Sermon Tone Analysis

·         Bible Study 16th Sept 2009                           *Bible Reading Phil 1 - 2:11*

 

·         Theme – *Unity and the Gospel*

·         Text Phil 1:27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,

·         Introduction – Things we value and worth

·         We all understand the concept of worth, we have things that we value and cherish, and these are personal and to some extent are priceless.

·         A letter, a picture, a piece of jewellery, something from a departed loved one, something from your past that has a great deal of emotional content attached to it.

·         It may be an object something you saved and worked hard for, it may be something that has been handed down to you, you may even one day come across something in your attic and take it to the antique road show and have your life changed forever – because it is some long lost treasure and it is worth a great amount of money.

·         Things of worth are those things that we value, that we esteem, that we reckon are of importance to us, we cherish them, protect them, care for them and hold them high regard.

·         Some people go to great lengths to protect those things that they value to be of worth, they can be something sentimental, something material it is more often than not it is not a something but rather a somebody a loved one, husband, wife, son, daughter etc.

·         *How much do we value the Gospel*

·         The question Paul is asking here is a very clear - how much worth do you put on the gospel, what does the gospel mean to you? – How much do you value it?

·         The answer he requires to this question cannot be given in words or eloquent language, he does not want a paper written on it – a thesis of 50,000 words describing your value of the gospel, and he doesn’t want us to quote what other people say the gospel means to them.

·         The answer he is looking for is given in the text – he wants your life, your Christian walk to be worthy of the gospel.

This means that our lives actually reflect our value or worth of the gospel.

·         To stop and think about this is a challenge for any of us, my life reflects how I value the gospel, my life reflects how much I love Christ, and understand what he has done for me through the gospel.

·         It is easy to say the right things, to have all the right theological phrases and language, to nod when the preacher makes an important point, to say loud amen’s – but what really reflects the worth you put on the gospel is what you do outside of this building, that is the validation of how much you value the gospel.

That is the proof to God and evidence to the world.

·         God had a complaint against the children of Israel – they were good at lip service but the reality was that their hearts were far from God.

·         Isa 29:13  Therefore the Lord said: "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honour Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,

·         Jesus said the same thing - Mt 15:8 ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honour Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.

·         Paul wanted the church at Philippi to understand this and think about what it means to live their Christian lives with the mindset that our Christian walk reflects our worth of the gospel.

·         This was not something new for Paul – he uses this thought in several other passages as well: -

·         Eph4:1 - 4, Col1:9 -12, 1Thes 2:11 -12    in each of these we are encouraged to walk in a manner that was worthy of either, the gospel, the Lord or God – ultimately the same thing – we are to walk in a manner that is worthy of our salvation.

·         Because how much we value our salvation will reflect itself in the manner of our Christian walk.

·         Paul goes on to tell us what that manner of life and conduct should be - for those who value the gospel, for those who prize and cherish their salvation.

·         He says the evidence of this will be seen in church unity – in brotherly love, in a desire to see the gospel proclaimed and others brought into the kingdom of God.

·         *Explanation of the text*

·         Pauls desire was for the church is to be united, to stand fast, with one mind, like minded, love, being of one accord – looking out for the interests of other etc

·         Look at the language he uses in 1vs.27 – stand fast, one mind, striving together – why for the faith of the gospel (this can mean two things standing together on the doctrinal truths of the gospel, or it can also mean standing together in the proclamation of the gospel)

·         Vs.28

– they were to stand together against persecution  - proof of their salvation

·         2:2-3 – like-minded, same love for each other, one accord, one mind, remove any selfish ambition; esteem others first and look out for the interests of others.

·         Eph 4:2 – lowliness, gentleness, longsuffering, bearing with one another, endeavour to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace

 

·         *Why is this important – 3 reasons why unity is essential in the church*

1.

The blessing that comes out of unity – Joy, love and harmony in the church

2.       The goal of unity – the defence and proclamation of the gospel

3.       The example of unity – Jesus is our example and he is glorified when we become like him.

*The blessing that comes out of unity – Joy, love and harmony in the church *

 

·         In 2:1 Paul makes this tremendous statement about unity – he says that if he hears that they are united in the gospel to him this will be a thing of great joy; it will be a thing of great encouragement and consolation.

·         If there is any comfort of love, any fellowship of the spirit, any affection and sympathy for him then they were to be united this would complete his joy.

·         Paul knew of all people the devastating effect division had on a church not only for the people but also for the witness it had to the world

·         *Context of the passage* – Paul is in prison in Rome – he is under house arrest because he preached the gospel, this was evident to all - he testifies to this in 1 vs.12-13 even the soldiers commissioned to guard him understood this.

·         He is there waiting to be tried before Caesar, he is thankful for their prayers and the help of the spirit this gives him a confidence to remain strong.

1vs.19-20

·         His hope is that he will not be ashamed, but have courage and honour Christ in his body whether he lives or dies – he then has this dilemma vs.21-26 either to go and be with Christ which for him was far better or to remain and continue and be a benefit and blessing to the church.

·         But while he is there waiting for his trial we see the effects of a divided church, of a church that does not have all its members united together.

·         For me this is one of the saddest portions of scripture 1vs.14-18 because as Paul is under house arrest, in chains for preaching the gospel some from within the church at Rome are seeking to add to his affliction.

·         How many we do not know, but it would seem that they may possibly be some of the leaders; they were certainly preachers in the church.

Paul does not give us any details or dwell upon them.

·         He says in vs.14 most of the brethren were a blessing to him, they were encouraged by his faithfulness, and through this encouragement they were bold in preaching the gospel.

·         Paul rejoiced at this, he rejoiced to see his fellow brothers in Christ declaring the gospel in boldness and for the glory of Christ.

·         But he would also have been sadden by those few who through envy and strife, who through selfish ambition and insincerity preached the gospel not for the glory of Christ.

·         Not to encourage Paul, not for the furtherance of the gospel but to add affliction to his situation vs.14&15

·         These were Christians who did this; for some sad reason through envy hoped that their preaching would go against Paul when it came time for his trial.

·         What they preached was right and true, they preached the gospel, they did not alter the message, or change the emphasis, they did not add or subtract from it like the church at Galatia.

·         What they preached was the gospel, but it was without love, and without sincerity and for all the wrong reasons and motives.

·         It is hard to imagine this – it is difficult to imagine the depths a divided church can stoop because of envy, strife and and private agendas, but it happened in Paul’s day and can easily happen today if we are not careful to protect our unity.

·         I tried to think of an illustration to emphasize this – it like the local church were Marizeh and Maryam the  two young women who converted from Islam to Christianity going to the prison where they are being held and instead of offering help and support, instead of praying form them and encouraging them they are actually presenting evidence to condemn them more.

·         Or the members of the church that David Shestakov was a pastor, going to the legal authorities and presenting evidence against him.

·         How low can we get when we see a great Christian brother in chains for his love of Christ and we cannot show him love and sympathy but seek to add to his affliction.

·         This was a dark day for the church when this happened – and what amplified this tragedy more was that it did not go unnoticed by those outside of the church – vs.13 “the whole palace guard and the rest” understood what was going on.

·         Paul was not a novice when it came to people opposing him – he had experienced this many times not only from the religious leaders of the day but also from those in the church whom he believed to be Christians.

·         Paul does not really going into any real detail about the events that happened while he was in prison in Rome, he just uses them or as an example to the church at Philippi to show them this is how a church should not be found.

·         What was more important to Paul as he testifies is that whether they preached from selfish ambition or out of love he still rejoiced because the gospel was preached?

Vs. 16-18

·         You have to admire Paul – because if this was any other person they would want retribution; they would want to validate their position so that the readers of the letter truly understood how he felt.

·         Paul seems to be able to put to one side those things that affected him personally so that the gospel may be preached, God may be glorified and people added to the church.

·         This type of event is really not that uncommon in the history of the church, there have always been those people who have entered a church with their own private agendas seeking to divide and turn people away from true Christianity and towards man made idols.

·         These people only bring destruction and harm to the church, Paul in almost every letter he wrote taught against the double standards that affected the church, who wanted to either add or subtract something from the gospel -  they were like a cancer killing the church from the inside.

·         Often this was seen in the way old Jewish customs were trying to be introduced into the worship and life of the church, or people simply had personality clashes and wanted themselves to have places of prominence in the church.

·         The tragedy of Paul’s situation was that it was almost certain that those who were preaching against Paul were very likely to be some of the leaders in the church.

·         It was their responsibility to set the tone for the church; it should have been them that used this opportunity to show Paul their true standing in Christ.

There true integrity and desire for the gospel to go forth with power.

·         In the New Testament one of the great condemnations of Christ is seen in the way he attacked and very religious leaders of the day for their double standards.

·         We often read the be called them hypocrites that he accuses them of placing burdens on others they were not willing to bear themselves, we find them arranging and organizing things for their own benefit them for their own advantage.

·         When they fasted they even applied cosmetics to make them selves look thin and gaunt.

This was all show to impress the public; whenever there was an important feast they wanted the best seats near the top of the table.

·         When they tithed they made a public show of this when they prayed they made loud protracted prayers in the temple as we saw only on Sunday when Christ threatened their position by his popularity they plotted and planned to kill him.

·         Even Pilate understood that they brought Christ to him because they were envious, and that jealousy was so great that they were prepared to have an innocent man crucified on the cross to quench it.

·         This is were envy and jealousy lead, this is what happens when the church becomes divided – Paul understood this he knew that it can only survive while it works in unison, in love and for the glory of nothing else but God.

·         Unity brings fellowship, love, encouragement, affection and mercy – it brings Christian joy.

·         For Paul the comfort he would receive even in prison was the knowledge that they were not letting others into the church that would cause division – he continues this thought in his letter 3:1 warning them against the people who will only divide the church - that they were in fact enemies of the cross and they were to note them 3:17,18

·         *Application*

·         We have seen what happens when a church is divided, but oppositely when we are united, when we do show real love and concern for each other then this will be a place of blessing and harmony and encouragement.

·         But it all starts with you and me, with our worth of the gospel, with our desire to look past our own personal needs and agendas and start to consider others.

·         To see the bigger picture – what really is important?

is it that my needs are met or that the saviour who lived and died in my place is glorified in my life.

Paul encourages us to be like minded, to have the same love for all not just family and close friends, not to do anything through selfish ambition, to esteem others better than ourselves.

·         What does this mean practically, there is no place for pride in the church, and there is nothing that goes on in this church that is below your standing.

·         No one is too good to set the chairs, or clean the dishes or vacuum the floor or get some toys out.

·         You can see those who esteem others better than themselves because they are those people who see a need and say to themselves I can do that for God and get on and do it and relieve the pressure from those few who seem to do almost everything in the church.

·         I know that some cannot do this not because they do not want to but because they are not able – but I also know that there are those who will not do this because they would prefer to spend that time talking and watching others rather than pitching in and helping – this is not unity, this is not esteeming others more than yourself.

·         If Jesus could wash the disciples feet – the meanest and lowest of tasks how difficult is it really to try and think of something you could do to encourage a brother or sister, to give someone in need a helping hand, to have a conversation with someone you do not normally speak to, to write a letter, send an email or even a text.

·         How difficult is it to ask any of the leaders if there is something you can do to help, it might mean you have to sacrifice a small amount of time to do this.

·         But if we always qualify this with this simple litmus test – how much is the gospel worth to me, how much do I value it?

And it will not really be any sacrifice

·         What happens when we do this, when we put self to one side and esteem others before us – love will be experienced by all and not just by a few, fellowship will be strengthened, the weak will be made strong, encouragement and courage will dissipate fear and concern for the future?

·         We will support each other; care for each other and the church will be that place that is recognised by the world as a place of unity and peace and that will be a tremendous witness and glorify God..

·         The blessing that comes through our unity is that this church, the people, the body of Christ will rejoice in their salvation, there will be love and harmony, there will be affection and sympathy, we will be one voice, one mind and in one accord striving together for the faith of the gospel.

·         *The goal of unity – the defence and proclamation of the gospel*