Lesson 24 Philippians 2:1-18

Transcription

1 Lesson 24 Philippians 2:1-18 Have the Attitude of Christ The first-century church at Philippi was immersed in a culture of Roman and Greek values that exalted personal achievement, self-reliance, personal success, and pride. In the ancient world, humility was a vice, not a virtue. It was practiced only by those defeated in battle and by slaves. Against this background, Paul s encouragement to follow the example of Christ in putting service and others before self was revolutionary. While today it is preached as a virtue from pulpits, pride its polar opposite, is exalted in the workplace, the world, and the classroom. Are Paul s words any less countercultural today in a society of selfies? A recent article in Psychology Today claims narcissism (self-love) has reached epidemic proportions in younger generations. 1 In 1514, the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus shocked the scientific world by proposing that the sun was the center of the universe. While the initial furor over his research has long since died out, his theory would still come as a shock to many individuals who feel that they are the epicenter of the universe. The perception that everything is norm-referenced to us seems to be hard-wired into our DNA and enhanced by self-esteem education. For example, when you get on the freeway do you have the feeling that anyone driving faster than you is a dangerous threat to society while anyone driving slower than you is impeding the progress of western civilization? If so, your values are norm-referenced. Norm-referenced refers to us as normal against which everything else is measured. By contrast, criterionreferenced is an absolute standard against which everyone s performance is 1 ~ 1 ~

2 measured. When our worldview is norm-referenced, we become proud and disdain others. When we see ourselves through a criterion-reference point of a holy God and Jesus as Savior and servant, we become humble and view others in a more charitable light. C.S. Lewis said, As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you. 2 The closer you draw to God, the more clearly you see your true self-worth. As Spurgeon said, Humility is to make a right estimate of oneself. 3 Consider the prophet in the book of Isaiah who for the first five chapters pronounces judgment on the wickedness of Judah. But, at the start of the sixth chapter, Isaiah sees God in a vision seated on His throne and this realization of the holiness of God leads him to say, Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips (Isaiah 6:5). In a similar fashion, Paul, once the proud Pharisee, as he nears the end of his ministry, describes himself as the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). While humility may seem counterintuitive to the natural man, researchers in various fields have recently found an unrealistic prideful self-image (high selfesteem) is harmful, not helpful in school and the workplace. Educational psychologist Carol Dweck and child psychiatrist Allan Josephson in separate studies concluded that children with inflated self-esteem were more likely to fail and to interact poorly with their peers. In the business world, Jim Collins in his book, Good to Great, identified the rare Level 5 leaders (those who transformed their companies into global successes) as those with great personal humility but ferocious resolve to accomplish their given task. Moses was a Level 5 leader ( Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth Numbers 12:3 NKJV). John MacArthur, commenting on this passage, writes, Humility of mind is the bedrock of Christian character and of spiritual unity. 4 We find that humility is the first beatitude mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount. When verse 3 of Philippians 2 is applied to all of our interpersonal relationships through the empowering and enabling of the Holy Spirit, the results are truly transformational. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves (Philippians 2:3 NIV) MacArthur, John. New Testament Commentary: Philippians Moody Publishers: Chicago ~ 2 ~

3 In this epistle of joy, it is only fitting that Paul shares the key to joy in our relationships. JOY is an acrostic derived from this chapter that helps us remember the order of priority in our relationships: J-Jesus O-Others Y-You. Prayer Start by praying over the passage and asking the Holy Spirit to give you fresh insights and wisdom in understanding it. Then read through the entire passage two or three times. The depth of theology is so great that I would strongly advise using the New Living Translation for one of your Scripture readings. Scripture Meditation/Memorization One of the most fundamental and rewarding Christian disciplines that pays back in full spiritual dividends is Bible meditation/memorization. It is an absolutely fundamental in the formation of your spiritual development, spiritual walk and faith growth. In Psalm 1:1-2 (NLT), the Psalmist warrior, King David said, Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. Memory Verse Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 Format Change We have all had weeks in which the time available for preparation of our Bible study evaporates under an unexpected event or a pressing project at work. To enable everyone to complete the study, even when time is at a premium, the daily questions are being divided into two categories: essential and expanded. The essential questions are those necessary to understand key points of the passage. The expanded or growth questions help expand knowledge and gain deeper insight into the Scripture. If you are concerned about having enough time to complete the whole study, it is suggested that you start by first answering the essential questions for each day and answer the expanded questions as time permits. ~ 3 ~

4 Philippians 2:1-4 Unity Through Humility After I finish telling our Bible story to my kindergarten first grade class, I usually ask the question, Does anyone want to go out to the playground now? The response is always a resounding and ear deafening Yes! Paul would expect the same response when he asks the Philippians, In Christ do you have any consolation, comfort, fellowship, or mercy? Based on these birthrights as a bornagain believer Paul then goes on to describe how this should affect our daily dealings with others. When this passage is applied to our personal relationships, the harmony, the fellowship (koinonia), and joy produced are nothing less than amazing. Essential Questions: 1. J. Vernon McGee said of verse 1 that it really should be translated since we have consolation not if we have consolation. List the four encouragements you find for believers in verse 1 describing and what they mean to you. 2. Verses 3 4 were revolutionary concepts in the first-century culture of Paul s day. He had to literally invent a word (Greek tapeinophrosunê) to describe lowliness of mind or humility. a. What motives does Paul advise us to avoid in this passage? b. What is God s attitude toward pride versus humility according to James 4:6, 10? ~ 4 ~

5 c. Esteem others as better than yourself is a basic definition of true humility according to pastor Bible teacher John MacArthur. Examine Romans 12:10 and Ephesians 5:21 and describe what this would look like in your life. 3. How do verse 4 and the teaching of Jesus in Luke 6:31 coincide? What would that look like in practice? Expanded Question: 4. Paul once again calls for unity within the body of Christ (see a similar plea in Philippians 1:27). Since unity does not mean uniformity, examine these passages to flesh out the meaning of Paul s exhortations. a. Like-minded 1 st Corinthians 1:10 b. Same love John 15:12 c. One accord Psalm 133 ~ 5 ~

6 d. One mind Romans 15:5 6 Philippians 2:5-11 Jesus, Humbled and Exalted According to the NIV Application Commentary, These seven verses have received more attention from scholars and theologians than any other passage in Philippians. Many New Testament authorities feel these verses were part of an early hymn, thus opening a window into the practices of the earliest church. Essential Questions: 1. What example of humility should we follow according to verse 5? 2. Some important points in verse 6 from the original Greek are: being the very unchangeable essence of something or someone; form two Greek words for form: schemai from which we get schematics, meaning a general outline or likeness, and morphe (used here) which means the precise structure of an object. We get the word morphology (study of structure) from it. This passage answers many of the questions and claims regarding Jesus made by cultists who would come to your door. What do we learn from verse 6? 3. The phrase made Himself of no reputation in verse 7 is more literally he emptied Himself from Greek kenoo. This has given rise to the Kenosis Theory, which states that Jesus gave up some of His attributes as God when He became a man. The opposite view is called the Hypostatic Union that Jesus was fully man and fully God when incarnate. What does Colossians 2:9 teach about this? Do you have any additional insights on this controversy? ~ 6 ~

7 Expanded Questions: 4. On verses 8 9 Charles Spurgeon said, The lower He stoops to save us, the higher we ought to lift Him in adoring reverence. What insights do you gain from these verses? 5. When you compare verses with Isaiah 45:22 23 you will see that Jesus is accorded worship that belongs to only God. Do these verses mean that everyone will be saved? (1 st Peter 3:18 22, James 2:19, and Matthew 7:21 give some help.) Philippians 2:12-18 Shine Brightly for Christ One of the cornerstone principles in Bible interpretation is to explain scripture in harmony with other scripture. As we have seen consistently in our study this year, salvation is by grace through faith alone, not of works (Ephesians 2:8). Some would isolate this passage and build a doctrine of salvation by works by looking at it alone. However, even a careful examination of the original language shows that Paul is speaking of sanctification (becoming more like Jesus) by the Holy Spirit and not describing a means of salvation. Essential Questions: 1. What does verse 12 mean to you? (William Barclay notes the original word, which is translated work out, always has the idea of bringing something to completion). ~ 7 ~

8 2. The word used for works in verse 13 (energein) is different than that used in 12. Couple this passage with Philippians 1:6 and describe what it means. 3. Paul gives us a short list of behaviors in this passage that will bring glory to God. Describe them. Expanded Question: 4. The life of Christians is the only Bible that many nonbelievers will ever read. What do we learn of the importance of our walk from Philippians 2:15 and 2 nd Corinthians 5:20? Lesson 24 Summary/Take Away If one of your friends at work or a neighbor were to ask you what you did on Tuesday, you would tell them you went to a Bible study. The next question would likely be, What did you learn? We often summarize an entire athletic contest or a movie in a few brief sentences and easily convey the essence of the event. Now apply these same skills to give a summary of the passage in a sentence or two. Then, in an additional sentence or two, describe what impact this passage will have on how you live. ~ 8 ~

9 Memory Verse Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Philippians 2:3 Key Words/Phrases Write out the definition of these key words. You can use a regular dictionary or go to one of the Greek sources listed in the Tool Box at the end of the study. You may also use a concordance to see where else and how the word is used in the Bible. How would these phrases instruct or encourage us today? Lowliness of Mind (Philippians 2:3) Made Himself of No Reputation (Philippians 2:7) Work Out Your Own Salvation (Philippians 2:12) ~ 9 ~

10 MESSAGE NOTES Teacher: 2015 Mark Newton. All rights reserved. Express permission granted for use and reproduction by Harvest Christian Fellowship, Riverside, CA. *Added questions by Warehouse Christian Ministries, Sacramento, CA ~ 10 ~