Philippians Chapter 2:12-30

Transcription

1 Philippians Chapter 2:12-30 Hey! It s Depraved Out There! I used listen to Bob Larson some. He had very interesting individuals on his show and certainly as I heard Satanists, witches, sexual degenerates, etc., it was easy to see these people are depraved. One most of the world would agree with this assessment, though I m not so sure today. Getting back to the show there was one New Ager who believed Hitler, Manson, and others weren t evil, simply socially dysfunctional. After all there is no sin, no evil, no devil. And once not too many people would have agreed with this view. Hey! It s Depraved Out There! But Scripture teaches mankind in general is depraved. Realize that humanity as a whole is in rebellion against God. This is true depravity. People live for themselves. They have accepted the first lie. They want to be their own gods, as Satan stressed to Eve. This is depravity. Mankind was created in the image of God. But due to the fall we are no longer in that perfect image. Instead something has been totally corrupted, not corrupt, but a corruption of that image in which we were formed. In that sense all are totally depraved, that is fallen in all aspects of human nature. We are all created in God s image, but that image is fallen. Our problem is how can we have joy in such a world? Sometimes, as I deal with the pain of people caused by the acts of others, I wonder. Well it isn t easy, but it is simple. Our joy can t depend on how people treat us or how people function in such a depraved world. Our joy comes from being loved and redeemed by the Eternal God. Our joy comes from having the opportunity to present Him to others, giving them a chance for this same relationship. What greater joy than to bring light into the darkness, purity into the midst of depravity? Now as we ve been examining Philippians we have been learning that there are at least four things that can steal our joy. The first joy stealer is circumstances. Paul has shown thorough his handling of his imprisonment that the way we deal with painful circumstances is to stay focused on the Lord and the giving out of His word, the disseminating of the gospel. As we see all our circumstances as being under the Lord s control; And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28); for the maturing of our character and the advancing of the gospel, then circumstances will loose their control over our lives. Then we can be joyful in spite of them. What joy comes from freedom from circumstances. The second joy stealer, the one we are currently looking at, is people. As we respond to the way others treat us, we find it very easy to loose our joy. As our friends, spouse, children, other members of our family, bosses and colleagues treat us with less than the respect we want, it is easy to become unhappy and upset. How dare they treat me this way? But as we ve seen, the reason people are able to steal our joy is often due to selfishness on our part.

2 We are focusing on ourselves and our needs instead of following the example provided by the Lord, focusing on the needs of others. The way we can prevent others from stealing our joy is to put their needs ahead of our own. We spend a lot of energy being concerned with making sure that we don t go beyond appropriate bounds in doing this, but let us again look at the example of Christ. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:5-8). Jesus wasn t worried about protecting His own rights. He gave them up. His only concern was carrying out the will of the Father, even unto His own death for our sins. If we sincerely desire the will of the Father then we will allow Him to care for our needs, and our concern will be for the needs of others. It isn t our responsibility to worry about ourselves, but to trust our situation to the Lord. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7). Our joy then comes from our relationship to the Lord, commitment to obedience to His will, and dependency on His working in our lives. All of this is in total contrast to what the world believes to be the source of joy, actually happiness. And it is these issues which we will look at this morning as we finish up the last part of this chapter. After this we will look at move on to the last two factors that steal our joy, things and worry. III The Submissive Mind Chapter 2 (Key Verse 2:3) B. The example of Paul Chapter 2:12-18 C. The example of Timothy Chapter 2:19-24 D. The example of Epaphroditus Chapter 2:25-30 Verses 12-13: Paul is concerned that the Philippians work at maintaining the proper perspective in their walk. It is as we give our attention to the things of the Lord, that the pressures, the joy stealers of life, loose their authority over our emotions. The Philippians were encouraged to continue in their obedience to the Lord, even though Paul wasn t around. It seems he realized that, just as is the case with children, it is always easier to be obedient when someone is checking up on you, than when you re on your own. We know from the text of Chapter 2 there were problems in the body. Paul was concerned there would be real effort to bring about a corporate healing and commitment to unity of spirit and purpose within the body. ) 26 (

3 One of the most practical problems I faced when I left the medical field for the ministry was the freedom over my own time and circumstances. It is easy to waste time and not remain disciplined. After all nobody is watching me, except the Lord, but He doesn t count, right? So the Philippians were to continue in obedience, working out their salvation with fear and trembling. Now what does this mean? Clearly it doesn t mean salvation must be earned! What Paul is talking about is sanctification and the specific problems they were struggling with, selfish ambition, vain conceit, that is the absence of humility. (see vs. 3.) Paul is probably talking of corporate sanctification, but to deal with this would also mean a need for personal sanctification. They were not told to work for their salvation but to work out the salvation God had already given them. 1 The lives of these believers, and the life of their body should have reflected the reality of their salvation. Their focus was to be on the Lord, His call to the propagation of the gospel, and for them to love one another. And living this way gives victory over the joy stealers. Verses 14-18: All of this was to be done in response to the awe they held for the Lord. As they developed an accurate self-image they obeyed God out of the fear a creature holds for his creator, knowing God loves them and intends all for their good. Again joy is founded on this truth. We can have complete confidence in our loving Father, but we must obey Him also with fear and trembling for He is God and nothing we do is adequate for earning His love. It is these things that are to be the motivation for an attitude of a servant expressed through a joyful spirit. Working in this spirit means working without complaining or arguing with one another. Paul is calling for unity of purpose, attitude and direction, a major component in keeping joy. Living this way means that the actions of others will not take our joy from us because they are not responsible for us having it. This is in great contrast with the surrounding environment, the world. Paul points out that the world is depraved. It is full of corruption, that is filled with guilt and impurity. It is crooked, meaning unscrupulous and corrupt. And while Paul may have been speaking specifically of Israel, as Lightner believes, more likely he was talking about all mankind as morally the product of one sinful stock rather than merely a group of contemporaries. 2 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). And so in the midst of a dark world, the Philippians, we, are to be as shinning stars, showing the light of God s truth, the need for salvation and forgiveness for sin. It is the carrying out of this responsibility that makes us less than popular. 1 Robert P. Lightner, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Philippians, Victor Books, 1983, pg Kent, Homer H., The Expositor s Bible Commentary, Philippians, Zondervan I nteractive Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1990, Electronic text hypertexted and prepared by OakTree Software, Inc. ) 27 (

4 It was the confidence of God s working in the lives of these believers, that was a factor in Paul s joy. He looked towards that day when he would stand before God having these believers as the proof his life hadn t been wasted, that his time in prison was for the benefit of the kingdom. How can he not rejoice in his circumstances when he knew that they were for the blessing of the body. He may have been poured out as a sacrifice, but he was a sacrifice to the glory of God. Verses 19-24: Next Paul moved on to two mundane pieces of business. He intended to send both Timothy and Epaphroditus to the Philippians. Timothy was to go so Paul could be provided with news of what was occurring in the church and because he knew Timothy would look out for their needs as he would have liked to himself. He once again states he hopes the day will come when he can go to them, but meanwhile he was sending Timothy whom he considered to be like his son. Even here Paul was noting the contrast between the believer and nonbeliever. Where as Timothy was concerned with the needs of others, in the final analysis the unrighteous is only concerned with himself. Sure, there may be the appearance of altruism, but only with the presence of the indwelling Holy Spirit can there be the true spirit of agapé. Verses 25-30: Paul also told them he was returning Epaphroditus to them. He made it clear how valuable he considered him to be, calling him a brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier. As noted earlier this may have been to offset some concern over his work for Paul. Epaphroditus had been gravely ill. But due to the mercy of God he had recovered and so Paul didn t have to weep over his death. Because of the concerns of the Philippians for Epaphroditus, Paul felt it was necessary to send him home. Paul calls them to honor Epaphroditus because of his work for the ministry of the Lord. Epaphroditus, like Paul is another example of agapé putting the needs of others ahead of themselves. Paul had given up his freedom. Epaphroditus had almost given up his life for the gospel. The answer to maintaining joy in spite of the actions of people is to be more concerned with them than with oneself. Jesus gave up His life. Jesus temporarily give up His prerogatives as God. He did these things for us. Paul gave up his position in the Sanhedrin. Now he had given up his freedom. Timothy was more concerned with caring for others than for looking out for himself. Epaphroditus had given so much to the work of the Lord that is was only due to the mercy of God that he hadn t died. True joy, true freedom from the actions of others, only comes when we put God first and all others ahead of ourselves. After all isn t this the model that Jesus provided for us? Isn t this the call to obedience to the great commands. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments (Matthew 22:37-40). ) 28 (

5 One of the reasons so few Christians experience joy is because they are trying so hard to find it. Sounds clear, right? What I mean is that implicit in our desire for joy, something which we should want because God wants it for us, is that we are striving to live our lives to bring ourselves something. I want joy because I m tired of life being such a struggle, and certainly that is understandable. But this can be a trap. We need to give up the focus on how we can make our lives better, what ever that means, even on joy. Instead, we must focus on how we can make life better for others. We do this first, by giving them the opportunity to come to a relationship with the Lord and second, by looking to meeting other needs. As we do this then we will be free to experience the joy that comes from seeing God working. Now I grant you this is not easy. And frequently, we have a natural reaction to be concerned about how we can put others first, without going overboard. We fall into the trap of thinking that putting others first means letting others get away with everything and then we become doormats or wimps. Hopefully, we have come to realize the true need of others is first salvation and second to grow in their relationship with the Lord. This may mean calling them to account for their actions. But we can t be concerned with how others perceive us. This too is giving them the authority over our lives to effect our joy experience. Jesus wants us to be free from the effect of circumstances and people. And this can only be the case when we have given total control of our lives over to Him, the will of the Father, and the leading of the Holy Spirit. He will provide us with the resources, the focus and therefore the Joy. He provides us the model. With this section of the chapter we also see to say that using Christ as our model can be frustrating because He is God and therefore there is no way we can live up to His example wouldn t hold up. Paul has provided three totally human examples including himself. We are to strive to live out these example. For that matter, the goal of the Christian life is to become more Christ-like. This is to be our central focus. And with this purpose we will find joy because joy comes through the quality of our relationship to the Lord not the quality of our life. It seems as we depend on the Holy Spirit to carry out the directives of the Christian life, loving God, loving others and making disciples that we may one day stop, take stock and find that we are experiencing the joy of God. Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of Love; Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, Opening to the sun above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness, Drive the dark of doubt away; Giver of immortal gladness, Fill us with the light of day. All Thy works with joy surround Thee, Earth and heaven reflect Thy rays, Stars and angels sing around Thee, Center of unbroken praise. Field and forest, vale and mountain, Flowery meadow, flashing sea, Chanting bird and flowing fountain, Call us to rejoice in Thee. ) 29 (

6 Thou art giving and forgiving, Mortals, join the happy chorus Ever blessing, ever blest, Which the morning stars began; Well-spring of the joy of living, Father love is reigning o er us, Ocean depth of happy rest! Brother love binds man to man. Thou our Father Christ, our Brother Ever singing, march we onward, All who live in love are Thine; Victors in the midst of strife, Teach us how to love each other, Joyful music leads us sunward Lift us to the joy divine. In the triumph song of life. 3 3 van Dyke, Henry, text, Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee, The Celebration Hymnal, Word Music, 1997, # 90. ) 30 (

7 Philippians Chapter 2:12-30 Hey! It s Depraved Out There! III The Submissive Mind Chapter 2 (Key Verse 2:3) B. The example of Paul Chapter 2:12-18 C. The example of Timothy Chapter 2:19-24 D. The example of Epaphroditus Chapter 2:25-30 I Circumstances: (Romans 8:28) II People: (Philippians 2:5-8; 4:6-7) III Paul our Model:

8 IV Not the World s Spirit: (John 8:44) V Timothy our Model: VI Epaphroditus our Model: (Matthew 22:37-40) Personal Application: Paul gives us examples of believers. Who have been some of the examples of your life? How have these examples benefited you? We also need to remember we ourselves have been called to be an example to other believers. Prayer for the Week: Thank you God for those who have been godly examples in my life. May Your Holy Spirit empower me to be a servant to those You have placed in my life Baker, Donald, Philippians, Jesus Our Joy, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL, 1999, adapted from p. 20.