Philippians 2:12-30 – Philippians

Good morning.

Today's reading is from Philippians two, verses twelve to thirty.

For my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not as in my presence, but as much in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God, without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the world's life, uh world word of life, so that the day in Christ I may be proud, that it did not run in vain or labor in vain.

Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and I rejoice with you all.

Likewise, you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may I too may be cheered by news of you.

For I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.

For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

But you know Timothy's proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me the gospel.

I hope, therefore, to send him just as soon as I see how it will all go with me, and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.

I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and fellow worker, and fellow soldier, and your messenger, and minister to my need.

For he has been longing for you all, and has been distressed because you had heard he was ill.

Indeed, he was ill, near to death.

But God had mercy on him, and not only him, but also on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

I am more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious.

So receive him in the Lord with all joy and honors such men.

For he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.

And so reads God's word.

And today we're continuing our series in Philippians.

Um, so please, if you do have a Bible, please uh keep that open so that you can follow along as we go.

There are uh many characteristics in which we can admire in people.

Uh it might be humor that you think when someone's funny, that is something that you admire in someone.

Maybe it's someone who is friendly, or maybe a natural leader, or someone who's just always so honest in a good way.

We'll all have different characteristics that we value and appreciate.

We'll have things that we we think are more important than other things.

And over the years, more and more, I think there is one characteristic that I have probably valued more than other characteristics, one that I have uh probably seen as being uh so wonderful to see in someone, and that is humility.

Not some sort of false, fake humility we often see around us, but a genuine humility.

To me, it seems to be a true sign of both godliness and maturity.

When you meet someone who is humble, when they exhibit true humility, I appreciate it.

I value that, I see that as admirable, as attractive, as something that is beautiful.

Yet, even when I was uh preparing uh for this sermon, Google told me that humility is not often a character trait that is prized in our culture today.

Humility is not something we often see displayed around us.

It's not something that we are told should be so central to our lives.

Increasingly, our world is wanting you and I to believe that it is about us.

To believe a lie that says everything that is around us should be about us, serve our needs, our wants, our demands, that it should center on us, whether it is through films or social media or advertising, whether it's in your work life or your home life.

The narrative that we breathe is a narrative that wants you to be so self-focused, to turn inward all the time.

This is what we all experience.

The pressure to even be that way.

And it could be easy for us to think that this is just an issue that is around us.

But sadly, I feel it within, and I'm sure you too, you do too.

A desire to be seen and recognized by others, a desire to have things go your way, to see it go how you want them to go, a longing that people would just be less stupid.

Why aren't they less stupid?

A desire to be right above all else.

Because this is actually exposing our hearts, the very nature of who we are as people.

And we don't like to admit it, but there is a heart of pride in each of us.

But for Christians, for those who have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, we need to realize that that is ultimately an anti-gospel that goes against everything the Bible calls us towards.

When we believe that lie, when we think life should be about us, when we live that way, we go against Christ Himself.

Last week we began this chapter.

If you were here with us, and it's important we appreciate how humility is the theme that is running throughout.

That in verse 1 to 11, we see the call toward humility chiefly seen in Christ Himself.

And in verse 12 to 30, the passage we're looking at today, we see the posture of humility.

But what we need to know is in our text today that what has come before is utterly intertwined with these verses.

You will have noticed in verse 12 that it begins with, therefore.

And as we hear that word, we should understand Paul is making a point that what he is about to say is tied directly to what he has said.

It is a consequence, it is a result of what he has just said.

We can't detach them because we are not just being told here, be humble, because that seems impossible.

But rather, he has helped us last week as we looked to understand that humility is not a virtue to strive for, but rather a person to follow.

That is true humility.

That Christ is our example of what it truly means to be humble, but much more, he is not just our example, he is the only way we too can be humble.

Mark pointed out last week that verse five is really important.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.

Because for you and I to be truly humble is only possible because of Christ.

We don't have it in ourselves.

It is only possible when we are resting in him and his finished work.

It is only possible when we see and appreciate what he has done, emptying himself, leaving the glory of heaven, coming as man, coming to die, to be killed on a cross.

It is because of that we can be humble.

Without him, we have no ability to live that sort of life, to die to self.

But for those of us who know Jesus, who have placed our trust in him, this is not optional.

This is a command for you and I to embrace Christ-like humility.

In our text, having called us toward humility, Paul is wanting to challenge us in how we can be humble.

So let us consider Christ-like humility that displays consistently, serves gladly, and cares deeply.

Look with me at verse 12.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now not only in my presence, but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

What Paul is encouraging is a life that is consistent here.

A life that understands that though we have received Christ, though we have experienced the joy of our salvation, we do not take our lives lightly.

We are not just sitting back waiting for Christ's return.

We are not just continuing our lives as we were living before we came to know him.

No, Christ is not merely some sort of add-on to our lives.

He is our life itself.

That coming to him is utterly transformative on every level.

He is the one we are following.

It is him who empowers us, not taking lightly our faith, our salvation, but rightly living out who we now are.

That is what Paul is calling us towards.

And yet it could be easy to read this verse, to see this verse, and miss what is being said, because it can seem like there is a command here to work, to earn your salvation.

The fact is, salvation by works is taught and believed by many people.

This country, we see countless people who believe that this is what salvation is, that you have to earn it.

And yet, Jesus is important.

You need to see that it is not about earning our salvation, it isn't about doing better.

It's not about striving, wrestling in order that God might forgive you.

It's not setting a mark and thinking, okay, if I get there, God will be pleased with me.

Then he might love me.

That is not the gospel.

That teaching is crushing.

Because the truth is you will continually be gripped in a cycle, a cycle of self-reliance and shame.

You strive, strive, strive.

Okay, I'm doing good, I'm doing good, and then you fall, then you fail.

And you are gripped by shame, feeling utterly crushed, feeling hopeless.

And even if you do good, you are never guaranteed that it is enough.

No, the gospel is not about what we bring.

Paul in Ephesians 2 is clear by grace you have been saved through faith.

This is not your own doing, it is a gift of God, not a result of work, so that no one can boast.

Paul is not seeking to lay that burden upon us.

He knows that it is only in Christ that we are saved.

But what he is challenging us with is the fact that Christ now shapes us completely.

Having embraced the truth of the gospel, your life is lived out of that truth.

And yet it is only possible when we rest in God.

We can only live that way when we rest in Him.

Because do you notice, as soon as Paul mentions, he mentions working out your salvation, he brings clarity in verse 13, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

What is happening here is Paul is helping us to understand the tension that is played out in our world between our responsibility and God's sovereignty.

That we need to take responsibility.

You cannot treat your faith lightly for living a life out of your true identity in Christ.

That is what you are called to.

And yet, we can only do that through the power of God that is what work within us.

Through Him who enables us.

We need to appreciate that both of these things are true, and both of them are vital if we are to live humble lives.

You cannot think you are okay to just live your life how you want and claim to be a Christian.

That is not grasping the gospel.

No, there is consequences when we reject Him, when we live how we want.

We have been called brother, sister, toward lives that are shaped by Him.

You are responsible.

And yet it is because of His sovereign work in and through us that you are able to take hold of this, that you are able to live in such a manner, to live in such a way, to run the race faithfully.

Because when we hear Paul's command to this church toward any who claim Christ, it seems impossible.

Or at least it seems impossible to me.

Look at verse 14.

Do all things without grumbling or disputing.

He is not saying most things.

He is saying all things.

That seems like a heavy burden.

But what is clear is that both of these attitudes reveal our heart.

Because when we grumble, it shows a heart that is ungrateful.

To be someone who is consistently disputing, it shows a heart that is arrogant, that is pride, that just longs to be right above all else, needs to be right.

It is a heart that is selfish and arrogant that is being displayed here.

And these are opposite to what it means to be Christ-like, to be humble as He is humble.

But the command is to display consistently Christ-like humility in all things.

And how we do this is through living lives that do not grumble, living lives that are not just disputing all the time, needing to be right.

Anyone else struggle with that, or is it just me?

Brother Sister, we need to be captured by Christ.

The one who emptied himself, the one who lowered himself, who suffered and died upon that cross.

Instead of grumbling, our posture should be a life of thanksgiving.

Not just in moments of joy, but in moments of sorrow.

That doesn't mean we don't grieve, we do grieve.

But it is with a heart of thanksgiving, a heart of rest in our God.

We are people of the King.

We are eternally secure and can be thankful in every season of our lives.

It is not that we do not see brokenness around us.

But we are secure not because of the situation, not because of ourselves, but because of him.

We look to him.

And instead of disputing our posture is one of contentment.

We don't need to be right.

We don't need to be right.

You don't need to seek to justify yourself before others.

You don't need to strive for more and more.

We are resting in the loving arms of our Father, who is caring for us.

Knowing his plans and purposes are at work.

He will see it done.

Hearts that will embrace this command, empowered by the Spirit, following in the footsteps of our Savior, will be lives that display Him.

You shine as lights in the world.

How beautiful and radiant it would be the more we embrace this.

Brother, sister in Christ, hear this command, embrace what Christ enabled and displayed for us.

Because we are now here to make much of Him.

That others might begin to see and be intrigued by the beauty and glory of what they are seeing through us.

That they might come to know Him.

That they might come on bended knee, thankful for what Christ has done for them.

What does this mean for you?

Consider your family members who do not know him.

Consider your friends who are so far from him.

Consider those you are working alongside, your colleagues who have never even heard about Jesus.

Think about your neighbors that you engage, who just long and are desperate for him and have no clue about him.

This should shape us.

One of my favorite books, probably my favorite book outside of the Bible, is a book called Don't Waste Your Life.

It has probably been one of the most shaping books for me outside of Scripture.

And I want to just share this section with you that I think speaks so helpfully to what we are being called toward.

Why don't people ask us about our hope?

There is no doubt that if we lived more like this, the world would be more likely to consider whether Jesus is an all-satisfying treasure.

He would look like one.

When was the last time someone asked you about the reason for the hope that is in you?

That is what Peter said we should always be ready to give an answer for.

Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for the reason that it for the hope that is in you.

Why don't people ask us about our hope?

The answer is probably that we look as if we hope in the same things they do.

Our lives don't look like they are on the Calvary road, stripped down for sacrificial love, serving others with the sweet assurance that we don't need to be rewarded in this life.

Our reward is great in heaven.

You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just if we believe this more.

Deeply others might see the worth of God and find in him their gladness.

This is the life we are called to, brother, sister.

In Christ, grabbing hold of him, let our humility be displayed consistently in every area of our life, that as we live among those who do not know them, they might too see something striking.

That we do not hope in the present, we hope for what is to come.

This is what it means here.

Paul transitions, having laid this command down, and he turns toward two men.

And I don't know about you, but one of the wrestles I've had this week is it feels like a sudden gear shift.

He's talking about this, and then suddenly he's talking about these two men.

Where did they come out of?

And what we see here is it's not actually odd because what Paul is doing is not just communicating practical matters and speaking about these men, though he is, but much more he is giving two wonderful examples to us.

Examples of what it means to be captured by Christ, examples of what it means to have Christ-like humility in you.

Men who are laying down their lives for the sake of Christ, embracing the humility to which they've been called, just as we are called.

Because Christ-like humility serves gladly.

It is not hard to see.

You don't have to wonder, oh, I wonder whether Paul has an affection towards Timothy.

It's pretty evident.

It's like a love letter.

It's all over there.

Timothy is described as a spiritual son to Paul here.

And it is a beautiful thing to see the joy Paul has in Timothy, to see the unity they share together in Christ.

And we see the sort of man he is in verse 20.

For I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare, for they all seek their own interests.

What Paul is making clear here is that as he desires to send Timothy, he explicitly declares the Christ-like humility he has.

It is in contrast with the others that are mentioned here in this verse.

Now, we're not told exactly who they are.

It might be the people he has spoken about in chapter 1, verse 15.

It's not explicit, but what is clear is Timothy's character that he is about Christ.

He is about living that sacrificial life, that humble life.

The one who counts others more significant than himself, one who is following in his Savior's footsteps, and a man who is serving gladly.

Verse 22, but you know Timothy's proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served me in the gospel, and I hope therefore to send him.

What Paul knows about the character of Timothy, as do this church at Philippi, is that what is evident is he is someone who has a servant heart.

He has served Paul, and because of that, Paul wants him to go to them because he knows what Timothy will do.

He will serve in order for them to be served, to be encouraged, to be built up.

Paul has an affection for this church, and he wants to bless them through sending Timothy.

There is a healthy honoring that is taking place here as well.

That Paul is not just honoring this man, wanting him to become puffed up, but he's wanting to encourage him to see that Christ is at work in and through him.

Because the truth is, all of us need words of encouragement.

In our world, there is so much negativity.

There is so much negativity that we just constantly are in.

People tearing down, criticizing.

And yet we need people who love us, who know us, who are ready and willing to speak words of encouragement to us.

Do you know the power of our words?

In one moment, you can easily tear down someone.

In one moment you can leave them feeling crushed.

Do not take lightly the words you speak.

Do not just think they have no power.

Do not think it's just funny.

People laughed.

That can be crushing for someone.

We should long that city church, Redeemer, will be churches that seek to rightly honor one another.

Not in an idolatrous way, but in view of Christ Himself.

What a beautiful thing that is.

When we see Christ at work among us, when we see it and speak and encourage one another directly, with care and love.

This week I had the privilege, I had the joy of having the community leaders around to ours for some training and equipping.

And I can honestly say that was life-giving.

Because it was life-giving, because what I heard, what I witnessed was each of them, their care, their love for others, their care and their love for us.

The ways in which they are desiring and wanting to serve, to build up this church.

That is glorious and beautiful.

That is wonderful.

It brings me such joy to see that.

Because I know that God is at work.

That is not just a natural human instinct that is supernatural, that is spiritual, that is the Spirit working in and through us.

The call toward glad service here is another way in which humility is going to be displayed.

Timothy is an example of this.

This should be our posture.

For us to be people who do not just serve from a heart of bitterness and reluctance, but give ourselves gladly.

Serving is not just an area of the Christian life.

And I think that's probably one of our issues.

Sometimes we think, I give myself to service.

But what are the words of Jesus Himself?

I, the Son of Man, came not to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom.

Who are we following?

It is rather the posture we hold as those who follow him.

As those who claim Christ, that our lives should be lived for him, serving others, serving him with glad and joyful hearts.

Now I'm not saying, I am not saying you do not need to rest.

Just give, give, give, give.

I'm not saying that.

It is right at times to say no, that you can't do everything.

You are not superhuman.

But what I am saying, what I'm saying that we are being drawn toward here is a life of service, is the posture that we would have.

It is not about fulfilling a role.

That wherever we are, we should be thinking, we should be praying.

Lord, help me.

Help me in this to be someone who serves you and serves others.

Help me to speak words of life and truth, to be someone who is life-giving to those around me.

This should be how we live.

We do not need to be seen.

We do not need to be recognized by others.

But we do it in view of our Savior, in view of God, longing that our lives would be pleasing in his sight.

And what I want to impress upon you is that, brother, sister in Christ, we are here in order that we serve Christ.

This is what we are called to.

We in fact miss out.

You miss out when we do not embrace this call.

That actually this is something that we should be drawn towards, that actually each of us has been gifted by God for the building up of the church.

And we can all admit it would be a nightmare if city church or redeemer was filled with Duncan's.

Can I get an amen?

Yeah, yeah, I knew you'd be enthusiastic on that one.

We need one another.

I need you, you need me.

That it is a gift that we bring our gifts together to serve, care, love, build one another up toward Christ Himself.

We are not all the same.

We need to press into this.

I'm so glad for so many of you who serve so diligently here at City Church.

What a joy, what a privilege.

But if this is your church, if this is your spiritual family and you are not serving, then step in.

It's not about you fulfilling a role.

It's actually you embracing Christ.

It's you actually enjoying the joy of being able to serve.

Because it is more blessed to give than to receive.

The wonder of this is what we gain through it.

Because God has wired us for this, equipped us to live such lives.

We can so think service is something negative, but actually, when we look to Christ, we see that it is glorious and beautiful.

As Paul looks to the future in sending Timothy, he now focuses on the present, articulating a Christ-like humility that cares deeply.

You could feel a bit bad if you're honest for Ephroditus.

Paul has just been saying all these lovely things about Timothy, and oh yeah, here's Ephroditis.

But we need to see that Paul makes clear his affection for him.

Notice how he gives him five different titles in verse 25.

Ephroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need.

Five different titles speaking of the kind of man he is.

A man who's clearly known by this church, who seemingly was sent by them to support Paul.

And Paul has a high view of him, just as he does Timothy.

And his desire here is for him and the church to be reunited.

But notice how the relationship is being displayed here.

Look at verse 26.

He has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill.

Indeed, he was ill, near to death.

But God had mercy on him, and not only on him, but also on me, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again.

The picture that is being portrayed here, the situation is this idea of weeping and rejoicing, that they have seen this brother, their brother in Christ, this illness, and have had such deep concern for him, worried that he would die like Paul thought he might.

And now Paul is longing for them to be able to rejoice again together, to have that sweetness, to embrace their brother once more.

Recently, I took a trip to the US and I was visiting partners over there.

And on my final leg of the trip, I was collected from Austin, Texas, the airport there, and my friend collected me, and it was around 10 at night, and we were driving from Austin to where we were staying.

It's about an hour 40 away from the airport.

And as we were traveling along, we were about 10 minutes away, we were on this kind of two-lane stretch of road.

It was dark out, pitch black.

And as we were going, I noticed on the right a tan-colored calf.

And to be honest, I only noticed it because it was tan color.

And then I realized, oh, there's an actual full-on cow behind this cow, a black cow.

And then I realized there's more, there's more cows.

And I said, there's cows on the road.

And as I came in front, I saw a cow right there.

And I knew we were traveling around 65 miles an hour.

I was like, we're hitting this.

We hit it.

And thankfully, other than soreness, we were all okay.

But it was an intense experience.

Now, in that moment, in that split second, I had two thoughts that just popped into my head.

One was, this is it.

I'm about to die.

What a way to go out.

Cow.

But the other thought I had was about my family.

Was about Becky, Ezra, and Aaron.

Just in that split second, I thought about them.

And the point is, the reason I thought about them was because of my love for them.

My care, my concern for them.

That it is natural that I would feel that way.

And after that moment, after that incident, I was just so eager to get back to them.

You can just imagine the moment of actually being able to embrace them once again, to hold them.

I was so eager for that because I cared deeply for them.

And this is the picture that is being betrayed here.

It's a longing for the other.

It is a concern for the other that is displaying a Christ-like humility.

That is not us-centered, it's other person-centered.

We do not look to ourselves.

We long for the good of others.

We long for their joy.

We desire to be with them.

And this is what we are seeing that we should be people who are so intertwined that we would weep when others are weeping.

Because we too feel it.

We too experience it.

Empathizing in their struggle, in their suffering.

Is this not what we are seeing taking place here?

So deep a care.

We do not do this perfectly.

Far from it.

But we need to see that this isn't just for certain people, it's not just for the leaders.

It is for all of us who call this our home.

That we would exhibit this sort of care, this sort of love.

That we might be this sort of community, sensitive to one another's struggle.

That requires us to be open.

It requires us to be vulnerable with one another, willing to entrust ourselves to others.

That is what it looks like to have a culture that is saturated by the gospel.

That anyone would know that there is no shame here.

You can admit your brokenness, your need, your suffering, your pain.

And you would be met by care and compassion.

People walking alongside one another.

This life is too painful, too difficult to go through on your own.

Family can be helpful, of course, they can be a blessing.

Other friends can be a blessing.

But Christ has given us each other, called us to be internally united to Him, eternally united toward one another, living this sort of life.

This is though impossible if we are unprepared to embrace humility.

It is only when we embrace Christ-like humility that care can be felt like this, shown and displayed.

Christ-like humility that is not overcome when we are rejected by others, but presses on, ready again once more to show care, even when we have felt the pain of rejection.

Consider Christ upon the cross, beaten, mocked, being verbally abused by those he has created, those he sustained in that moment.

And what words does he cry?

Father, forgive them.

How we need to see that.

Knowing this is the very way he treats us.

This is how he has treated me.

The amount of times in my life I have not lived for him.

The amount of times I have lived as if I do not know him.

And yet he is faithful.

He is gracious toward me.

Toward you.

And as we accept it, this is how we are called to now live.

Weeping with those who weep, but but there is joy here as well.

Because what Paul is wanting is for them to rejoice with those who rejoice.

That they once again would receive their brother back and rejoice that he did not die.

That God had mercy on him.

Because to be joyful for people's joy is to see and not be envious or bitter.

To love when good things happen to others.

Not be like, oh, why didn't it happen to me?

We need to see this is what should mark us.

That we joy we we come alongside those who are rejoicing and delight in rejoicing with them.

Delighting to see God at work in and through them, to see the blessings that they have received.

None of us could say we do not want these sort of relationships.

These are the relationships we have been designed and created for.

Not superficial, not fake, not on the surface, but with depth.

Relationships that are only formed because of him.

What is evident throughout this text, even throughout this letter, I would say, is that our unity to Christ transforms our unity to one another.

And for our relationships to grow and flourish, for our relationships to display and glorify Christ, we need to be people who show Christ-like humility.

Without it, you will not live to what you've been called.

You can't.

You cannot do this on your own strength.

But when we embrace Christ, embrace and rejoice in his humility, our lives are filled with joy.

Not looking inward but looking outward.

Free from striving, free from working, able to love those around us freely.

Living and behaving as those who have great purpose.

Living and behaving as those who know the deep, soul satisfying work of Christ Jesus ourselves.

Do not resist.

This command, brother and sister.

Appreciate this is what your life should orientate around.

This is what we should be.

So let us be living lives of Christ-like humility that displays consistently, serves gladly, and cares deeply.

Thank you for listening to this week's sermon.

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