Unity in MInd and Action

Transcript

GR 624
12/5/1982
Unity in Mind and Action
Philippians 2:1-4
Gil Rugh

Book of Philippians in your Bible, Philippians Chapter 2; bogged down from his glory proclaims tremendous truth that God became a man, tabernacled among us, dwelt among us. And perhaps the greatest statement in all the Scripture regarding the incarnation of Jesus Christ is contained in Philippians Chapter 2. It is interesting the way God brings that tremendous theological truth to our attention because it’s placed in the context of being an illustration of humility, being an example for us of how we are to live our lives as those who have been redeemed by Christ, the one who humbled himself.

The end of Chapter 1, the section we looked at last time; Paul was centering on the theme which continues right on into Chapter 2, perhaps summarized concisely in the first statement of verse 27 of Chapter 1; conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel. That is the thrust of the section; we are to live our lives as citizens of heaven that were to conduct yourself. Meant to live as a citizen, later on in Philippians, we noted Paul says, “That our citizenship is in heaven,” so we are to conduct ourselves as citizens of heaven in a manner worthy of the Gospel.

Our lives are in effect to be a testimony to the revelation that God has given of himself, the good news concerning Christ and the focal point of conducting ourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel is living in unity as believers. That’s crucial, that as Paul he wants to talk about living in a manner worthy of the Gospel, he would focus on the necessity, on the importance of unity and oneness among believers, that we are to walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel, and thus he wants to hear in the middle of verse 27; that we are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, that’s crucial.

We have to be of one spirit and of one mind if we are to walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel, being united and reflecting the oneness that we have is going on as we strive together for the faith of the Gospel. So it is in effect unity under pressure and the pressure is there for all of us as believers. We are called to strive together, often we strive against one another, but we are to be striving together for the faith of the Gospel. We are united with one purpose, making Jesus Christ known.

So we are not to be alarmed, not to be scattered, next verse goes on, by our opponent. They are those who will oppose the Gospel that we represent, the danger is under their opposition, in the face of their opposition, in the face of pressure; we would be caused to panic and thus to become fragmented, to turn away from one another, to turn against one another and thus lose the impact of the oneness in the presentation of Jesus Christ. And Paul reminded the Philippians that they have been given a twofold privilege both to believe in Jesus Christ and to suffer for him.

Both things are a gift of God’s grace, God in his grace has given to us the privilege of believing in his son, he has also given to us the privilege of suffering for Jesus Christ both gifts that come from God. Now the theme does not change as we come into Chapter 2, rather Paul is going to become more in detail, to stress more strongly the importance of unity and oneness among believers. Bit impressed again been studying Philippians, particularly the sections that are before us. The importance of oneness among believers, the overwhelming significance that God gives to our functioning as a harmonious body of believers, as one in Jesus Christ. Same mind, same purpose, we have the same goal.

So in Chapter 2, the opening verses; Paul will talk about the reasons for our unity, foundation for that unity because of certain truths we ought to have unity, then he will exhort us, how to function and then there will be some instructions on how not to function, carrying out of this plan and from there in our next study we will look into the illustration that he will give of Jesus Christ who is the great example an illustration of humility because as will be seen; is key in this.

We talk about oneness, we talk about the unity we have as believers, crucial to the exercising of that unity and oneness is humility and the greatest obstacle to function as a harmonious whole is arrogance and pride, so at the heart of it will be humility. When I function with humility before God, then I will function in unity and oneness with fellow believers.

Let us pray together. Father we anticipate the ministry of the spirit in our lives this morning as we look at this most important subject, Father impress upon each one of us the privileged position that we have in Jesus Christ. That we are those privileged to enjoy a relationship of oneness with you and with your son Jesus Christ. We are privileged to enjoy a relationship of oneness with one another and Father we are obligated to manifest that oneness in our relationships and dealings with one another that we might present the Gospel of Jesus Christ in life and action in this world. We pray this will be accomplished in our lives through Jesus Christ, amen.

You note Chapter 2, the second word; if therefore, therefore continues the theme that he has been talking about that oneness, by walking worthy of the Gospel, by being one in striving together for the faith of the Gospel. If therefore, now the command or the leading verb is not found to the first statement of verse 2, make my joy complete; strong command given. That is the heart of what he says revolves around that that is the command. Make my joy complete because of these things, do these things which will make my joy complete.

Now Paul has talked about joy, he has talked about the joy that he has over in Chapter 1 verse 3, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all.” The Philippians were a cause of joy for the Apostle Paul but now he commands them to make his joy complete, bring my joy to fullness, bring it to completion because there is lacking something in the Philippians, as great a church as the Philippian church is, they are having a problem with unity.

They are having a problem functioning as a harmonious whole, Paul says, “I want my joy to be brought to completion, I want a complete joy, I have great joy over you Philippians” but I want that joy brought to completion to full realization, this unity, this bringing Paul’s joy to completion is based upon certain things, the ifs that is repeated in verse 1. It gives us a wrong idea in English, it makes it conditioned ‘if’ and gives us the idea; well maybe it is not so but the way this is constructed grammatically indicates Paul is confident that it is so. You could translate it ‘since’ or ‘because’, because there is encouragement in Christ, because there is consolation of love, because there is fellowship of the spirit that is the idea.

Paul is assured, you could also say; if there is any encouragement in Christ and there is, if there is any consolation of love and there is, so there is no doubt or question being raised by Paul. He is giving a statement of assurance but in such a way as to draw our attention to the reality of it. Gives four statements here, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation of love, any fellowship of the spirit, any affection, and compassion. Now these are basic foundational matters that should produce unity in us as believers, should cause us to function as a harmonious unit as believers.

Now it does not mean we will all be the same, does not mean we will all do the same thing but we will be one in mind, in spirit and in purpose. There will a unity in harmony, in the way that we function even though we won’t all be functioning in the same way. There will be diversity as well as unity. If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, the word encouragement also means exhortation, it is a word that is related the word Paraclete, and the Holy Spirit is called the Paraclete; the one who comes along side of to give us aid and encouragement and help.

It also means exhortation, because often it is the exhortation that is needed. I might translate it; if there is any exhortation in Christ, anything that we are encouraged to do, exhorted to do in Christ or we translate it; because of the exhortation we have in Christ, what we are exhorted to do and be, what we are encouraged to do and to be in Christ. Back up to Ephesians Chapter 4, you see this idea of exhortation, encouragement. In Ephesians 4:1; I therefore the prisoner of the Lord entreat you, exhort you, encourage you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.

Note the exhortation that is given, is to walk in a manner worthy. I take it, that revolves around the exhortation or encouragement that we have in Christ is to walk in a manner worthy which means we are to walk in unity and oneness. We are exhorted and encouraged to do that in Christ. Look over in First Corinthians Chapter 1 and verse 10. Now I exhort you, and we have it again, I exhort you, I encourage you brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you all agree and there being no divisions among you but you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.

The exhortation that comes in Christ to be united, that we agree together; there be no divisions, we have the same mind and the same judgment. Now because there is that exhortation given in Christ, there is that encouragement given in Christ that should be a motivation for us on how to live. We want to live worthy of the Lord, we must live in oneness, that is the encouragement and the exhortation that comes to us in Christ. Come back to Philippians Chapter 2, we will see more of that in a moment but let us move through these different ones.

There is any encouragement in Christ if there is any consolation of love because of the consolation of love. That word consolation also means encouragement but it means mostly encouragement in the realm of consolation, so encouragement, the consolation that comes to us in love. Love produces the consolation or this encouragement very simply because of the love that is produced in us by the spirit of God. Then we have that encouragement, that motivation to function in a certain way, in unity with one another, does not love, motivate us to do that, can you function in love and be divided. Can there be divisions and factions and also the manifestation of love? No, so love brings us the consolation, the exhortation to function in unity, if you really understand love then you must understand that we are motivated and moved and demanded to live in unity.

Look over in First John, and we will be back to the back of your New Testament, First John Chapter 4 verse 7; beloved let us love one another, the stress is on love among believers, for love is from God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Love flows out of our relationship with God, down in verse 10and this is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his son to be the satisfaction for our sins. If God so loved us we are also to love one another. Down in verse 19; we love because he first loved us. So verse 20; if someone says I love God and hate his brother; he is a liar.

Verse 21; this command we have from him, that the one who loves God should also love his brother, you see the unity that is produced here in our love. I cannot hate you because the love of God is been produced in my live so there is to be a oneness and a harmony in that functioning. Turn back to First Corinthians 13; if this love is really operating should say this word for love is agape; it is the love of the will, not the love of the feelings. There are many ways; it is the foremost love, because my feelings follow my actions, my feelings develop as a result of what I do, you see that in our relationships with one another.

You fall in love with a certain man or a certain woman but you don’t fall in love with a person you have never seen or never heard of, you don’t think about them, what happens. You are brought into contact with someone and you begin to function and have that contact, what happens, as you begin to act together, your feelings develop for one another, but agape love is doing certain things, doing what is best for the other person, that is why it is a self sacrificing love. I’m willing to do what is best for you regardless of what it entails for me.

In First Corinthians verse 4; this love is described, love is patient, love is kind, is not jealous, does not brag, is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly, does not seek its own, and we see that stressed in Philippians, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong; where the divisions often come from, someone did something against me or to me. True love doesn’t take that take into account, does not rejoice in unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails, you see how this produces a unity, if we are functioning in love, the encouragement and consolation that comes to us in love is that we are always to do what is best for one another.

There is not the thought to be that; what I’m getting out of this, how are they treating me, but what I’m contributing to your growth and development as a believer. What am I contributing to the development of the unity of this body in its practical expression before the world and the proclamation of the testimony of Jesus Christ? Turn over to First Thessalonians Chapter 2; maybe Apostle Paul uses both this word exhortation and consolation or encouragement and consolation. There is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation of love and both that word encouragement and consolation used together in first Thessalonians Chapter 2 verse 10; you are witnesses and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behave toward you believers.

That sounds a little bit arrogant and proud but it is not. What is Paul saying, you are witnesses, how in love we behave with ourselves. That description of love which we just read in verse 10, just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging, these are words, we have translated encourage and consolation in Philippians, exhorting and encouraging, and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

His same conduct, the exhortation, the encouragement that come is to walk in a manner worthy which necessitates walking in a harmony and unity as believers in Jesus Christ. Come back to Philippians Chapter 2; begin to appreciate why unity is such an issue, why divisiveness is such a problem in the church. If you want to attack the testimony of the church of Jesus Christ, you go right to the heart of the matter when you cause divisions. That is one of the things that God hates, those who sow discord among the brethren.

You shatter the testimony, you cannot walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel, worthy of the Lord, if there is divisions and factions and battles going on among one another. Philippians Chapter 2; if there is any fellowship of the spirit and there is fellowship of the spirit both fellowship with the spirit and fellowship produced by the spirit. The moment you trust Jesus Christ as personal savior the spirit of God comes and takes up residence within your life. You enter into a relationship of sharing with him, you have fellowship with him, you share in common with him, he indwells your body as his temple, as his dwelling place.

He produces within us a relationship among us, First John Chapter 1; we saw that we have fellowship with God and fellowship with one another, we shared together in the spirit of God, we shared together in one another as believers. We all share together in common in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit produces the fellowship among us. Now this is crucial, there are those who talk about unity today, who want unity at all costs. They want an indiscriminate unity, let us say; yes, that is why we need the unity that you are talking about, the oneness, let us get all together but this is not a unity and a oneness that we produce and we develop.

This is a relationship that is produced by God among those who have come to believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ, come to recognize their sinfulness personally and that Jesus Christ the son of God died and paid the penalty for their sin and was raised from the dead as a result of that payment. Now it is those who are joined together in unity. So to talk about; let us do all these things to produce unity, no, the unity is produced by the spirit but there are things that we can do to maintain the unity of the spirit; to encourage the manifestation of that unity, to guard against the marring of that unity, so we are responsible in light of.

I recognize the fellowship the spirit produces among us as believers; we share in common that causes me to overlook certain things. I have to be willing to bare all things, to believe all things, to hope all things, to not take into account the wrong suffered, why, when we shared together just like you do in a family or we should, the breakdown of the family mars the picture today. But within a family there are things that happen, that we overlook, why, we say something like well his family, well their family. We overlook the imperfection.

We love one another because of the family relationship we have, not primarily because of superficial things, the way they look, or the way they act or the way they don’t act, within our families we love one another because we are family. That is the way we are in Jesus Christ, I don’t love you because you are so good looking, don’t love you because you are so talented, love you because you are family, that is way we are as believers, it is the relationship produced by the spirit of God among us. If there is any fellowship of the spirit and we know there is, fellowship with the spirit, fellowship produced by the spirit, then we have to be living a certain way.

Amazing, how many Christians will proclaim that doctrine of the work of the spirit in our lives, and we just cause the divisions and party spirits and factions and I proclaim a doctrine and I deny its reality by my life. There is the fellowship produced by the spirit, if there is any affection and compassion and there is. We are the bowels, the seat of the emotions and note here there is the feeling, there is the involvement together. We talk about the heart. There is any hearts and compassion because we view the heart today, in biblical times it was the inner parts of the bowels, that’s where our feelings really are. You get that what you call a gut feeling, your stomach churning, those kinds of things, we ought to have feelings.

Some Christians think they have to walk around like ice cubes because I take it if we are functioning with the love, agape love, in doing what is best for the other person, there will be the feelings, God has not intended us to be different, to become robots now that we have become believers. My feelings are a crucial part of my life, in fact where I’m not involved with my feelings I’m not very involved. If you went to a football game with our family; we have varying degree of emotions and my wife gets tremendously involved. We don’t go very often and when we do I try to get tickets on opposite sides of the stadium. You know what happens, when your emotions are involved, your feelings are involved; you are involved.

You go and see somebody sitting there and saying, “oh, yes they made a touchdown my, oh, they made another touchdown, yes, that person is not involved, their emotions and their feelings are not part of what is happening, so they are disengaged, so I as a believer am involved. There are affections, there is compassion, I’m a part with every part of my being because that is so I must function in unity, so important to see that context of the agape love functioning by doing what is right and the affections and compassions that are also a vital part of our lives.

Now you can’t be controlled by your affections and compassions perhaps that is why Paul doesn’t put that first in the list here. The exhortations that come in Christ, the encouragement that come in our agape love, the fellowship produced by the spirit and the affections and compassion but is all to be there. If you don’t have feelings for other believers something is wrong in your life. You can just come and sit and say, “Well my part is; I just want to come, get in the service, get back out and be on my way,” something is wrong. Any feelings, any affections and compassion, a vital part of the unity and oneness that we share together as believers.

Now because these things are so; make my joy complete. Paul -- and say; if these are so do it but because they are so, you are commanded to make my joy complete, how. By being of the same mind, maintaining the same love united in spirit intent on one purpose. You know it is a balance here, in verse 1 he gives the four basis, four 'because' and then in verse 2 he gives four statements of how because these four things are so, do these four things and naturally you see an overlap in these areas. Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, these are things that have come up before he talked at the end of Chapter 1 verse 27 to stand firm in one spirit with one mind.

We haven’t changed the emphasis here, just reminded them of what the foundation for functioning like this is. Being of the same mind; literally thinking the same thing and we read in First Corinthians Chapter 1 verse 10 that you all agree, that doesn’t mean there is not a diversity among us. Some of us like different colors, some of us like different activities and so on but we have the same mind as regards the basics of our relationship with God. We have the same mind regarding Jesus Christ so we are to agree, we are to think the same way, be thinking the same things as believers.

Now you have to guard your mind, note how crucial that is. We begin to think against other believers, begin to mull over in your mind what you like about them, what you don’t like, begin to mull over how antagonized you are by them, you begin to mull over and feed on what you don’t like, you begin to look for things that may indicate something, then you go against the Scripture. God says we have to thinking the same thing that is why true love believes all things. So always amazing and seek criticism, how many of the criticisms are directed toward what someone thinks, someone else is thinking. They are criticisms not primarily of the action but of the motivation.

And your true love believes all things and you would say; well they are doing that but I don’t really believe they are sincere. They did that but I don’t really believe that they and we say; wait a minute, I thought true love believed all things, you say you have been bit gullible, that is why true love opens you up to be hurt it makes you vulnerable, you cannot functions in love relationships without being vulnerable because you have opened yourself up, you have exposed yourself, you have placed your confidence and trust in that one.

So we have to thinking the same thing, so what do you think about other believers, how do you think of the believers in this body, but your mind mull over about them, how do you think of them. Are you thinking of the same mind, maintaining the same love, so we have one mind, we have one love. We are functioning in the love where does it come from, the fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5, is what love. It starts off the list that is produced by the spirit so we have the same love so as I’m functioning in light of what is best for you; you are functioning in light of what is best for me.

We have the same love, a love which is produced by the spirit and is result of God’s love for us, the love of Christ that constraints us and drives us on and it is in that sphere of the love he had for us, the love that he produces in and through us. We have to have the same love, now if you have the same mind you have the same love, you are united in spirit. We are together in oneness that is the difference, the holiday season has come and you get together with family and friends, many of whom are not believers in Jesus Christ and you notice the difference don’t you. Even those that are your flesh and blood humanly speaking, there is not the bond that is there, that is there when you are together with those who are believers in Jesus Christ, why, you are not of the same spirit.

And that is the overriding united concern, that is why Jesus talked about loving him more than family, that relationship with him supersedes everything else and everything else is put in perspective from that. So we are united in spirit, is that true of us. We sit here as those who have one mind, one love and one spirit today, doesn’t matter there is hundreds of us, we are just like one, intent on one purpose, one goal, the purpose; what drives us on, we have one single purpose. Is that true for us, now where do the divisions come there, why do divisions come among believers, we have the same mind, we have the same love, we have one spirit, we have one purpose and we are battling each other; tooth and nail.

Now something is wrong, what is it, why were the Philippians having problems, not functioning as God intended us, the issue done primarily -- usually revolve around doctrinal issues; we have said before. We have to stand for the truth, we cannot sacrifice the truth in the name of love, we looked at this earlier. It is truth functioning in the realm of love, love functioning in the realm of truth. Most of our conflicts among one another don’t come in that realm, I dare say that 99.9% of us here today are agreed on the basic doctrines and truths of the Scripture, but the divisions and factions that come, come on superficial non essential things.

I want to just run through several verses with you before we look at verses 3 and 4. The stress, the unity and oneness that is ours in Christ; some other passages. Look over in John Chapter 17, impressive section because it is so similar to what we just read in many of its emphases. In John 17; you have the high priestly prayer of Jesus Christ as he prays for his disciples in anticipation of his departure from the earth and we just have to pick out sections of this, you can sit down and read it again in its entirety to get the context but look at verse 13; Jesus addresses his father, “but now I come to you and these things I speak in the world that they may have my joy, made full in themselves.”

Now note that, similar what Paul said, “make my joy complete,” now Jesus says, “I’m praying that they might have my joy made full in themselves.” What does this involve look down to verse 21; Jesus says, “that he prays that they might all be one even as you Father are in me and I in you that they also may be in us”, the oneness and unity that we have that is a reality. We call it a positional truth, it is to be worked out in our practice, you know why, that the world may believe, it is overwhelmingly important what we are all about. Jesus says, “I want that oneness there that the world may believe,” now that oneness is a positional reality, a theological reality but how is the world going to believe unless that reality of oneness is manifest in our relationships together.

It does not impress and impact the world that we have a positional oneness but is not seen because we are too busy battling one another, it is that reality of the oneness we have in Christ that is manifest in our lives, that is to cause the world to believe, our people being saved as a result of our testimony. Is our ministry of the Gospel resulting in people coming to know Jesus Christ, if not I begin to question, is our unity being displayed as it ought to be? Jesus is saying, “I’m praying that they might have this oneness in order that the world may believe.”

Note how he goes on verse 22; the glory which you gave me I have given to them, that they may be one just as we are one, I and them, you and me, that they may be perfected in unity. Note the reason again, in order that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me, now note that. The world is to learn something by the unity they see among us; they are to learn something about Jesus Christ. What a tragedy that we have classes teaching the doctrine of Christology and we live lives battling one another which denies to the world the reality of what we are teaching.

That oneness is a reality, that is what John 17 is saying, but without the expression of that oneness in our relationship with one another the world doesn’t know anything, the testimony is clouded. First Corinthians Chapter 12, and we have to go a little quickly. First Corinthians Chapter 12 verse 12; the analogy of the body, for even as the body is one and has many members and all the members of the body though they are many are one body, so also is Christ. For by one spirit we were all baptized into one body and we were made to drink of one spirit. So we were all by one spirit placed into one body, note the emphasis on the oneness, there is only one spirit, there is only one body

So we are one, we need to be careful about how we jump all over one another and what that does to the display of the oneness that God has created in us in Christ. Over in Ephesians, Chapter 4 verse 4; there is one body, one spirit just as you were also called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is overall through all in all, Ephesians 4 verses 4 to 6. Note the oneness, you see it is a crucial matter that we recognize and understand this oneness, so that we manifest it in our dealings with one another.

Look over in First Peter Chapter 2 last section; we will look on this subject of oneness, many other passages as you may be aware. First Peter Chapter 2 verse 5, you also as living stones are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ, a living stone, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, that is what we are. We are united together, a priesthood, a house, down in verse 9, you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession.

That is what we are, you note the unity there, a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own possession and you note why, in order that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. See the necessity of our unity, God has joined us together in order that we might declare his Excellencies. Now what a tragedy he has joined us together and we get involved in interfamily bickerings and forget he has brought us together to proclaim his Excellencies, not to do battle for my opinions.

Come back to Philippians Chapter 2; in this one I read a statement here and then look at a couple of passages on the matter of strife and division and we will tie it together. He commands in verse 3; do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, there is the negative side, here is what was contrary to the manifestation of unity when I begin to function selfishly, when I begin to function with empty conceit, with vanity, with my own selfish interests in view. Well it becomes crucial, what a tragedy that I would begin to function selfishly with empty conceit but you know where it comes from, it comes from the flesh, the old me.

All you have got to do is listen to the world, read what the world writes and you know who is important, number one, you get study manuals on how to put yourself in the front and that works contrary to what the Scripture says. I’m to be, so if there are divisions, if there are factions, I’m functioning selfishly. I think we had a misunderstanding of the priesthood, and the believer has accelerated this heresy. We are all believer priests by virtue of the finished work of Christ that does not mean we all function as independent entities going our own way.

That we can all have it our way, that I don’t need you, I’m a believer priest before God, I have my gift from him and I don’t care about the rest of you. I’m going to decide what is best for me and you do the same and we will just all go on our way. I can’t do that, I can’t function selfishly which Paul calls empty conceit, vanity but that is the way the world functions and what the world admires. I made it on my own, I did it myself. The world says vow, he is really a powerful person, what happens with these Christians, begin to function like that.

We have Christians that break off and they go on out and they are doing their own little ditty. I was talking with someone on the phone last night about a family that had been at Indian Hills then they had been someplace else and now someplace else, they just function as their own entity, doing their own thing. They are a miserable, wretched testimony for Jesus Christ. They do not walk in a manner worthy of the Gospel because their lives deny the truth that the Gospel proclaims. We need to be careful about independent me spirit, selfishness, empty conceit.

God has much to say about the vision, I have to read you some passages, jump back to James, James Chapter 3. See what God says about this, James chapter 3, we will pick up. This is verse 16; for where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. Note that where jealousy and selfish ambition exist there is disorder and every other kind of evil thing. So you see what happens as I function as part of the body in love, I have to be willing to sacrifice myself, I can’t have it my way. I have to be willing to submit and function out of the law in light of what is best for you but I would rather do this way and I think I would be alright that way.

But would you if I did that, what I if you did that, that is the question. So you see disorder is a result of jealousy and selfish ambition. Jump back to Romans Chapter 3, again we are not going to be exhaustive but I want to impress upon all of us, Romans Chapter 13; I think I said Romans Chapter 3 and that is what I have written down. Romans Chapter 13 verse 13; let us behave properly as in the day not in carousing drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. So he put those in the same context as drunkenness, sexual promiscuity, carousing, strife and jealousy, no place for any of it.

Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and don’t make provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. First Corinthians Chapter 3; Paul says to the Corinthians in verse 3, “for you are still fleshly for since there is jealously and strife among you, are you not fleshly, are you not walking like mere men, when there is jealousy and strife it means I’m walking like a man apart from the spirit. The spirit of God is not controlling me; I’m walking apart from the spirit in rebellion against his control, just like a man who doesn’t have the spirit.

They have battles, they have strives, they have conflicts, but those that are under the control of the spirit don’t, because the spirit doesn’t conflict with himself. Galatians chapter 5; the works of the flesh, verse 20, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, outburst of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, see where these things come from, the flesh. If have the capacity and capability for it, I’m just demanded to walk by the spirit and not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

One other passage, First Timothy Chapter 6 verse 3; if anyone advocates a different doctrine, does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ and with the doctrine confirming the godliness, he is conceited understands nothing but has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, constant friction to the men of depraved mind, deprived of the truth and so on. You need to be careful I’m not functioning like that.

You see what God says in his evaluation of strife and divisiveness, I said it because we have to be just as intolerant of it if God is, to recognize the foundation to unity that we have. The provision for functioning in unity that we have and then be hard on ourselves. You know I really don’t like you but I have got to love you anyway, you say; people I like, people I don’t like and on. We all have different personalities, we all function differently, but the responsibility to function in harmony is still there.

That doesn’t mean you won’t have some friends who are better friends than other friends, some people you are closer to than another people but it does mean among believers there are not to be divisions and strives, bickerings, saying things that are geared to tear other believers down, saying things that are meant to undermine rather than to build up. That is the work of the flesh, we always profess it, come back to Philippians 2 by saying; I shouldn’t say this but if you shouldn’t say it, you better not, if I shouldn’t say it, I shouldn’t say it, that is another way of saying; God wouldn’t want me say this but the Devil would, so listen.

You think of it like that the next time it will help you. Note how he goes on verse 3; do nothing, Philippians 2:3, from selfishness or empty deceit but the contrast, with humility of mind, with humility of mind; that is what is crucial. Humility of mind, not just putting on the airs of humility but in my thinking I function with Godly humility, there is a difference some people want to be humble and when people don’t recognize them as such they get very irritated, that is not humility of mind. It is humility of my seeing myself properly in light of my relationship to God.

With humility of mind that each of you regard one another as more important than himself, now that is amazing, you know what God says; every single one of us ought to regard every other person as more important, you say; look we got to be realistic. I’m just more important than some people are and we all think that, that is not the biblical way, you know why, from what I understand of the Scripture, from what I understand of what God has done and is doing in the life of a believer, every believer is in his own way more important than I am.

God is using and can use them in ways he does not and will not use me, that makes them more important. I have to look at other believers like that, you know what I want to do, I want to compare my strength with their weaknesses, you know what God says, compare their strengths with your own weaknesses. I say I want to measure them on how they preach, that is a good thing and that is fair. No it is not, I need to measure you with your strength and me with my weakness and that puts me in proper perspective. I say; O Lord thank you for them, thank you for the abilities and the enablement you have given them to carry on that kind of ministry.

Over and over again I have to say I’m amazed at what God does and how God uses various people in the body. I say; I could no more have gotten that done, have carried out that ministry, have provided that service, I could have jumped off the roof and flown to see how God uses people that each of us regard another. Next time you are tempted to be critical of a believer, take out a sheet of paper and say first I want to list all the things that I see as strengths in his life. Ways that he is superior to me, why is that God is using that person that he has not chosen to use me and I will appreciate their importance, that each regard others more important than himself.

First Peter Chapter 5 verse 5; you younger men likewise be subject to your elders and all of you clothe yourselves with humility toward one another. So if I’m to have a humble mind I’m also to be clothed with humility within, without, for God is opposed to the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, now note that, my clothing myself with humility in regard to you is tied therefore to humbling myself under the mighty hand of God. If I won’t function with humility toward you it means I’m unwilling to humble myself before God because he tells me clothe yourselves with humility toward one another.

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, when I humble myself before you I’m humbling myself before God. When I find myself unable to humble myself before you that means I’m bridling and humbling to myself before God, so it becomes a spiritual problem, the problem is not really you that you are not worthy of having me humbled before you, the problem is my spiritual rebellion. I just don’t want to be humbled before God and that is a real serious spiritual problem.

Another verse coming out of Philippians Chapter 2, back to Romans Chapter 12 verse 10, and leads into the next verse in Philippians. Romans 12:10; be devoted to one another in brotherly love, give preference to one another in honor. Give preference to one another in honor that each of you regard another as more important than himself, give preference to another, don’t have to battle against that as believers. The more the Lord uses us, the more the Lord works in our lives, so often that more we want to take credit to ourselves. The more critical we become of believers who are not being used of God like we are or in the same way or in the same place or to do the same thing, we have to be careful.

Because even the great blessing of God working in my life can be taken by the flesh and twisted for fleshly arrogance and pride. So he says in Philippians 2:4 do not look out for your personal interests but also for the interests of others, is it a stress on others. I got to be concerned about humbling myself before you; I got to be concerned about looking out for your interests. That puts things in proper perspective, what I’m doing to help you, what I’m doing to strengthen you, what I’m doing to build you up, how I’m thinking about you, how I’m praying for you, that burden for you, are we really functioning in love.

Is it just like this was one united person here, should be, the person is always -- spirit indwells every one of us as believers. So we ought to function as one harmonious whole, hundreds of individual people one harmonious whole, not all the same, keep that in mind. We are not all the same but we are all united as one, the same in mind, the same in purpose, the same in desire, as that is manifested more and more clearly through our lives, I take it, the impact of the Gospel will be much greater because we proclaim his excellencies it will be with the power of the spirit that he might draw others to the salvation that is found only in him. We stop and think about it; isn’t it a great privilege, to enjoy that relationship of intimacy and oneness with God and with other believers as well. We have the privilege of being united together as one, one family under the leadership of one spirit.

Let’s pray together. Father, how we praise you for such salvations. Father, the ramifications, the implications of that salvation reaching to every area and every part of our being. Thank you for the oneness that we have in Christ. Lord, what a blessed privilege to know that we are one with you. Lord, we are one with another, with all of our differences, with all of our diversity, the amazing grace you have united us together into one body.

Lord, pray that oneness that we have in Christ might be reflected in our attitudes, in the way we think about one another, in the way we treat one another, the way we live our lives in relationship to one another. Father, may we be willing to humble ourselves before you, thus before one another, give preference to one another in honor. Lord, being concerned about the interests of others rather than our own interests. Father, fill us with the mind of Christ. We pray in His name, amen.