Philippians 2:1-3 "Humility of Mind"

Philippians 2:1-3 and the Call to Humility

Philippians chapter 2 verses 1 through 3. For today before we read over this text let us pray again and I will be just up front and honest with you. I did do some work last night I got home at 2 o 'clock in the morning and so I will be misquoting I will be misspeaking and I apologize up front about those things because my brain is a little bit of a mushroom right now.

So I do apologize in advance for those things. But let us go ahead and pray Lord God. I would ask today Lord that you would be glorified in the reading of this text that we would be encouraged as Christians to go and proclaim you as Lord God.

God. I ask today that my tongue would be tempered that it would proclaim you that the hearts of the individuals in this room would be prepared that the soil would be there and that any sort of seedling that needs to be seen and having effect today would take place.

Lord God. Let us let us stand firm upon the gospel as we have read in our previous messages and our previous days here in the book of Philippians. And Lord God let us have the consolations that are spoken of in here in this text.

God. Lord we say these things in our mighty Savior's name Jesus Christ. Amen. So let us read Philippians chapter 2 verses 1 through 3. 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 doing nothing from selfish ambition or vainglory but with humility of mind regarding one another as more important than yourselves.

Christian Consolation in the Midst of Persecution

Let us pray God. We would ask today Lord that we would not look at each other and exalt ourselves in our sin. Lord God let us look at each other and regard our fellow believers is more important than ourselves or that we've put their needs above our own God.

Let us do these things not out of a attempt to have praise vainglory as it is said here God but that we would do these things to glorify you and that this would be our takeaway in the midst of persecution.

That this would be what encourages us and guides us as a local body of Christ. Lord let us do these things to your glory. Let us honor you in the midst of them. Lord let us be sanctified in your Word today say this in your name.

Amen. So as a reminder of what the context is for anybody here that hasn't been with us I would like to let us remind ourselves what what's going on in this text. So this book of Philippians is written by Paul while in prison his second time in prison in Rome.

And he's writing this to the Church of Philippi Philippi there's different ways of wanting people debating about how to pronounce it but he's writing it to this local individual church that's really near and dear to his heart.

He's writing this in the midst of severe persecution. And this persecution isn't just out of randomness or him being a lazy Christian. It's persecution because he's actually been a very bold and strong Christian in sharing the gospel.

He wasn't a lazy Christian in these ways he was persecuted for the right means because he was doing the right methods that the gospel the New Testament has commanded him to do that Jesus himself has commanded him to do in this Great Commission.

And so last week our text that we were in was in Philippians chapter 1 verses 28 through 30. The weeks prior we had spent two Sundays in verse 27 and in these verses it drove us to examine if we have had a life that is similar in appearance to Paul how our faith has been granted to us and even our hardship and our suffering should be seen as God giving it to us a granting from God to us.

And all these things is ultimately as we looked at verses 28 through 30 last week all these things are ultimately for the sake of Christ that he might be glorified and in the midst of him being glorified that we as his creation would enjoy him for how long for forever.

And so that forever starts today for us if we haven't had our faith in Jesus Christ and so that would be my encouragement today is is that we we place our faith in the only object that is worthy of faith and that is in Jesus Christ and we will enjoy him forever we will glorify him and what he has done for us.

So one thing that I thought was very interesting was after last week's message we talked about how the the Christian life ought to look very similar to Paul's life 2 ,000 years ago even though the systems that we were in might be a little bit different.

We don't necessarily have in the United States today people being killed for their faith. That doesn't happen that often here in the United States it happens in other parts of the world today absolutely we ought to be praying for those individuals.

And but in in Paul's day it was very much so in that area that Christians were being put to death very much by the handful of time I was it was quite the proclamation of your faith to say Jesus Christ is Lord that he is the son of God that he is the Messiah was quite the thing to say.

That was very bold statement in that day we almost throw it out left and right today with no meaning about it with no persecution on it. But however today in our United States something I would remind us of is that the persecution within the church today in the United States it's still there.

It's something I hope that we don't look over. It might be the thought of a governor or a elected official saying that you have to close your doors down because of an illness outside. Well that's not what we ought to do.

The government the secular world the the people around us don't dictate what God has told us to do. They don't they don't get to dictate the commands of God to not forsake the assembly. They don't get to dictate those things even even to the smallest degree.

And it was a great reminder this individual told me is that that even even a threat of let's say let's say we wanted to go out as a church and do evangelism in the community but our insurance or something like that said well you we don't cover you if you go out and knock on somebody's door you so you can't do that as a church we don't need insurance church.

That's persecution here in the local body that is trying to control what the church ought to do. And we ought not to act like they have power over us to control us in what God has commanded us to do so.

So don't think for for a moment that persecution doesn't exist. And even our local body even in the in the small churches in the United States that have this appearance of freedom there's still attacks on it.

And this is where I would encourage you that like Paul he doesn't let those people have a control over him. He goes and he preaches the gospel in the public square and he goes to jail for those things.

This is this is how we ought to act as a church. And so now thinking about this right and in in chapter 1 of this whole of this whole letter this whole book that we have here in the book of Philippians we have seen a picture of a Christian as we talked about last week this picture of a Christian is one that is not something that is glorious to look at in the sense of physical appearance.

It's one that is beaten bruised suffering. It's a suffering Saint one that has had a cost of discipleship of Jesus Christ. Paul is not writing this letter in Tahiti where he's drinking my ties. Right.

Where is he writing this letter from. He's writing it in prison. And what has been Paul's whole encouragement the whole time throughout chapter 1 for me to live as Christ and die as gain that that we have something so much better as Christians because we have placed our faith in the perfect life of Jesus in his atoning death that he paid the price for me there he was buried and rose again on the third day and that my life is secure with him at the right hand of the Father right now where he sat down an accomplishment of his work that that's a hope that goes beyond anything that this world can offer to us.

But if you were if you were a Christian and you were reading this and you see Paul saying look this is ought to be our joy is joy that's outside of what this world can offer to us which is absolutely true.

Our foundation of faith ought to be the gospel which is absolutely true. But then but then you might you might want to cower back at the thought of persecution. You might not like that idea right. It's not something that is is appealing for us to hear about persecution to us.

And so now Paul is saying look there is there is also a great consolation in being in the faith. There's a great joy about being in the faith. And that's what we come to here in Philippians chapter 2 verses 1 and on.

The Fellowship of the Spirit and the Joy of the Church

And I love this text very much. So so look at Philippians chapter 2 verses 1 through 3 it says. Therefore if there's any encouragement in Christ there's any encouragement of Christ. We're going to look through each one of these statements here.

And we're going to ask a question I hope to pose an answer at the end of this verse. But is there any any encouragement in Christ you come to Christ. Is there anything that is encouraging there being in in this world.

Is there anything that that we can take joy in in this world physically as a Christian. Is there any encouragement in Christ. That's the question that's being posed in here. Is there any encouragement of Christ.

Think again what is Paul painted for us as a faithful ministry. It's a it's a life of persecution affliction and difficulty. And if you were to read this you would think what what kind of what kind of what kind of consolation what kind of goodness would come out of this for me.

And Paul has already expressed again that the great joy it is for a believer to have faith in Jesus Christ. But that's the first question we have to ask ourselves what consolation for the believer of Christ is there in this day or in that day.

What consolation is there for him. Let's look at the next statement in here. If there is any consolation of love brothers and sisters is there any love in our local body of Christ. Is there any love in their local body of Christ in the day that Paul wrote this.

Is there love from the benefactors of being a new covenant member is there. Is there a love towards your fellow believer. Is there love there. Paul saying is do you have love towards you know one of your closest neighbors which is your local church.

Do you have love there. Do you see love. Do you feel love. Is there love present there. And then he asked the next question. Is there any fellowship of the Spirit. Is there any fellowship of Spirit. What does this statement mean.

Well first of all fellowship is the communion partnership participation an association of those that are in the same household. So if we say we're in the Church of God we're in the household of God through what he has done for us in the cross.

Is there any fellowship in there. That's that's the question that Paul saying is there any fellowship within this household. And now notice in here that it's not just fellowship in this this meaningful thing it's a fellowship in the Spirit.

If you confess that you've been born again that you have had your previously stone-dead heart removed by God and that you've had a fleshly heart placed therein that has the law of God written therein.

And that by having this heart placed there that you have faith a faith that is totally relying on what Christ has done for us and that you see him as Lord and Institute or the mediator of the new covenant that you're a member of it.

That's the faith that you have that you have been born again. That's what it means to have fellowship in the Spirit that each one of the members of that covenant has had the same reality that you yourself have had that you guys have had the same experience born again that you have been born from above born of the Holy Spirit.

And this is the this is the question that is asked here. Is there fellowship in and with your fellow believers. That's what Paul's asking. Is their fellowship there. Is their fellowship there. Because if there isn't it's lacking.

Not the Spirit is not lacking. It's that our old sinful nature is causing us to do so. 1st John chapter 2 verse 16 it says. For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life is not from the Father but it's from the world when we look at the opposite of what these things that are being asked to us in this text.

Is there any consolation of love. Is there any fellowship of the Spirit. The opposite of these things is pride hate lustful of the flesh. It's worldly. It's not from the Father. It's not from the Spirit.

It's totally from our depravity in our own old nature. And we must put those things off. But that's the question that's next posing here. Is there any fellowship in and with your fellow believer. Then the next question is asked if any affection and a passion just does any affection or compassion exist in your church.

Is there any affection and compassion. Brothers and sisters what's been painted here for us is that our consolation that the joy that we should have in this life ought to be the love the compassion the fellowship the the the association with your fellow believers.

Not because love is what unites us but it's the gospel that has united us. And that's a consolation of being in the gospel is that you have fellowship with these fellow individuals therein. This is so important because look at what Paul then says in here.

It says fulfill my joy fulfill my joy. The joy that Paul is saying that you ought to have as the church which is that you have affection and compassion towards each other. Not hate discontent disunity but love and compassion for each other in the local body.

So that when persecution and hardship comes you have joy because you're in the local body. You're in the church. Paul says that right now where I'm at where the situation the prison that I'm in right now.

My joy is in that you have these things. My joy is in that you have love for one another that you're in united together. That's where my joy comes from. Is what Paul is saying. Does Paul sit and say I have joy because I'm watching golf while in my prison cell.

I don't think golf was exact existed back then. I highly doubt it anyway. Was Paul saying that that my joy comes from me playing the guitar in my cell that I purchased here. Is that word Paul is getting his joy from.

Is Paul asking. Maybe maybe it's because I'm hanging out with my with my prison. Coney's my prison friends. That's where I'm finding my joy out in this text. Is that where Paul finds joy out in prison.

No Paul finds joy in believers doing what believers ought to be doing. And that's having humility united with one another because you're in the gospel. That's how Paul is finding joy in this text. That's what's carrying Paul along.

Is that he knows there's a body of Christ somewhere glorifying God. How if we think about that today our our expression our unity as a church ought to be that much more important. Did we not just talk about how there's Christians today that are suffering in another part of the world very much more physically than you and I are.

They are defined joy in the unity that you and I expressed in this church. That's remarkable to think about that their joy doesn't come from the physical pleasures that they have because they don't have any.

Their joy comes from what you and I are expressing towards one another today. That we have affection. That we have compassion. That we have love towards one another fellowship in the spirit. This is remarkable to think about Paul's happiness and joy comes about his fellow believer doing what believers ought to be doing.

Fulfill my joy. That you think the same way. So the way that Paul is thinking is he exalting himself above his fellow Christian. Or is he regarding them better than himself. He's regarding them better than himself.

And so he's saying do exactly what I'm doing right now. That my joy isn't in watching golf. My joy is in that you are sharing love with one another in my persecution because I regard you Christian Church of Philippi better as myself thinking the same way by maintaining the same love being united in spirit thinking on one purpose.

What verse does that remind you. If we talked about this a few weeks ago this is almost verbatim what we have here in verse 27 of the previous chapter. 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. I was greatly reminded as Emily was coming to me and talking about women's ministry and this this Bible study here yesterday that we have the beauty of subjecting ourselves to God's created order and what the appearance of that has towards the world around us.

So in marriage with Adam and Eve there in the garden what is it that they are told to do. Forsake your mother and your father and cleave unto each other. And you will be one flesh be one flesh if you were to look at Adam and Eve if they have had a godly marriage where they were exalting Christ not breaking the commandment of them.

The outside world the lookers into the relationship of Adam and Eve should have seen one flesh. That's what we are to have in our marriages today. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loves the church and wives are supposed to subject themselves to the husband because they are the head of that relationship which is a picture of the gospel Christ being the head of the church church being that which subjects himself to Christ.

And in by doing this when the world sees the husband and the wife they are to see the gospel there. To see this looks like one flesh here in any church especially in this church because this is the church that's near and dear to us the outside world ought to look at us and see wow they have the appearance of one mind and one spirit.

That is what we have in here. Our our gathering together are uniting and with one another is that we've been born again that we're in the gospel our consolations the things that we experience in this life the thing that we should be experiencing in this life love towards us and love towards each other.

Encouragement towards us encouragement towards each other. That's the consolation that we have in here that the world doesn't offer us anything but that we are sustained as the bride of Christ by Christ himself.

And so when we see this in here that we're being united in spirit thinking on one purpose. What does it say. How does this get done. How is this taking place in every local body including ours including the Church of Philippi.

I'm gonna pronounce it differently every single time doing nothing. Think about that excluding statement right there. Doing nothing from selfish ambition or vainglory. Doing nothing from selfish ambition or vainglory.

Brothers and sisters if we have this type of mindset about ourselves in trying to kill that sin which often pokes its head out in our lives which is that we ought to think that we are better than our fellow man.

That we ought to exalt ourself in pride. We will have problems. Everything that we've read in this text will be destroyed because we have sought selfish ambition and we have sought our own glory rather than the glory of God.

How do we have these things. It's by putting off the attempt to do things with selfish ambition or seeking our own glory but with humility of mind regarding one another as more important than yourself.

Christ's Humility as the Pattern for the Church

Do nothing from selfish ambition or vainglory but with humility of mind regarding one another as more important than yourself. Think about this. This is this is remarkable. I'm actually currently and have been for the last three years now writing a book actually on this chapter of this text that it's mostly dealing with verses 7 and 8 but it also is including this in the context Christ Jesus gives us the perfect example of humility.

Was Christ Jesus worthy of all riches and praises that we could ever offer to him. Absolutely he was. But what did he receive. Instead he received the whip. He received the piercing. He received the thorn and crown he received.

You are my sin. That is the perfect example of humility that we ought to regard each other more than what we are because that's what Christ did for us. Well but pastor I don't like the way this person dresses.

But pastor I don't like the thing that this person does on his Monday through Saturday stuff. I don't like the way that he says this. Or I don't like this or this or this about somebody. I don't know if I can love them.

Brothers and sisters if that's the mentality that Christ had towards you you would never be saved. You are to love them regardless of your differences because Christ loved you when you were sinful and dead in your sins.

That is what a united body looks like. Is one that says no I am NOT better than this individual. I hate his shoe wear. Or maybe that I hate the pastor's mustache or whatever example that you want to say.

And I despise it. Are you kidding me. God who is to despise you has placed your sin upon the son of his about his soul of his son's shoulders there. For you don't be silly in regarding to these things.

If your brother sins against you love them. If there's disunity in the body love them. Have humility. That's what we're called to do now you might be thinking to yourself well pastor why'd you pick this text on the day that we're doing our business meeting.

Trust me it was not planned. We just ended up landing on this text for today. But in the midst of any sort of dealing within ministry whether it's a business meeting whether it's whether it's us going out and doing evangelism together whether it's whatever example of church activities that we do as a local body we are to do it in this manner so that when persecution comes when hardship comes around the corner to us our consolation the thing that that we are able to rest our heads at the end of the day is first of all absolutely that we are saved in the gospel because that's the spiritual truth.

But we're to have the physical truth that my brother loves me that my sister is praying for me that they regard me better as themselves. That's what's to encourage us in our days is not what the world can offer to us but what happens here in this household of God.

Let the world do whatever they want to us. I want Zach to love on me. I do. Let the let the world come and persecute you. I want Evelyn to have joy and happiness. That's where my consolation of love comes from this this is this is amazing because a sister in Christ a wonderful sister in Christ this week said to me that when when a Christian is offended or something happens to them there's two ways that we can respond towards Christian to Christian.

And that's either in hate or in humility. Either in hate or humility. One is from selfish ambition vainglory and pride. The other ones from love care and affection. It's a place of humility to say it's okay.

I regard them better than myself. Remember this in 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 verse 21. He who knew no sin became sin on your behalf so that you might be made the righteousness of God in him if you have not yet placed your faith in the God that saves.

I would encourage you today to place your faith your assurance your convictions all that you can you place it there upon Christ who paid the price for you and that you too will be united in his body which we are united in.

Closing Prayer and Exhortation

So let us pray united as a body here today Lord God. I thank you Lord for this text. I thank you for these constellations the things Lord God that that we are to have in our lives. Lord let us let us not forget that we are united in the gospel not because we are righteous not because we are good but because we are all dirty sinners that have been saved by you yourself God.

And let us remember this. Let us remind ourselves of this so that we might not be boastful or prideful or having a haughty spirit about ourselves but that we would come to a true humility and we would have a joy and seeing the better men of one another.

Lord God. I ask these things Lord that we would go about the rest of our lives and happiness and peace living a quiet and peaceful life that is contending eagerly and earnestly for the gospel Lord God.

I would ask again that all the children that are a part of our little local body here Lord that they would know you. That the parents would be planted firm upon your word to raise them up God. That they would know you that they'd have faith in you and Lord may they see humility in their household Lord.

May humility be seen between siblings. May humility be seen between grandparents and grandchildren. May humility be seen in our local church here Lord from everyone and Lord I ask these things Lord in your name Jesus Christ the one who knew no sin who became sin on our behalf Lord and it is in him that we say this amen.

Brothers and sisters. I would ask that we would stand for our last song again I would welcome anybody that would like to stay for the business meeting to please.

Do so.