Theme: Unity (April 14, 2013)

Devotion: Phil. 2:3

Title: United in Christ

Introduction:
Good morning to every one of you. Before we begin, let us have a word of prayer…
The bible underscores the importance of unity and coming together as one. The book of
Psalm says that unity is good and pleasant. However unity is not just something to be added to
the Christian life. It is not seasoning, rather, it is absolutely essential because we are made into
one body, which is the body of Christ. A body cannot function if there is disunity or disharmony
with itself. When that happens, it ceases to be a body and becomes a disjointed group of
individuals. Take for example a body having involuntary movement. Not just a part of the face
or the joints, but of the whole body. How do you think it will go through the day? (taking a bath,
cooking a meal, going to work) imagining such things would be impossible, so then the same
goes for the body of Christ. All too often we see churches not only being disunited, but many
have fallen to divisions and worse. Our message today seeks to exhort each of us of our
responsibility in the unity of the church, that we may glorify God, and avoid such disasters. The
title of our message is United in Christ.

Exegetical Idea: Paul is exhorting the Philippian believers to be united as one body through the
attitude of Humility, as exemplified by Jesus Christ.

Proposition: Brothers and sisters in the Lord, Christians whose new identity is found in their
relationship with Christ should be united and in agreement with one another, as we all are part
of the one body of Jesus Christ.

Interrogative: What does the bible tell us?

As Paul writes his letter for the church in Philippi, he reminds them of the struggles they have
together with their partnership in the gospel. (Paul face opponents left and right, was put to
prison and as a result the Philippians were discouraged) But more than that, he also wants to
remind them of the encouragement and comfort in their ministry that will make them all the
more effective. It is His desire to see a united church, and this is the will of God for us as well.
Phil.1:27

I. The motivation for unity – v.1-2

A. We have union with Jesus Christ – Gal.2:20; 1Cor.6:17

What is it that really unites us believers? As we may have all observed in the
world, those who have vast similarities tend to group themselves with one another, and
we have seen this in action throughout history: people of the same race, the same
status, power, or standing. Some come together because of their political views, while
 others because of their hobbies and interests. What about us then? Is it because we
gather in the same place? Or because we sing the same songs? More than these
superficial things lie the truth of this matter. We are called Christians for the simple
reason that we are all followers of Jesus Christ, and by that truth alone we are already
placed in the same body. What connects us all is how Jesus Christ manifested His grace
and glory in our lives resulting in our salvation and regeneration. Each of us received this
gift which brought us to having union with Christ. Gal.2:20 Union is not a matter to be
taken lightly for this is what the bible tells us. We have become one with Christ, and our
new identity is now tied in Him. 1Cor.6:17 it is that key aspect which unites us with one
another. Our identity in Christ makes us united with one another as well. Rom.12:5
Consider how Paul, who wrote to the church in Rome, poured out his heart in
exhortation and encouragement for his brethren whom he had not even seen face to
face! Our union as one body transcends the human bonds and limitations that we know:
(race, gender, age, standing) It comes then as now surprise that since this is the truth,
then our unity with one another should also follow.

B. We have all been blessed in an equal manner – v.1

Paul gives some statements about the Christian life to stimulate the hearts and
minds of his listeners. v.1 Paul speaks in such a way that prompts the listeners to
evaluate themselves. He mentions five things: encouragement in Christ, comfort in love,
participation in the spirit, affection, and sympathy. These of course are all truths and
realities for the Philippian believers, and the same is true for us as well. We are to ask
ourselves: “Are these qualities evident in my own life?” If you are truly a Christian, you
should not only understand these things, but also have experienced them in your day to
day lives. We have been given encouragement by Jesus: Rom.8:34 comfort from the
love of God 2Thess.2:16-17ASND, having fellowship in the spirit 1Cor.3:16, receiving
affection from Jesus and other brethren Phil.1:7-8 and mercy from God Eph.2:4-5. Do
we have these things? All of us Christians have received the same blessings made
available to us by the grace of God. No one person can claim or monopolize such
blessings for him/herself alone. Now, SINCE we have such things present in our lives, for
you, and for others, unity among believers then is not implausible or impossible.

Application:
Remembering these qualities and knowing they are present in our lives reminds us
about how we should be united as one. Setting aside the superficial differences we see the true
nature of each person here: we were all dead in our sins, and by the grace of God have been
given new life in Christ. All were equally headed for judgment and death, now all equally
destined for glory. This is the truth that binds us all together in Jesus Christ.

II. The manner in which we are united – v.2-4

A. We should be one in spirit – v.2

Paul declares what would give him great joy: if the believers would be united as
one.v.2 Christian unity is realized when believers have the same mind, have the same
 love, be in full accord, and one mind. The good thing is that we do not have to depend
on our own ability to achieve this: again, the prelude to our unity is in Jesus Christ. We
have the mind of Christ: 1Cor.2:16 For in Jesus God has revealed His will Jn.15:15. Being
one in spirit means we have a singular goal in mind. Listing down the important aspects
of our Christian life we will get many different points: we are to worship Him, serve Him,
obey Him, Honor Him, and love Him. But condense all of this down to a single point and
our main purpose is made clear: we do all these things because we are to glorify Him
and Him alone. 1Cor.10:31 In all that we speak, in all that we do, in all that we think,
that is the goal. With that in mind, everything else will fall into place. We are to live in
harmonious cooperation: we don’t all do the same thing, nor do we all act the same
way, even united, we all have different gifts, different strengths, and different activities,
all coming and joining together headed for one goal, being offered to one God.
1Cor.12:4-6
B. We must reject self-centeredness – v.3-4
The way Paul is speaking seems to imply that unity should be a piece of cake, but
in reality, we know sadly that is not always the case. While there are things that
naturally should come to the life of a believer in Christ, we also know the reality of the
various hindrances that can become apparent. v.3-4 Selfishness, self-centeredness, and
conceit are the things mentioned by Paul in the verse. The desire to exalt oneself and
the wrong estimation of oneself. Those who are selfish and self-centered only focus on
what is good and pleasurable for them, while those who are conceited have an
excessive appreciation of their own worth, while looking down on others. Paul himself
encountered such divisive and dangerous people: Phil.1:15-17ASND when these worldly
thoughts and attitudes are present in us, the unity of the body is endangered. We can
sum all of this in one word: Pride. When pride goes before us, destruction will surely
follow. Prov.16:18ASND the only cure for pride prescribed by the word of God is
humility. Knowing our real standing in the sight of God prevents us from being bloated
with pride. We don’t dare exalt ourselves because there is nothing worth exalting.
Humbling ourselves however, gives way to unity and peace with one another. Eph.4:1-3

Application:
When humility is maintained within the Christian family, we bear the fruit of true unity .
Paul tells us of our duty as Christians to be humble, no matter who we are, and no matter who
the person in front of us is. Rom.15:1-2 When we look unto the interests of other people, and
not just our own, we become more humble in the eyes of God, and that is what matters. In
order to drive the point home, Paul gives us the best example…

III. We have the example of Jesus Christ to follow – v.5-11

Paul shifts the view towards our Lord and savior Jesus Christ Himself. In vv. 5-11 Paul
writes out in the form of beautiful poetry what Jesus Christ has done. Many would look at these
passages as doctrinal statements about the deity and humanity of Christ, but more than that
Paul mentions these words to encourage the believers through the example of the life of Jesus
Christ. Looking unto Jesus keeps us on track. Look at other people and all sorts of things go into
our minds.(bakit siya, bakit sila, bakit ako)
 A. We should be Christ-like in humility; – v.5-8
One thing is clear: Jesus Christ is God. No question about it. But as the passage
points out, He who is rightly God chose to humble Himself. What Paul is stressing here is
that Christ, who had all the privileges that were rightly his as king of the universe, gave
them up to become an ordinary Jewish baby bound for the cross. Christ “emptied
himself” by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. While he had
every right to stay comfortably where he was, in a position of power, his love drove him
to a position of weakness for the sake of sinful mankind. He took on the form of a
servant, a position far below His own. 2Cor.8:9 He became fully man, yet remained fully
God. The glory that was rightly His was given up, showing us His whole humility. An all-
powerful, Holy God, that hated sin, suddenly was born into this sinful world, and it was
for our sake as well. His humility was so great that He allowed it lead Him to die a very
painful and shameful death, death on the cross.Jn.10:18 That’s how Christ humbled
Himself, and shows us the model we should follow, and the encouragement it brings to
every believer.

B. It was God who exalted Christ to glory – v.9-11

But it wasn’t finished there. Because of Christ voluntary humility: meaning He
was not forced to be humble but came out of His own will, it was God who lifted Him up
high, and bestowed upon Him the name above every name. The name through which all
shall be saved: Acts4:12 The purpose of this was that every knee will bow, and every
tongue will confess, whether with thankfulness or by force, that He is Lord, to the glory
of God the Father. Rev.5:11-13 The exaltation of Jesus Christ from a servant to being
given the name above every name was a direct result of His obedience. All of these Paul
mentions as the basis of our own lives. As Jesus humbled Himself, so should we. Who
are we to complain or grumble in the face of Jesus Christ’s humility to the point of death
on the cross for no sin of His own? The comfort then comes with the truth: if Christ has
done it, so can we.

Illustration:
The almighty and eternal God became like a man, showing us his humility. Who are we,
that we who are in reality really low, how could we still try and cling on to our self-
centeredness? We are urged to follow the example of Jesus who although He really held a
valuable position, He willingly relinquished that position in order to become man and die on the
cross to purchase our salvation. None of us possess as lofty a position as did the preincarnate
Christ, none of us will ever have to humble ourselves to the extreme which He did. Therefore,
we should be all the more willing to humble ourselves in a way that is by far inferior to the
humiliation which He experienced.

Application:
God does not ask from us impossible things. He asks from us things that He knows we
are able to do through His help and guidance. He commands us to be humble, and by His grace
He also gave us the perfect example to follow. He is not unreasonable, and He shows us that
through His grace all things are possible. God exalted Christ, to the highest place, and with the
highest name. We need not be exalted as well, because who are we, that we should be praised?
And yet the promise has been given: Rom.8:16-17 Those who are true children will be glorified
in Christ.

Conclusion:
For my conclusion, Unity shouldn’t be difficult, but when we seek our own different
ways and actions it will be. All of us Christians have received the vastness of God’s blessings the
moment we became believers. We are thoroughly reminded to be united in one spirit, and the
only way to get there is through the continued act of humility. We have seen the perfect
example of humility in our only Lord and savior Jesus Christ. It is not just my desire to see a
united church, not just Paul, but this is what God wants for His people. Jn.17:21-23 What about
us? What hinders us from being united in this body of Christ? Is it selfishness? self-interests? Or
maybe just plain stubbornness? We have the means to ask forgiveness and help from the Lord.
Let us look at others as more significant than ourselves. Remember Jesus and His example. I
believe that unity is possible if we obey God’s word. Let us always keep the goal in mind: the
glory of God, and let us really become united under the Lordship of our savior Jesus Christ. To
God be the glory.