05 | Fulfill My Joy
Fulfil My Joy
Philippians 2:1-4
As taught Sunday 8 February 2015, Emmanuel Church, Auckland, New Zealand
Conduct Worthy Of The Gospel Of Christ Fights For The Truth
The Christian life is hard
What we know to be true is an offence to the world
Illustration: In 2006 we taught English in China
I told my class every person is created in the image of God
Many were offended—the Bible makes the street sweeper equal to the petroleum engineer
What we know is right is a rebuke to the ungodly
Illustration: Marriage is a creation ordinance
God created one man and one woman
The two become one in the covenant of marriage
Many in the world today are offended by this
Some argue marriage is between two people who are committed to one another —> homosexuality
Others argue marriage as an institution is outmoded —> living together outside of marriage
When we…
We can expect the same response the Philippian Church received from the world—confrontation
Paul’s words to the Philippians are also for us…
Transition: Conduct worthy of the gospel of Christ fights for the truth
But that is not all—in chapter 2, Paul says…
Conduct Worthy Of The Gospel Of Christ Preserves Peace In The Church
In Chapter 2, Paul builds his argument on the foundation of Christian belief and experience…
If you believe (Philippians 2:1)…
There is any consolation in Christ
παρακλησις—term also used in Luke 2:25
The “Consolation of Israel” is a messianic title —> ”comfort” in the sense of “salvation”
Literally it means, “encouragement, help; comfort; salvation” of Israel
A Concise Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament, by Barclay Newman, Jr
Hence, the “consolation in Christ” Paul speaks of is the comfort that comes from salvation in Christ
There is any comfort of love
There is any fellowship in the Holy Spirit
There is any affection and mercy
Notice the similarity between these first three statements and Paul’s salutation in 2 Corinthians…
Paul cuts to the very heart of the Christian profession…
“You claim your sins are pardoned by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ…
“You claim to know the love of God the Father…
“You claim to enjoy the indwelling fellowship of the Holy Spirit…
“You claim to have experienced the spiritual fruits of ‘affection and mercy’…
“If your claims are true, then prove it! Let your life reflect your profession.”
Then fulfil my joy (Philippians 2:2)…
By being like-minded
By having the same love
By being of one accord and of one mind
There is no greater joy to a minister than to know his labours are not in vain…
John the Elder wrote to his beloved Gaius…
The Galatians turned from the way Paul taught them, and he said…
Application:
Do you profess to know the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Do you claim to know the love of God the Father?
Do you believe the Spirit of God dwells within you?
Have you tasted the good fruit of Christian affection and mercy?
Then live like it…
Be like-minded, have the love of God reign in your heart
Be of one accord and one mind with your brothers and sisters in Christ
And so you will bring joy to the heart of those who labour for you in the Gospel!
Conclusion: When a congregation is so minded, peace will be preserved within their fellowship
Question: How do we cultivate this kind of heart and mind? Paul Requires Three Things…
Philippians 2:3—Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit
But in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself
Example—Timothy, Philippians 2:19-24
Paul desired to know the state of the Church at Philippi
He was in prison, unable to personally and comfort the Church
Who could he send? Many of the minister in Rome served out of selfish ambition…
All but one…Timothy!
He was a young man full of life and potential—consider the various work he was able to do
He could have used his gifts to advance himself in Roman society and earned a lot of money
He could have used his connections to advance himself in the Church
But he did nothing of the sort!
He was like-minded with Paul and cared for the Philippians
He left everything behind and served with Paul as a son serves with his father
Example—Epaphroditus, Philippians 2:25-30
Epaphroditus was a minister sent out from Philippi to serve Paul
He carried gifts from Philippi to Paul and correspondence from Paul to Philippi
At some point Epaphroditus fell ill in the process of carrying out his charge…
He had every reasonable excuse to give up before completing his task—he almost died!
But he did not…
He knew Paul was in need. He knew his home Church in Philippi counted on him to meet Paul’s need.
Thinking more of Paul, the Church and the advance of the Gospel he put his own life at risk!
Application:
Did you know that you can find many in the Church today who have selfish ambition, pride and self-centredness?
1985—Our small country church closed and our family moved to First Baptist Church, Heber Springs
This became our church home until January 2000—we left this church due to the following events…
New pastor, his wife and three children came to FBC when I was a university student
From Louisiana, he was short, heavy and spoke with a Cajun accent
There was one Sunday School class—Led by retired Ed.D and filled with retired professionals…
Did not like our pastors looks, mannerisms and accent—“Does not have enough class to be our pastor!”
Class leaders would not go and speak to pastor in private—instead they spoke to others who were unhappy
The held meetings in their home without any accountability to the Church
Not everyone was invited—they called select individuals who were unhappy and many who had not attended for years
Formulated a plan—on a certain Sunday evening they would all be present and call for a vote to remove the pastor
Net result: Pastor was removed, church was split, over 200 left including our family
This story is real, these events did take place
Do not think it could never happen in Emmanuel Church!
Guard your heart against selfish ambition and conceit
Consider what is best for others instead of always thinking about yourself
See to your own needs AND to the needs of others
But more importantly (and finally)…
Philippians 2:5—Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…
Conclusion:
God help us to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ and preserve the peach of Emmanuel Church!
AMEN