From our passage this morning I want us to see 4 ways to be humble in the Church. Four ways that help us create unity through humility.
First, a humble person is motivated by Christ’s love. Look at verse 1, “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion”
Paul is listing for them relational benefits they have with and in Christ. He is appealing to the very real relationship they have with Christ as a basis for motivating them in how they relate to each other. He’s not saying “if” you have these things like he is confused as to whether or not they do. The Greek is written in a way that means “Since you have this and since you have that in your relationship with Christ.” He means for them to express their relationship with Christ in their relationship with each other. “You already have been united with Christ and you already have encouragement from that. You also already have His love and you have comfort from that. You have fellowship with His Spirit, and you have tenderness and compassion from that.” Because you have these things, make my joy complete by being united. And to be united you have to be humble.
When we remember the love that God has for us in Christ we should be motivated to share that love with each other. “What is man that you are mindful of him” the Psalmist said. “Who am I that you are mindful of me?” we should ask God. “I rejected you. I sinned against you. I wanted nothing to do with you. I cared nothing for you. I violated your laws. I despised you in my heart. I cursed you. I did not trust you. I did not believe in you.”
But, He has come, and He has brought His love, and He humbled Himself in the person of Christ to come down from heaven and reconcile us to Himself. It required humility from God to come down on our behalf so that we could be joined together with Him. Without God humbling Himself, without His condescending act of becoming a man, and stooping down from His glory, we would still be separated from Him. There would be no salvation and we would be without God.
This is the truth of God’s saving grace that reaches into the deepest parts of our soul. Paul’s not talking to us about doctrine here - he’s talking to us on the deepest emotional level. Christ penetrates the very heart of our souls. When he says, “if you have any tenderness…” he uses the Greek word splachgna. This word was used for the place in a man’s stomach where the strongest emotions were at. We might say today, “I felt it in the pit of my stomach” or, “I feel it in the bottom of my heart”. What we mean is our strongest emotions are awakened from the deepest parts of our being. They are the emotions that move us most forcefully.
Paul used the word in verse 8 of chapter 1 when he said to the Philippians, “God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus” - the “affection” - the splachgna - the tenderness of Christ Jesus.
Get this: Paul had been made the object of Christ’s affection, and, therefore, Paul made the Philippians the object of his affection. He loved them the way he had been loved. Do you know that Christ has made you the object of His affection? Do you know the weight, the intensity, and the power of the love of Christ for you that penetrates you deep into the very core of who you are? If – you – do – then make your brothers and your sisters here at E-F-C the object of your affection. Make them the recipients of your tender splachgna. Convince each other Christ has loved you by being humble with one another. Be motivated to humility by the humbling love of Christ’s affection for you. A humble Christian is motivated by Christ’s love.
Secondly, a humble Christian seeks unity in the Church. Look at verse 2, “then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose”
When Paul says this he is extending what he said in verse 27 of chapter 1 where he instructed them to stand firm in one spirit and to contend as one man for the faith. Be like minded, have the same love, be one in spirit, be one in purpose.
Having unity is not agreeing on facts. We have a 12 point doctrinal statement that most of us have signed. We all agree on the facts. That is not what Paul is talking about. He’s talking about our attitude and our disposition together. Have one attitude. Have a single disposition. That’s why the next thing he says in verse 5 is “your ATTITUDE should be the same as that of Christ Jesus”. Your disposition, not your doctrine. Your attitude, not your answers. You’ve got that. We’ve got that. Have unity in your attitude with each other.
Really, living as the Church is like our praise team in a sense. We have multiple instruments and voices (well, not so many instruments lately!) that sound different. We have ladies voices, men’s voices, a guitar, and drums, and occasionally the keyboards. A drum doesn’t sound like a guitar. A man’s voice doesn’t sound like a woman’s (most of the time) and a keyboard doesn’t sound like any of those either. But, when one of these worship songs are played all of their different sounds are brought together in perfect unity to make sounds that are pleasing to hear.
Emmanuel Free Church can be a pleasing sound and sight to the Lord if we are all combined in unity for the purpose and partnership of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is not uniformity, but unity. We are all as different instruments. But, if each one of us, wooed by the love of Christ, submitted and humble as Christ with one another, think with one mind, have the same love, and are being one in spirit and purpose - then the song of our ministry here will be a pleasure to the Lord whom we serve.
This was Paul’s greatest desire for the Philippians, and for all the churches - that there be unity among the believers. He said to the Ephesians in chapter 4 that they: “live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace”. “Make every effort to keep the unity” Paul said. Be diligent, exhaust yourself, sacrifice yourself, and do everything necessary, above all else keep the unity. You do this by being gentle, patient, and humble – just like he says to the Philippians. The goal of unity is to be so crucial to us as believers that we do everything within our power to keep and maintain it. We must be of the mind that unity is the priority. He impressed this on the Ephesians, and again on the Philippians, and in every other letter of his he pleaded and exhorted and commanded the believers to be in unity. It is safe to say that we are to make unity as much a priority here at EFC as Paul did for his churches.
And this is an utmost priority of my own prayers for us at EFC. Every time I pray for us I pray for God to give us a spirit of unity that we would not be divided in any way. Paul says in Romans 15:5-6, “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”. It is God who gives us a spirit of unity, but, he gives it as we follow Christ. God does not give a spirit of unity as we behave like rogue Christians – when everyone is out for themselves and being divisive and ambitious for themselves. Follow Christ, pray for unity, make every effort to keep the unity. A humble Christian strives for Church unity.
First, a humble person is motivated by Christ’s love. Look at verse 1, “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion”
Paul is listing for them relational benefits they have with and in Christ. He is appealing to the very real relationship they have with Christ as a basis for motivating them in how they relate to each other. He’s not saying “if” you have these things like he is confused as to whether or not they do. The Greek is written in a way that means “Since you have this and since you have that in your relationship with Christ.” He means for them to express their relationship with Christ in their relationship with each other. “You already have been united with Christ and you already have encouragement from that. You also already have His love and you have comfort from that. You have fellowship with His Spirit, and you have tenderness and compassion from that.” Because you have these things, make my joy complete by being united. And to be united you have to be humble.
When we remember the love that God has for us in Christ we should be motivated to share that love with each other. “What is man that you are mindful of him” the Psalmist said. “Who am I that you are mindful of me?” we should ask God. “I rejected you. I sinned against you. I wanted nothing to do with you. I cared nothing for you. I violated your laws. I despised you in my heart. I cursed you. I did not trust you. I did not believe in you.”
But, He has come, and He has brought His love, and He humbled Himself in the person of Christ to come down from heaven and reconcile us to Himself. It required humility from God to come down on our behalf so that we could be joined together with Him. Without God humbling Himself, without His condescending act of becoming a man, and stooping down from His glory, we would still be separated from Him. There would be no salvation and we would be without God.
This is the truth of God’s saving grace that reaches into the deepest parts of our soul. Paul’s not talking to us about doctrine here - he’s talking to us on the deepest emotional level. Christ penetrates the very heart of our souls. When he says, “if you have any tenderness…” he uses the Greek word splachgna. This word was used for the place in a man’s stomach where the strongest emotions were at. We might say today, “I felt it in the pit of my stomach” or, “I feel it in the bottom of my heart”. What we mean is our strongest emotions are awakened from the deepest parts of our being. They are the emotions that move us most forcefully.
Paul used the word in verse 8 of chapter 1 when he said to the Philippians, “God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus” - the “affection” - the splachgna - the tenderness of Christ Jesus.
Get this: Paul had been made the object of Christ’s affection, and, therefore, Paul made the Philippians the object of his affection. He loved them the way he had been loved. Do you know that Christ has made you the object of His affection? Do you know the weight, the intensity, and the power of the love of Christ for you that penetrates you deep into the very core of who you are? If – you – do – then make your brothers and your sisters here at E-F-C the object of your affection. Make them the recipients of your tender splachgna. Convince each other Christ has loved you by being humble with one another. Be motivated to humility by the humbling love of Christ’s affection for you. A humble Christian is motivated by Christ’s love.
Secondly, a humble Christian seeks unity in the Church. Look at verse 2, “then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose”
When Paul says this he is extending what he said in verse 27 of chapter 1 where he instructed them to stand firm in one spirit and to contend as one man for the faith. Be like minded, have the same love, be one in spirit, be one in purpose.
Having unity is not agreeing on facts. We have a 12 point doctrinal statement that most of us have signed. We all agree on the facts. That is not what Paul is talking about. He’s talking about our attitude and our disposition together. Have one attitude. Have a single disposition. That’s why the next thing he says in verse 5 is “your ATTITUDE should be the same as that of Christ Jesus”. Your disposition, not your doctrine. Your attitude, not your answers. You’ve got that. We’ve got that. Have unity in your attitude with each other.
Really, living as the Church is like our praise team in a sense. We have multiple instruments and voices (well, not so many instruments lately!) that sound different. We have ladies voices, men’s voices, a guitar, and drums, and occasionally the keyboards. A drum doesn’t sound like a guitar. A man’s voice doesn’t sound like a woman’s (most of the time) and a keyboard doesn’t sound like any of those either. But, when one of these worship songs are played all of their different sounds are brought together in perfect unity to make sounds that are pleasing to hear.
Emmanuel Free Church can be a pleasing sound and sight to the Lord if we are all combined in unity for the purpose and partnership of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is not uniformity, but unity. We are all as different instruments. But, if each one of us, wooed by the love of Christ, submitted and humble as Christ with one another, think with one mind, have the same love, and are being one in spirit and purpose - then the song of our ministry here will be a pleasure to the Lord whom we serve.
This was Paul’s greatest desire for the Philippians, and for all the churches - that there be unity among the believers. He said to the Ephesians in chapter 4 that they: “live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace”. “Make every effort to keep the unity” Paul said. Be diligent, exhaust yourself, sacrifice yourself, and do everything necessary, above all else keep the unity. You do this by being gentle, patient, and humble – just like he says to the Philippians. The goal of unity is to be so crucial to us as believers that we do everything within our power to keep and maintain it. We must be of the mind that unity is the priority. He impressed this on the Ephesians, and again on the Philippians, and in every other letter of his he pleaded and exhorted and commanded the believers to be in unity. It is safe to say that we are to make unity as much a priority here at EFC as Paul did for his churches.
And this is an utmost priority of my own prayers for us at EFC. Every time I pray for us I pray for God to give us a spirit of unity that we would not be divided in any way. Paul says in Romans 15:5-6, “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”. It is God who gives us a spirit of unity, but, he gives it as we follow Christ. God does not give a spirit of unity as we behave like rogue Christians – when everyone is out for themselves and being divisive and ambitious for themselves. Follow Christ, pray for unity, make every effort to keep the unity. A humble Christian strives for Church unity.
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