Book Study Of Philippians: Strive to Be Like Jesus, Philippians 2:1-18

 STRIVE TO BE LIKE JESUS

 

Philippians 2:1-18

 

STRIVE FOR HARMONY

V: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, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

In Chapter 1 verse 27 the Apostle Paul encourages us to live a life in harmony with the Gospel

Of Jesus Christ,

Philippians 1:27

“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”

 

WHAT IS HARMONY?

In chapter 2, The Apostle Paul tells us what is required to live in harmony.

There are four requirements for harmony or unity with Christ

1.       Encouragement:  The Greek word for encouragement or comfort is paraklesis. 

The para means to come alongside.

 From John 14:6

The comforter is the Holy Spirit. Every believer has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is alongside of every believer.

 

The verse begins with "if".  The if is on us. If we listen to the indwelling Holy Spirit, we will be

Comforted

 

2.       The second requirement is comfort in love.

The phrase “comfort in love” is paramuthion. 

 a. Para come alone side

 b. muthos is speech

     Come alongside with speech to comfort. (By the influence of the Holy Spirit)

 

 c.  The Greek word for love is agape. Affection, love feast.

      It is not man's love but a Godly love. It is not a feeling, but an action toward others.

      God is love. It is a love that gladly makes a sacrifice for another person. It is a love

      That seeks the best for another person.

 

It should be the desire of every believer to come alongside those suffering with

Words of encouragement. We do this because of our love (agape) for one another.

 

 

3.       The third requirement is fellowship with the Spirit. The Greek word is koinonia

Sharing with another person. Joint participation

 

The Greek word for Spirit is Pneumatos; a breath, a blast, a vital principle in the body

It is not surface sharing, it a spiritual sharing.

Spiritually, we join in sharing and participating together to do the work of God.

 

4.       The fourth requirement is tenderness and compassion.

The Greek word for tenderness is spangchna; bowels, intestine, heart

It is from the heart that we come alongside each other with words of encouragement.

This is not idol conversation but conversation from the heart designed to lift others

To higher heights in the Lord.

 

My job is to promote your good.

 

 

WHAT DOES HARMONY LOOK LIKE?

The preceding is a description of the requirements for harmony is,

but what does it look like?

 

COMPLETE JOY

V:2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and  

        purpose.

       Joy has its fulfillment in what we do for others. Paul experienced joy in the unity of believers.

      Complete joy does not exist in you, it comes from the Lord.   John 15:11

     

a.       Being liked minded

Phrontee   Having an understanding

We must have an understanding of God’s Word.

No one can know the Word for you. You have to take time and understand for yourself.

 

b.       Having the same love.

There is but one type of love and it begins in Christ.  We must love the mission of Christ

To do the work of Christ.

c.       Being one in the spirit

There is more than one spirit. There is the Spirit of Christ and the spirit of evil.

We have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Do we take time to listen to the Spirit?

d.       Being one in purpose

What is our purpose? To glorify God in our thoughts, mouths, and actions.

How do we do that?  Serve in the capacity God has given us.

We must preach about Jesus and Him crucified.

 

 

UNSELFISH ATTITUDE

V:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your interests but also to the interests of others.

The Cause of division in the Church is self-interest. God assigned positions in the Church to

Draw others to Him. We were not called to make ourselves look good, but to glorify CHRIST.

When our self-interest takes charge, the mission of the Church takes a back seat.

 

It takes an attitude change to see others as more important than ourselves. Our first thought is what we

Want. If we have any time left over, we will focus on others. We don’t go to bed at night or wake in the morning thinking about the needs of others. But the Lord says to put others first. We have to take care

Of ourselves, so we can do for others in need. 100 percent of our time should not be on us. If we look

After God's interest, He will take care of us. 

 

STRIVE TO BE LIKE JESUS

V:5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

7 but made himself nothing,

taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

 

Can you imagine being king of kings, Lord of Lords with an untold multitude of angels

Singing HOLY, HOLY, HOLY  all day and all night long? Can you imagine giving that up and

Becoming nothing before the eyes of men.?

 

From the beginning, Jesus was and is the nature of God. John 1 states Jesus was God and He was

With God. Yet when the time came for God’s plan of redemption to be put in place,

Jesus saw no need to hold on to His equality with the Father. In verse seven, He emptied

Himself of His glory, but not HIS NATURE         

 

The phrase He “ made himself nothing” is the Greek word kenoo, made empty.

Jesus emptied Himself of His Glory to become a human being. He took on the form

Of a servant. He was fully God and fully man. Fully man with no sin

 

The attitude of Christ is one of Humbleness.

 Christ was never nothing. He never esteemed himself as more than the ones He came to serve.

Christ looks at each of us as worthy of His help.

 

V:8 And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to death —

even death on a cross!

 

The emptying of His Glory allowed for the transformation of a Holy God to the

Holy Man Of God.   Jesus on earth was man, yet fully God.

He had both a Human Nature and a Divine Nature

If we humble ourselves before God in obedience, we can strive to be like Jesus.

 

Jesus’ life on earth had a multifold purpose

Adam the first man was created in the flesh. Christ the last man took on human flesh.

The purpose of Christ taking on human flesh was to save Adam and his descendants.

 

The purpose of Jesus' 33and ½ years on earth was to show us how to apply God’s Word to

Our lives.

To give us tools to understand the Word of God

To teach us how to love Him and our neighbors

To teach us to trust the Word of God

To teach us that obedience to God's Word provides rewards.

To teach us that a humble spirit pleases the Father.

Jesus came to die for the sins of mankind

 

HIS EXALTATION

V:9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

 

The life of the flesh is in the blood. (Lev 17:11)

The blood Jesus shed on the cross atoned for the sins of the entire

World, past, present, and future.

 

Because of His sacrificial death, Jesus was exalted to King, Lord, and Savior.

It is our faith in the Work Jesus completed on the cross that provides eternal life.

Ephesians 2:8-9

 

Because He is King, He was given the responsibility to judge every living soul. Isaiah 33:22

Because He is Lord, He owns us.  Zechariah 14:9

Because He is Savior, He paid the price for our redemption.   Luke 2:11

 

Jesus has a threefold kingdom; 

    He is the king of everything in heaven.

    He is the king of everything on earth.

    He is king over everything under the earth.

Because of this every knee whether good or bad shall bow before Him

And confess him as Lord and Savior

 

OUR DIRECTIONS AND PURPOSE

V:12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed — not only in my presence but now much more in my absence — continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

 

For God to work in our lives we must;

   Obey His commands in seen and unseen actions

   Serve the Lord in fear and trembling.

   Serve with the purpose of pleasing God.

   Trust that God is working in you.

 

CHRISTIAN LIVING

V:14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of life — in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. 17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with

STEPS FOR CHRISTIAN LIVING

    Serve in obedience without complaining and arguing.

         Since all things work for our good, our complaints are against God.

    Strive for God’s righteousness.

    Be the shining example for others to follow.

    Trust in the Lord in all situations.

    Run the Christian race to endure to the end.

    Rejoice in the Lord always.

 

 

Rev. Mitchell