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September 28, 2008
“This Is Going to Take a Lot of Work”
Philippians 2: 1-13
preached on September 28, 2008
From 1959 – 1963 there was a TV series called “The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.” Featured on that show was a Beatnik named Maynard G. Krebs”. Being a true beatnik, Maynard did not like to work. In fact he even hated to say or hear the word work. When he heard the word he would respond with a phobic reaction shouting the word in fear.
Today we are looking at a bible passage that Maynard G. Krebs would not have liked. In this passage St. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, requests the Christians living in Philippi to do some things that will require some hard work.
Not only is there work required in these verses of scripture, it also takes some work to seriously study this passage of Scripture. In these verses Paul uses some pretty obscure Greek words and sometimes uses their lesser known meanings. It can never be said that this passage is a joy to read in the Greek language.
So this morning I hope you are ready to figuratively roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty, because we have some work ahead of us.
St. Paul begins this laborious passage by listing some of the resources he expects his readers to have because of their faith and Salvation and that he expects them to use in the work he is about to set before them.
Since they are Christians, since they have been born again by the Spirit of God, and since they have used the faith that the Spirit has given them to embrace the Salvation won by Christ, Paul expects them to have the qualities he lists in verse 1. They are: “encouragement in Christ, consolation from love, sharing in the Spirit, compassion and sympathy.” As Christians, we ought to have all of these qualities. We should be encouraged and joyful at being certain of our salvation. The words and deeds of Christ recorded in the bible ought to encourage us. And the Forgiveness of sins that Christ promised to us should really encourage us when we fall or sometimes jump into sin.
We should also be built up and consoled in difficult times by the love shown to us by our fellow Christians and by our Lord Jesus Christ. And we should be built up by having Christian fellowship or sharing in the Spirit of God with our fellow Christians.
As Christians living in the church with other Christians we are to display and receive Compassion and Sympathy.
Since they have received all these gifts from God and their Christian Community, Paul expects them to use those gifts to do the following; (get ready folks, the work is coming, and it may not be easy) “be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.”
I don’t know if this command was ever easy for Christians of other generations to fulfill, but I know it is extremely difficult for Christians of our own time and place to fulfill. After all, we live in an age and place where diversity of thought in all matters is honored and protected. All of the mainline denominations in the US have allowed diversity of thought and beliefs and theology in their seminaries and in those they ordain as ministers. And now we can look and see how that is working out. It’s not. Since we cannot honor each other’s thoughts and philosophies, we are often simply encouraged to agree to disagree.
But the bible tells us that there are thoughts about God that are correct and thoughts about God that are incorrect. As Christians we are to be of one mind in the basic matters that are set forth in scriptures and are summarized in the Nicene and Apostles Creeds.
There are other issues that we Christians might disagree about. We ought not to shy away from our disagreements but we need to understand each other and celebrate what we have in common. We may never agree 100% in all matters, but that is to be our goal. We cannot do this if we shy away from those whom we suspect disagree with us in important matters. We must engage them as brothers and sisters in Christ. We must have discussions with them to discern what we believe.
I encourage you as members and attendees of faith church to engage each other regarding your beliefs and feelings and try to come to common places. We as Christians are to be working toward being of one mind, especially in matters that are important.
In addition to being of one mind, Christians are to “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to his own interests, but to the interests of others.” Christians are to be humble and seek to improve the situations and lives of others rather than their own situations and lives. In this we are to follow the example of Jesus in his earthy life.
In verses 6-11 Paul reminds his readers about the humility of Christ. He did it in such a glorious way that some think that he was copying a hymn from the early Christian community. The Scripture text as printed in the pew bibles and your bulletin reflects that this is or could be a poem or song. It is a two stanza hymn about the humility and glory of Jesus. I know some of you have written songs and music. If you are ever in need of magnificent concepts, words or phrases for a hymn, I encourage you to turn to this passage.
Here St. Paul portrays the self sacrifice of Jesus. He was God and yet he for a time set aside his divine prerogatives and perks and was born as and lived as a human being. He then took on the roll of a slave, living to serve people of his day and people of all times since then. He, the only true and divine God, even allowed himself to die on a cross.
In the second part or second verse of this hymn, Paul goes on to the conclusion or reward of Christ’s sufferings. God has exalted Christ and will cause every person to worship and confess that Jesus is Lord.
The truths of that hymn are the reasons why we should be humble and put others before ourselves: 1 – he was humble and placed our welfare before his own, and 2- if we are to be exalted in the kingdom of God, we should follow Christ’s example and live in humility on this earth.
After the hymn, in verses 12 & 13, Paul gives one more job to the Christians at Philippi. “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling”. Now if you paid attention to those words, you may wonder how a Protestant pastor, especially one who claims to be a Calvinist, can read those words. After all, we Protestants reject the Catholic notion that we can work along with God in procuring our salvation, that we can cooperate with God in our salvation. That is not what Paul meant. If you read other passages in his epistles he teaches very clearly that our salvation comes to us through faith alone and is a work of God alone. Nothing we can do can make us worthy of God’s salvation.
However, after we have received the salvation of God, we are renewed by the Spirit of God and are able to live out the effects of our salvation. It is that living out the effects of our salvation that Paul refers to as working out our salvation.
He has just referred to Jesus’ humble life on earth. Jesus was God and he was God’s savior before the ages began but he still had to be obedient and humble, and die on earth.
We have already been saved by the grace of God, but now we are to demonstrate our gratitude and our new worthiness by doing God’s works.
Our work for God is also good for us. As we enjoy doing the work of God and yes, even suffering for His cause, and as we see the changes that God is working in us so we can and are willing to work for Him, we receive confidence that God really is in us and that we really are saved. By working out our salvation or working out of our salvation, we become more confident of our Salvation.
So, this morning, as football coaches are preparing their teams to go onto the field and face their opponents, I send you in the name of Jesus into the church and into the world. In the church you are to work together to be of one mind. In the church and in the world you are to be humble. In the world you are to work out the deeds that are demonstrations of God’s love and of your Salvation. Go, Team Go!
Let us pray,
Almighty God, we thank you for saving us through the humble and self-sacrificing acts of Jesus. Help us to demonstrate that we are His by working at being of one mind, by being humble, and by doing your works for and among the people of this world. Amen.
Pastor David Horner
Faith Presbyterian Church
West Lafayette, IN 47906
Posted by faithpres at September 28, 2008 03:28 PM