Philippians 2
13 Outlines
Philippians 2:1-4
IN CHRIST
IN CHRIST
Philippians 2:1-4
Does who we are matter? Why?
Does who we are in Christ matter? Why
Philippians 2:1-4 shows us who we and what we should
be in Christ.
·
Consolation
(Encouragement) in Christ
·
Comfort
of Love
·
Fellowship
of the Spirit
·
Bowels
(“Tender mercies”) and Mercies (Compassions)
·
Likeminded
·
Same
love
·
One
Accord
·
One
Mind
·
No
strife (“selfishness”)
·
No
vainglory – (“empty conceit”)
·
Lowliness
of mind
· Esteem other better than themselves
·
Look not on own things
·
Look on things of others
***************************************************************************
Philippians 2:1-4
UNITED WE STAND
THE ATTRIBUTES THAT UNITE
Vs. 1 - If there be
therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if
any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
THE ATTITUDES THAT UNITE
Vss. 2-3 - Fulfil ye my joy, that
ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord,
of one mind. [3] Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory;
but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
THE ACTION THAT UNITES
Vs. 4 - Look not every man
on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
***************************************************************************
Philippians 2:1-4
IN COMMON
When I meet new people, it is not unusual for us to
find things which we hold in common. Sometimes we will know the same person, or
be from the same area, or root for the same team, or have the same hobby. Whatever we have "in common" draws
us together, and friendship usually gets off to a good start.
In our text Paul is making an appeal for unity among
the Philippians.
It is evident from this appeal, and the appeal in
Philippians 4:2-3 that there was some disunity in that church.
Paul shows the Philippians and us some things which we
should hold "in common" with other believers. As we all practice holding these things
"in common" with other believers, we will have unity.
COMMON COMPONENTS Vs. 1
The word "if" means "since". Since
these four parts or components These components are:
consolation in Christ, comfort of love, fellowship of the Spirit, bowels and
mercies. Because these components are
true for all believers, we should be unified.
COMMON CAUSE Vs. 2
Our cause should be to be like-minded, having the same
love, being of one accord, and of one mind.
COMMON CONDUCT Vs. 3
There should be no strife (party spirit), or vainglory
(pride).
Each should consider the other better than himself (If
we reflect on what we were like before salvation and how human we are now,
considering others better than ourselves shouldn't be
hard!).
COMMON CONCERN Vs. 4
We should all be interested in the concerns of other
Christians, as well as our own concerns.
***************************************************************************
Philippians 2:1-4
UNITY
REASONS FOR UNITY - Vs.
1
REQUEST FOR UNITY - Vs.
2
REQUIREMENTS FOR UNITY -
Vss. 3-4
***************************************************************************
THE EASTER MESSAGE
Philippians 2:5-11
THE HUMILITY OF THE SON
OF GOD Vss. 5-8a
THE HUMILIATION OF THE
SON OF GOD Vs. 8b
THE HONOR OF THE SON OF
GOD Vss. 9-11
***************************************************************************
Philippians 2:5-11
THE MIND OF CHRIST
As Christians we are
told to have "the mind of Christ". Such a mind or attitude is seen in
the following verses. Consider:
HIS STANDING - Vs. 6
He is God!
HIS SERVANTHOOD
- Vs. 7
HIS SACRIFICE - Vs. 8
HIS SOVEREIGNTY - Vss.
9-11
***************************************************************************
Philippians 2:5-11
A GOOD ATTITUDE
Begin your message with some examples of those who had
good attitudes. Then, remind people that
the person with the best attitude was the Son of God. Paul admonishes us all to
have the "mind" or attitude of Christ in Philippians 2:5-11. A good
attitude involves:
SURRENDER Vss. 6-7a
Our Lord surrendered his rights in order to save us.
He left the glory of heaven (2 Corinthians 8:9).
He voluntarily limited the use of his Godly
attributes.
SERVICE Vs. 7b
He took on the form of a servant. He came to earth to serve God, and us, by
dying for our sins.
SUBMISSION Vs. 8
"...he humbled himself..."
SACRIFICE Vs. 8
"...and became obedient unto death, even the
death of the cross."
SATISFACTION Vss 9-11
As a result of Jesus' actions on earth, God has highly
exalted Him, and will continue to exalt Him.
As we have the same mind as Christ, there will be rewards for us when we
appear before Him in judgment. See 1 Corinthians 4:5 and 2 Corinthians 5:10.
***************************************************************************
Philippians 2:12-16
THE WORKOUT
Many people in
THE PRINCIPLE OF WORKING OUT – Vs. 12
THE POWER FOR WORKING OUT – Vs. 13
THE PURITY OF WORKING OUT – Vs. 14-15
THE PRODUCTIVITY OF WORKING OUT – Vs. 16
***************************************************************************
Philippians 2:12-15
AN INFLUENTIAL LIFE
We, as Christians,
should desire the joy of being a good influence in the lives of others. We
should want others to benefit from having known us, by seeing in us a good
example. We should want others to benefit from having known us because we have
acted and spoken as a "sweet fragrance" of Christ.
Why should we want to be a good influence
for Christ? When we influence those who
are saved, we are influencing God's children. God will hold us accountable for
how we influence them. When we influence those who are not saved, we are either
drawing them closer to Christ with a good influence, or driving them away with
a poor influence.
In our text we want to
see how to have a life which is a positive influence on the saved and unsaved
alike. According our text, we can have an influential life through:
EXERCISE Vss. 12-13
Notice, first of all,
that salvation is a personal thing.
It is "your own
salvation".
Just because you parents
were or are Christians doesn't mean that you are a Christian. Living in a Christian home doesn't make you a
Christian any more than living in a garage would make you a car. Ephesians
2:8-9
As Christians, we are
told in Philippians
It does not say to
"work for" but to "work out".
It might help if we remember
that salvation is in 3 tenses.
The past tense of salvation - Justification - Being declared
righteous before God based on faith in Christ.
Freedom from the penalty of sin.
The Present Tense of
salvation - Sanctification - I am saved in the past, but in the present I'm in
the process of salvation. To be
sanctified is to be "set apart".
I'm being "set
apart" for God, and living a Christian life style which is pleasing to
Him. This is freedom from the power of
sin.
The future tense of
salvation - Glorification - One day I will see Jesus face to face. I will be like Him. I will be in Heaven. This will mean freedom from the presence of
sin.
When God tells us to
work out our salvation here, it means 'to carry out to the goal, to carry to
its ultimate a conclusion. When we work
out a math problem, we see it through until we have the right answer. When you work your garden, you see the garden
through until the harvest is all in.
When you work a mine, you see the work through until that can be removed
from that mine safely has been removed.
For us as Christians,
our goal should be to work out our salvation, see it through, so we are as much
like Christ as possible. We are to
continue to develop our Christian lives so we become "mature in Christ."
Ephesians 4:14-15
Now how can we possibly
learn to live such a Godly life?
We are sinners by
nature.
We fail naturally.
Vs. 13 - The moment you
were saved, God the Holy Spirit came to live inside of you.
The moment you were
saved, God began a "good work" in you.
God is at work in you,
and as you allow Him to work in your life, He will produce the Godliness that
He wants.
You have all the
resources, all the power you need to live the Christian life!
George Washington Carver
was a Godly scientist.
Carver was an expert at
getting other products out of products which already exist.
He made paint out of
clay.
He made marble out of
wood shavings.
He made starch paste,
vinegar, ink, shoe polish, molasses and caramels out of sweet potatoes.
He made butter, oil,
cheese, dye, face powder, breakfast food, printer's ink, pickles, instant
coffee, axle grease and 276 other things out of peanuts.
All these products were
in the sweet potato or the peanut.
They were there.
Carver got them out!
All the Godliness that
you need is available to you because of the power of God in your life. You need to exercise. You need to get them
out!
If you are going to be a
good influence to others, you need to work out your salvation, you need to
exercise.
EXTRACTIONS Vs. 14
When we extract
something, we pull it out, using effort.
A dentist extracts a
tooth.
A rescue team extracts a
person from a wrecked car.
There are two things
mentioned here for the Christian to extract from his or her life. When we have these two things active in our
lives, we will be a negative influence.
When we have extracted these two things, we will be a positive
influence.
Notice there's an
important little word here. The word is "all".
We are to remove all
murmurings and disputings.
One who murmurs is a
grumbler or complainer.
One who disputes is
questioning, doubting, or disputing. We often dispute with each other, but ever
worse, we dispute with God!
When a surgeon extracts
a tumor, he wants to get it all.
When a Christian extracts
a negative quality from his life, he wants to get it "all."
EXCELLENCE Vs. 15A
"That ye may be
blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a
crooked and perverse nation..."
When I do not grumble
and argue I am showing excellence in my Christian life. I am showing myself to
be a child of God.
The word blameless means
"above reproach".
In other words, there is
nothing that a person can legitimately point a finger at in my life, and say,
"Aha, he calls himself a Christian, and look at what he said, of look at
what he did."
Each of us needs to
examine our lives for things which God needs to fix, so that we will be beyond
reproach.
It might mean a paying a
debt that's never been paid.
It might mean making an
apology that's never been made.
It might mean forsaking
a bad habit.
It might mean
reconciling with a loved one.
It might mean working on
a bad temper, a critical spirit or a bad attitude.
Does being blameless
mean we are sinless?
No.
But it does mean that
when I sin, I deal with it, seeking forgiveness from God and man.
"Harmless" -
means "unmixed". It was used for wine that had not been diluted or
metal that was not in any way weakened. This word means "pure".
We are to be pure of anything
that is not pleasing to God in our lives. When we are pure, we are not serving
two masters. We only have one master - The Lord Jesus Christ.
Notice that Vs. 15 says
that we are to be without rebuke. This actually means without blemish. When a
sacrifice was offered in the Old Testament, it was not to have any defect, or
flaw. It was to be without blemish.
Oh that it might we said
of us what was said of the Prophet Daniel. Daniel 6:4-5
May we be like Daniel!
Why do we need to be
without rebuke or blemish?
The world needs to see
excellence, if it is going to believe our message. The Christian is to stand
out as different "in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation". The
word nation means generation.
Notice that God did not
save you and remove you from this evil world.
God saved you, and
expects you to influence this evil world.
We do not influence by
doing what the world does, but by living lives that are distinctly Christian.
The generation in which
we live is not straight. It's crooked.
The generation in which
we live is perverse, that is, depraved.
EXPOSURE Vs. 15B
"...among whom ye
shine as lights in the world;"
Is there something
better than the crookedness and perverseness of this generation?
Is there forgiveness for
the crookedness and perverseness of this generation?
The answer, of course,
is "yes", and it is found in Jesus Christ.
The Christian has a new
life, a forgiven life, a hopeful life.
As light exposes, the
Christian is to expose his new life to the world.
We are to shine out as
different.
We are to shine out has
having answers.
We are to shine out as
those who have hope and can share hope. Matthew 5:14-15
EXPLANATION Vs. 15
"...holding forth
the word of life"
To be a good influence,
I should not only "shine" as a light.
But I must be ready also
to share verbally my testimony for Jesus Christ.
I must be ready to
explain the simple Gospel of Jesus Christ.
How can I hold forth the
"word of life" to others?
Distribute tracts.
Look for opportunities to
share. Ask God to provide them.
Bring others to
church. Concert tonight.
Be ready to answer the
question, "What makes you different". 1 Peter 3:15
***************************************************************************
Philippians 2:12-16
AN INFLUENTIAL LIFE
Everyone of us has been influenced by our family and
friends either for good or bad. I see
some of the same good qualities in my parents alive and well in me. I see some of the bad qualities of my parents
alive and well in me.
We should want to be a positive influence for our Lord
Jesus Christ through our words and deeds. In our text Paul shows us how to be a
positive influence to both saved and unsaved people.
EXERCISE - work out your own salvation - Vss. 12-13
Notice that Paul does not say "work for" but
"work out". It carries the idea of seeing something through to its
conclusion. Paul is talking about
practical, holy, living.
EXTRACTION -- no murmurings of disputings
- Vs. 14
EXCELLENCE - blameless, harmless, without rebuke - Vs.
15
EXPOSURE - shinning as lights in this world - Vs. 15
EXPLANATION - holding forth the word of life - Vs. 16
***************************************************************************
Philippians 2:19-22
MODEL SERVANT
One of Paul's key helpers
in ministry was Timothy.
As Paul explains that
Timothy is coming to visit the Philippians (Vs, 19), he also shows us three
qualities of a model servant of the Lord Jesus:
1. TIMOTHY'S CONCERN -
"For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your
state."
2. TIMOTHY'S COMMITMENT
- "For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's."
3. TIMOTHY'S CONDUCT -
"But ye know the proof of him, that as a son with the father, he hath
served with me in the gospel."
***************************************************************************
Philippians 2:19-23
MAN ON A
Paul was planning to send Timothy to visit the
Philippians.
TIMOTHY WOULD COME KNOW THEIR STATE - Vs. 19
TIMOTHY WOULD CARE (NATURALLY) THEIR SOULS - Vss. 20-21
TIMOTHY HAD CONDUCTED HIMSELF AS A FAITHFUL SERVANT -
Vss. 22-23
***************************************************************************
Philippians 2:25-30
RETURNING HERO
Modern American society
does not choose its heroes well. Many of
the people that have been seen as heroes, especially in the area of sports,
have not been good role models.
The Bible, however,
shows us some true heroes of the Faith, including a little know Christian named
Epaphroditus. Epaphroditus had been sent by the Philippians to bring Paul
a financial gift, and evidently to stay with Paul as an assistant. Paul unselfishly thought it necessary to
return Epaphroditus back to his home church. In this passage we see Epaphroditus
as:
WORKING WITH PAUL - Vs.
25
Epaphroditus showed himself to be a valuable brother and worker in
Christ.
WEAKENED BY SICKNESS -
Vss. 26-28
He was so sick that he
almost died.
WORTHY OF HONOR - Vss.
29-30
He was to be held in
esteem because of his unselfish behavior.
RETURN TO EPHESIANS – PHILEMON INDEX