background in the historical account of the

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Acts of the Apostles. In the book of Acts, there is an account of the conversion of a woman named

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Lydia. You can find this in Acts chapter 16. Here is the record.

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It says, so setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace and the following day to Neapolis and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a

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Roman colony. We remained in this city some days. And on the Sabbath day, we went outside the gate to the riverside where we suppose there was a place of prayer.

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And we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. It's not out of the realm of possibility that Euodia and Syntyche may have been among the women who were meeting for prayer.

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The text in Acts doesn't name them specifically and the text in Philippians does not identify their specific background.

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But verse 3 does implicitly state they have labored side by side with Paul for the gospel.

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Yet, there appears to be some sort of personality conflict. Paul's association of the two women along with Clement and the other fellow workers in verse 3 clues us into the fact that these women were prominent church members.

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Really, both of Paul's commands in verse 2 and verse 3 revolve around Euodia and Syntyche.

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Agreement and help, unity and support. Notice in verse 2,

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Paul doesn't bring up a specific doctrinal issue. His aim is to bring unity in what appears to be some sort of division or disunity in the local church with these two women at the front.

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The command of unity may be for Euodia and Syntyche in verses 2 and 3, but this command is for everyone in the church.

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When Paul says he entreats them to agree, he is using the same word from chapter 2, verse 2.

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Fulfill my joy that you think the same way. By maintaining the same love, being united in spirit thinking on one purpose.

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The context of that verse is the lens we can look through to understand verse 2 of chapter 4.

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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.

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

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And Paul's rebuke here is not an optional command. In chapter 2, verse 2,

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Paul gave an imperative command for them to make his joy fulfilled. Paul now again anchors his argument here in outward and external displays of humility.

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A humble man is a man of love. What has been taught by God will affect our attitudes toward others, toward other believers.

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Being like -minded and having an attitude of humility starts with being like -minded about what the word of God teaches.

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Christians are commanded to love other believers in the body equally. The idea of same love is only possible through Christ.

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

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Paul is speaking of a love that is active and keeps in mind others with an intentional purpose.

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Being united in spirit. And this term is really coined by Paul, united in spirit.

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The apostle often took words and created pithy statements to enhance the teaching.

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To enhance his logical flow of thought. We see that in the Greek compound word, joint imitator, from chapter 3, verse 17.

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It's translated, join in following my example. He often used concise and forcefully expressive words to articulate his point.

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The term united in spirit literally means one -souled, one -souled.

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It's more than having similar preferences. This is being joined in soul in terms of loving the same thing in the fellowship.

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Loving the same thing in the fellowship of the soul that binds together. This is not having something in common.

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It is describing persons who are bonded together in harmony. They are fused together in Christ.

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Believers ought to have the same desires, the same passions, even the same ambitions in Christ.

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That is Paul's point to Euodia and Syntyche. A person may be a lone wolf in the world, but there is no place for a loner in a body of believers.

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We all have a shared salvation. We all learn from one another. Our like -mindedness does not depend on personal perspective.

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Our like -mindedness depends on the gospel of Jesus Christ. Without the Bible being the inerrant, sufficient, and authoritative word of God, there cannot be unity.

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There is no unity. Without the gospel of grace and the Lord Jesus Christ, there is not any unity to be found.

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Paul's joy was tied to the unity of the believers in Philippi. The significance is that believers should tie their joy to concern for other believers.

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

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This is only possible as a result of thankfulness in the gospel. In chapter 4, verse 2, the term, think the same,

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Paul is using conveys this basically having an opinion about something. In this case, the word of life, the gospel.

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Standing firm for the gospel against opponents. Paul is talking about living in harmony and in agreement.

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The command in chapter 4, verse 2 comes in the form of a verb meaning to encourage. Same word to exhort.

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Paul is saying, I strongly urge you in appeal to be of the same mind.

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I encourage you, Odia and Syntyche, strongly with urgency to think the same way in the

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Lord. This is seeing eye to eye for the sake of Christ.

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Unity in Christ, unity in the gospel. Paul counted these women as his ministry partners who labored side by side with him.

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United as believers, engaging in fellowship, being devoted to one another in prayer and the teaching of the apostles.

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This is the basis of thinking the same way and agreeing in the Lord together as one.

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The letter from Paul to the Philippians is for every believer. Men, women, children, church leaders.

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If Paul is writing to the elders, then he is writing to the pastors of the church.

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Church leader or not, this letter is for everyone. Remember, in verse 3,

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Paul identifies some of the Philippian believers as those who labor side by side with him in the gospel.

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Paul spent more time in the letter addressing relationship problems in the church than he did correcting doctrinal issues or error.

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Uodia and Syntyche had been fellow workers for Christ in the church at Philippi. Their relationship issue was no small matter to Paul.

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If people had become believers through their efforts, their disunity would bring a reproach against Christ.

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It would set a bad example. It is possible for a person to believe in Christ and work hard to proclaim the gospel while still having relational problems.

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To work diligently for his kingdom and yet have broken relationships with other believers.

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Even believers who are committed to the same cause. Paul's point is that there is no excuse for remaining unreconciled.

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Paul's thankfulness in the gospel is the antidote to the problem of a lack of unity.

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He says, rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving.

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Let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

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Where there is a lack of thankfulness in the gospel, there is always a lack of unity.

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Because Paul has gratitude in his salvation, he has purpose in his life.

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He has a purpose in his life and it's the gospel. There just isn't time for disunity if our lives revolve around the purpose of the gospel.

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Commitment to the gospel as a result from the gratitude of salvation gives us a purpose in this life.

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And so we see three helpful topics so that you can have joy in the gospel while living in unity and demonstrating

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Christlikeness. The commendations made by Paul show the importance of unity.

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Joy in the gospel results in thankfulness which leads to unity with other

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Christians as an expression of gratitude and salvation. Brothers and sisters, there is a direct connection between the gospel, thankfulness, and unity in the body of Christ.

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In chapter 4, Paul urges two women in the church to agree in the Lord. Why? Why does he do that?

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Because unity in the body of Christ is essential. Not just for the sake of getting along, but because our unity is a picture of the gospel to the world.

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It's a reflection of what Christ has done to reconcile us to God and to one another. And right after this call for unity, what does

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Paul do? He says rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice.

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And he urges us to let our gentleness, our graciousness be evident to all.

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But here's the key. Paul connects this attitude of joy and gentleness to a heart of thankfulness.

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He says do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

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Do you see the connection? When we live in the reality of the gospel, we are thankful, deeply, profoundly thankful.

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Because we know what we deserve and what we've been given in Christ.

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And that thankfulness flowing from the gospel produces gentleness, humility, and a spirit of unity in the church.

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A thankful heart is not consumed with petty disagreements or anxious strivings.

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No, a thankful heart rejoices in what Christ has done, trusts in his provision, and seeks the good of others.

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When we are gripped by the gospel and filled with thankfulness, unity becomes impossible.

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We could say it like this. When we are gripped by the gospel and filled with thankfulness, disunity becomes impossible.

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Not because we minimize our differences. No, it's not because we minimize our differences.

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It's actually because we magnify Christ and the peace that surpasses all understanding guards our hearts and minds.

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So let your thankfulness in the gospel overflow and watch how God uses it to create and preserve unity in his church.

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Paul ties together gospel -centered thankfulness, rejoicing, and unity in the church.

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Emphasizing how living out the gospel produces a heart of gratitude that fosters peace and harmony in the body of Christ.

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The Philippian church was made up of many kinds of people. Many kinds of people who were learning to work together.

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Of course problems could arise. Paul needed to prepare them for difficulties that could come within a body of believers.

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And despite being a prisoner, Paul had learned the true secret of joy and peace, imitating

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Christ and serving others. Because of our joy in the gospel, we will learn unity, humility, joy, and peace.

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Those are results of having joy in the gospel. Unity based on the gospel.

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Three helpful topics so that you can have joy in the gospel while living in unity and demonstrating

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Christ -likeness. The circumstances of Paul show the importance of joy. Joy in the gospel results in inner contentment which leads to an increasing trust in God despite earthly circumstances.

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The cautions given by Paul show the importance of humility and obedience. Joy in the gospel results in humbleness which leads to living a life of humility toward others.

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We want to follow Christ's example. Joy in the gospel results in spiritual enablement which leads to a life of obedience, avoiding legalism and lawlessness.

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And the commendations made by Paul show the importance of unity. Joy in the gospel results in thankfulness which leads to unity with other

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Christians as an expression of gratitude in salvation. Beloved, let us consider the weighty truth before us.

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We are not our own. We are a people purchased by the blood of Christ.

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A people redeemed and reconciled to God through his death and resurrection.

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This great gospel which binds us to Christ also binds us to one another.

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As the Apostle Paul so earnestly exhorted the church in Philippi, so we must also heed the call.

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To be of one mind, to have the same love, being in full accord and of one spirit.

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Such unity is not born of human will or effort but of the gospel itself for Christ has made us one in him.

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Consider the tenderness of our Lord who, though he was in the form of God, did not count a quality with God, a thing to be grasped, but actually emptied himself, taking the form of a servant.

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In the same manner, dear saints, we are called to humble ourselves, to set aside our preferences, our pride, and our quarrels that we may reflect the very character of Christ himself.

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Yet, how shall this unity be accomplished? Not through the strength of the flesh, nor the wisdom of man, but through the gospel, the power of God unto salvation.

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For it is Christ alone and in him alone that we are knit together as one body.

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In him we find grace to forgive, patience to bear up with one another, and love to cover a multitude of sins.

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It is his spirit who works in us to will and to work for his good pleasure, shaping us into a people marked by humility, gentleness, and peace.

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Therefore, let us take courage, for this work of unity is not of our own making, but it is

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God who works within us. When we see division, let us run to the cross, where we remember that Christ has already torn down the dividing wall of hostility.

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And when we feel weak, let us rejoice, for in our weakness his strength is made perfect.

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So, dear brothers and sisters, let us press on together, with hearts united in the gospel, striving side by side for the faith.

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Let us be known as a people whose love for one another testifies to the transforming power of Christ.

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And may the God of peace, who brought up again from the dead our Lord Jesus, fill us with all joy and hope as we walk in unity.

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Until that great day when we shall see him face to face and be forever united with him in glory, this is a heartfelt and solemn exhortation for the church, that we would pursue unity through the power of the gospel.

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Reminding us of Christ's humility in the Spirit's work in the church, Paul offers both encouragement and conviction as he calls the congregation to walk in unity as a reflection of the gospel's transforming power, unity that is based on the gospel.