Community that Honors Christ (Philippians 2:14-18)
Use this guide to help your group discussion as you meet this week.
Transcript
Good morning my name is Chad I'm one of the pastors here grab your Bibles and go to Philippians chapter 2 if you don't have a Bible with you you can grab one of the ones that's in the seat in front of you in the little tray if you don't own a Bible take that one home with you that's our gift to you we want you to own a Bible we are working our way through the book of Philippians and we're going to.
Look at Philippians 2 uh verses 14-8 today we took a few weeks off to uh for uh inst installing Isaac and then walking through Easter and celebrating Easter together but we're back in Philippians now we're going to finish out the book over the next several uh weeks and and a couple months and uh Paul is in prison and he's writing this letter to the Church in Philippi and the Church in Philippi had sent apodus to him because they found out he was in prison.
And while in prison he was responsible for his own needs and so you you were kind of dependent on people to help care for for you um because the Romans weren't going to and so they sent basically a care package to him so that he could survive and so he's writing this letter back in thanks to them to a Church that he helped get started um and you can read about that in the book of Acts and so that's what the where the we are in the letter and he's um going to give some helpful instruction.
Today but he's going to give what I would say is a good command for a great reason and so as we read it I hope that we follow and obey the commands because we ought to but I also hope that we in our time together this morning catch the reasoning that we understand why Paul says what he says not just what he says but why he says it why the command matters so that we might live our lives in line with that why.
If you and I were going to go on a trip together you were driving and we were going to Charleston and I got in your car as we start working our way to get out of the city of Columbia I said ooh hop on 77 it's so much nicer than 26 you might be inclin to say something like well while 77 might be nicer it will not get us to Charleston so unless you want to go to Charlotte or Casey we should not get on and Paul has a reason a destination a direction in mind that sets all of the little choices that are going to get him there.
And so I want us to see his good command but I want us to catch the great destination the great reason for it so let's read this whole passage together and then we'll walk through it slowly uh Philippians 2 starting in verse 14 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 word of life.
So that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I 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 rejoice with you all likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me so the first thing he says is the command do all things without grumbling or disputing immediately we're like wait when can we Grumble and he says do all things without it.
So never don't Grumble is another way to put this now I think that this applies to us individually that it's a blanket command that just says don't don't do it but I also think and we're going to see later as we work through the text that it implies to our life together that it applies to the Church collectively how we interact with one another as a Church but let's take a moment to just consider grumbling and considering it at the individual level there are some things that you will not Grumble about there are some things that you appreciate that are nice that you you enjoy you're not going to Grumble about it you're not going.
To complain if your boss says hey we're cutting out early today go home and take a nap I don't think you Grumble on the way home if you find a $20 bill on the street you don't mutter to yourself about people littering you don't there are certain things that fit inside of our preferences and things that we like and enjoy that we're not prone to Grumble about that things we Grumble about are the things that are outside of our preferences the things that Annoy Us that inconvenience us there are things that we will Grumble about and I I think one of the categories of things that we'll Grumble about is uh the weight of existence.
There are some things that you do that we have to do just to exist and it's possible for us to just be annoyed with them clipping your fingernails and getting a haircut and mowing your grass and doing your dishes these are things that just go along with existing that you might find yourself greatly annoyed by can't believe I have to wash dishes you just ate a meal that was nice we're not thankful for that we're just bothered by why would I be doing this laundry there are some things that you could potentially get in the habit of just groaning about complaining about mumbling to yourself about that just fit into the category of things you.
Do like you have a job and you're annoyed by it I got to get up and get over there oh my goodness when I get there they expect me to do the job when I open my email there better not be any email in there like we're just complaining about things that it takes to exist and to live now you might be going I don't complain about my laundry I complain about everyone else's laundry I don't complain about my dishes it's everyone else's dishes and that's the weight of existence in relationships.
So there's a weight of existence that you have but there's a weight of existing in relationships and you can easily Grumble about the people around you because the people around you can be very annoying you might have some co-workers that you consider very Grumble worthy they're frustrating sometimes you go home and you think they might be doing it on purpose this isn't just the thing they do naturally there this is turned into maliciousness but we Grumble about the things that are going on around us we Grumble about the things we have to do we Grumble.
Because we're inconvenienced in some ways grumbling is the exact opposite of what Paul just said and what Raz just read that we prayed about it says count others as more significant than yourselves one of the reasons that I Grumble is because I'm very significant and the people around me fail to see it I shouldn't have to stay late and clean other people should have to do that I shouldn't have to do these dishes other people should have to do that I shouldn't have like there's this this General sense of oh my goodness.
When I go to work these why am I having to deal with the fact that this person hasn't done what they're supposed to and we grumble but he says don't that's the command do all things without it you shouldn't Grumble at work you shouldn't Grumble at home you shouldn't when you're having to get up and go accomplish a thing mutter to yourself about it I've told my sons before to do something and watch them get up and go I say h no sir you go do the thing and I don't need to hear the muty little noises.
First of all it's not going to make you enjoy the thing that you have to do you have to do it so you might as well do it with a good attitude second of all I'm not going to listen to it and that's what Paul is saying to us H we don't need the muty little noises don't do it my sons were watching a uh a little science program for kids and they were doing tests on how to help you deal with pain um and there were two things they said that can help you.
When you're dealing with pain that'll help you deal with it one of them is smiling so if you're going through pain if you smile it'll help you bear with the pain the other one is cussing they did clarify that it doesn't actually have to be cussing you can just go and that helps as well one of the reasons we Grumble is that it feels good it feels like it's accomplishing something you feel like you're doing something y'all we we Grumble with each other some of your best friends are just the people that you most enjoy grumbling with you know what drives me crazy oh hit me with it tell me about it you want to.
Know what's frustrating oh I'm hot I'm aggravated when can we get together oh I'll clear my schedule because it feels like we're doing something it feels like it accomplishes something but it's not actually helping anything it's souring our souls and it spreads you ever had an enjoyable experience until you had a friend who told you why you shouldn't have enjoyed the things you ever had a movie you really enjoyed and then you talked to someone and they said no here are six things wrong with that movie and you can never enjoy it again grumbling spreads people can talk you into not enjoying a restaurant not enjoy enjoying a place that you would visit it's not.
Good for us so Paul says don't don't Grumble and don't dispute and that one's going to play into more of our life together but it's like a little bit like Paul talking to a toddler um whenever you talk with a toddler you you often start with what and then you answer why 17 times in a row why did we just stop because there's a red light that's that's a what there's a red light that's a thing here red light stop why do you stop at red lights.
Because when I was 15 they made me read a book and it told me to stop at those and if I don't these people have green and they're going to run into me why we got a government um and they set that up that way why probably Commerce and safety like you just you keep doing that and so he said what do all things without grumbling or disputing but now he's going to hit us with why why he's going to hit us with two yse why why here's the.
First why 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 okay so blameless and innocence there is practical you not sin so grumbling and disputing and this being a fostered pattern for us is sinful so that we would not sin then it says then he says children of God that's not dependent that's accomplished by Jesus that's not something that we're practically working out the truth is.
Because of Jesus we're made blameless and innocent Justified before Christ through his work but then we need to live that out we need to practice it but we're children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation his first why is because the whole world grumbles and disputes but you're children of God one of the best ways for you to display that you belong to Jesus is have a good attitude roll with inconvenience be unfl flappable in the face of frustration be the one person on your crew that.
When everything falls apart goes hey we got this all right smile that was your other option you know when you're dealing with pain one was smile and one was shout smile be the people who who can do that now you've been around people who can do that you've worked with people who can do that and it's a joy it's a delight and what he's saying is the Church should do that we should be people who aren't grumbly complainy frustrated people we should be joyfill hope-filled people and this is why I think that it's not just you individually.
But it's us collectively he's writing to this Church and he's saying y'all don't complain and argue about everything put on display shine as lights in the middle of a of a generation that this will be startling to because everybody grumbles and complains and disputes about everything don't that our conversations shouldn't center around complaining we should work out of this that we should not Foster it but we should correct each other I think there's probably been times in your community group when it was a care night and what you effectively did was not repent not grow not correct.
But Grumble just kind of complained about the things in our lives and we actually need to start saying okay hold on a second I understand your boss may be frustrating but what's going on in your heart and how are you acting and how do you handle that and how do you respond to that and how do you shine in the middle of that now if I'm in the middle of grumbling and you go pause let's look at your sin I'm going to be annoyed with you.
But I'm going to be greatly helped by you and the Jesus loving part of me is going to go no that's good thank you and we're going to be able to grow together but he says this you shine as light so I want you to see that by not grumbling you put something on display and then the question becomes what well verse 16 says holding fast to the word of life so when we shine it's not to show off us when your coworker says how you have such a good attitude don't go thanks I'm great glad you noticed I get to hang out with me all the time and I'm awesome that's not the point.
The point is I I'm holding on to something that gives life I'm holding on to something that empowers Joy I'm holding on to something that can't be taken away from me because it's been accomplished by Jesus there's a Word of Life where Jesus Christ came to save Sinners where Jesus Christ came to redeem and to rescue the lost where Jesus Christ came to fulfill righteousness on our behalf that's what we hold on to so what is inconvenience what is difficulty what how would these things even come close to touching us.
If we're holding fast to the Gospel and the life that's found in Jesus the truth is we've been told that we're servants and slaves you can't inconvenience a servant that's what we're here for we're meant to be serving and loving and and caring for those around us as we hold on to the Gospel and what that means as a Church y y'all understand when we all get together there's no possible way that all of us get our preferences there are things here that you do not prefer.
Okay that's how it works there's things here I don't prefer yeah that's fine they're not the main thing we're supposed to not Grumble not dispute not argue and hold fast to the word of life there are things that we should fight over and it's are we holding to this are we clinging to this Gospel are we making much of Jesus are we believing this and then there's a whole lot of stuff that we're just supposed to go not the main thing not the thing we're holding on to not the thing we're fighting.
For doesn't matter my mom grew up in the Church I asked her you ever been a part of a Church while y'all fought over something kind of stupid she said oh yeah there was a big fight over the color of the carpet big was big deal I think she said it was a huge deal now there is a huge deal for the Church and it's that we hold fast to the Word of Life the carpet it's not a huge deal that's the stuff we walk on it doesn't does doesn't matter.
Look up if you don't like the color that's not a big deal we're the Church isn't collectively going around and telling you what color carpet you can have in your house have whatever color you want when we get together we just need something under our feet it's not a big deal if you went to a Church and it was their third called business meeting to talk about the color of the carpet what they have articulated to the world is this matters oh it matters and you're like oh my goodness is that in Deuteronomy like where I need to re reading my Bible I didn't understand carpet was such a big where is this at it's.
Not in there we're holding fast to the word of life that is what matters that we're proclaiming the Gospel that we're declaring that Jesus is King that there's hope in him and him alone that's what matters and all the rest of this stuff you're like I I don't know I'd have painted it a different color okay I like this song rather than that song okay are they making much of Jesus is the theology wrong let's talk about that otherwise let's look like a group of people who.
So love Jesus and so love each other and keep the main thing the main thing y'all uh mil City Church got started in 2013 a hundred years before that First Baptist Church of Casey got started and in 2019 we started talking about what would it look like for m city Church and First Baptist Church at casy to become one Church the question was does that help us hold fast to the Word of Life does that help us proclaim the Gospel and I was.
So humbled and delighted and impressed to see the people who had been in First Baptist Church of Casey for decades lay down so many preferences to see Christ proclaimed I remember Mr Tru at one point said he was a part of a Church he was traveling back and forth between Columbia and somewhere on the coast it was near Charleston and there was a Church that he would be a part of here and a Church that he would be a part of there and he said one time.
When he went back to Charleston he went to that Church on Sunday and he walked up and he said there was chains around the door and there was a padlock on it he said the Church had gotten into arguing about some stuff and couldn't sort it out and they just locked it up and he looked at us and he said there's not nobody's putting a padlock on these doors he said ' this place is going to keep proclaiming the Gospel that's saying hey the main thing is the main thing are we making much of.
Jesus do we believe that he's better than everything else are we calling Our Lives to be in obedience to his glorious goodness and let's we don't have anything to Grumble about we don't have anything to dispute over let's fight for what matters that's the first why he says do all things without grumbling or disputing so that or that you may and he says be blameless and innocent children of God in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation shining as lights holding fast to the word of truth that's the.
First why here's his second why so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain I really love his second reason you would think that if it said so that in the day of Christ the next thing he would say is something about the Philippians Church the Philippian Church he would say something like so that in the day of Christ y'all May something be found to have whatever what he says is.
So that in the day of Christ I won't have wasted my time with y'all I won't have spent this time to to start this Church in Philippians to try to get y'all going and then I leave I get arrested and y'all argue with each other and cease to be a thing I don't want that to happen I I appreciate his honesty I also think his reasoning is really good this is this is where I said he gives a good command with a great reason here's Paul's great reason here's how Paul lives his life Paul does whatever he's doing this day looking towards that day.
If you read Philippians if you went home this afternoon and read through it he's going to do this three four times he's going to say the day of Christ the day of Christ on the day of Christ he's going to hold this up if you read his letters he holds this up all the time he has in view all the time the destination he's not going to let him get on I77 because it doesn't take you to Charleston he's he's got in his mind the day of Christ.
And so he is saying he's not saying the opposite of what he just said which is that Jesus was humble so we ought to be humble and then he's somehow acting like he's going to be really prideful before the Lord on the day of Christ that's not what he's talking about at all he doesn't mean self exalting pride what he's talking about is so that I might Delight in and be proud of you as you have done what we set out to do it's like a dad with children that kind of Pride that's rebounded it's reflected in the Philippians Church doing what the Philippians Church is supposed to do that's what he's talking about.
But he has in his mind that day the day of Christ is when Jesus reclaims his Church and judges the world and that day is coming it's closer today than it was yesterday and Paul Paul lives his life with that in mind and we know that because of what he says next you can see it so clearly he says even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith I am glad and rejoice with you all likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.
Okay so he's saying even that being poured out as a drink offering is even if my imprisonment ends in death even if what happens to me now is all I do is help show off y'all's Faith because they just sent aphodius to him he says if all I end up doing is y'all put your faith on the offering your sacrificial offering of your faith is mine's just a drink offering that gets poured on top of that that just makes the the flame blaze up.
For a moment and helps highlight your faith and if that's all that happens if I get poured out I will rejoice I will have joy and Delight in the Lord and then he says I want you to as well the day you hear Paul's been beheaded in Rome I want you to call the Church together and I want you to to Praise Jesus that's what he's saying why because Paul lives this day in light of that day and on that day all the inconveniences and sufferings and difficulties that are.
For Christ matter you know we have the saying live this day like it's your last live each day like it's your last if you're not a Christian what that's got to mean is live this day for this day but if you're a Christian what that means is that day is tomorrow wait that day is tomorrow this day is the last this day I get to do stuff for that day I got some neighbors I need to tell about Jesus I got some people I maybe need to repent to or forgive I got some This Day stuff that I've got to do in light of that day most of the things that will happen this day.
That I will not Grumble about will matter 0% on that day I got to eat the last donut nobody asked me to serve them or help them I kept all of my money or spent it on things that I like I watch three episodes of The Office neat I won complain about any of those but they won't matter on that day and if I live this day for this day I don't have anything on that day but the things that I might complain about the things that we might Grumble about a lot of those are glorious inconveniences.
For our Church family for our neighbors for the glory of Christ and the proclamation of the Gospel that matter on that day it flips it 150 of you serve in Kid City it's not really true but it feels like it there's a lot of people that serve in Kid City it actually should be true if you don't serve in Kid City you we got get that number up to 150 kid city where they're about 60 children 50 to 60 children many of whom don't know.
Jesus are around people who do but don't yet believe it's an opportunity in our Church to serve it's also a place where you might be tempted to Grumble my wife she serves in Kid City and she watches babies and she she always tells them the rules when they starts she says all right no fighting no fussing no crying no pooping and being babies they don't follow the rules super well I don't think they fight I think that's just in there just in case you know.
But otherwise they fuss and cry and poop she did a couple weeks ago come home and said the babies followed all the rules but there are things that we might would be oh my goodness I got to do this again oh I've got to I got to face this I got to handle this oh I host my group and then I got to clean up afterwards and I got to deal with all this stuff or there may be someone in your group that the only way they can be around is you got to go pick them up and it's possible.
For you to on the way be like oh here we go got I just don't even know if this is going to be sustainable I don't know if this is going to be able to last there might be some people who they they're struggling with their own thoughts their own emotions and one of the best ways to get out of that is to talk to somebody who can help sort out what's real and what's not real what's true and what's not true and can help point you to.
Jesus but that means you're going to have to have a conversation with a really muddled frustrated sad person and it's going to make you a little more muddled and frustrated and sad and you may not want to answer that phone call you might have someone in your group who says I just need to be around somebody today but this was the day you weren't going to be inconvenienced to never have to leave your couch there are things that you might Grumble about this day oh that are glorious on that day the stuff that I actually want to be like I did a whole bunch of this the stuff that I actually want to have labored.
For there's things I'm going to spend my money on that will rot and waste away and there are things that I'm going to spend my money on and give my money away to that are going to last into eternity and they're going to shine in a glorious light to make much of Jesus on that day and Paul just says don't live this day for this day live this day for that day remember what matters remember what's important Matthew chap 10 Jesus says this he's talking to his disciples about them being received and served and what it looks like to serve and love the Church and he says whoever gives one of these little ones even.
A cup of cold water because he is a disciple truly I say to you he will by no means lose his reward well if a cup of cold water counts and changing diapers counts and cleaning up after your community group counts and answering phone calls late at night counts and serving and loving and laboring for those who don't know Jesus counts and it matters that we do things on this day for that day because Jesus is gloriously good and there is a day.
When we all get to rejoice in the things that we would not otherwise have Earthly rejoiced in Paul says if they do the absolute worst to me and kill me let's Praise Jesus but the only way to do that is to understand how good it is then and to have that in mind all the time if I got in your car to go to Charleston and I said I wanted to get on 77 you would tell me can't do that it's.
So Church family as we in our hearts want to live for this day I want you to get real used to telling yourself I can't do that because that's not where I'm trying to go and as we live together collectively I want us to get real used used to saying hey no we can't do that because that's not where we're trying to go we we want to be ready for that day y'all Paul wanted so many Philippians to be there on that day way more than he was writing the letter to and we want.
So many people in Colombia in casy so many people that go to USC y we want Gamecock fans all over the place in heaven we want people who live in hermo and chapen and Gaston and pan and Hopkins we want them all over the place in heaven we want people at your job and on your street to be able to stand in the glory of Christ and praise His name that he saves Sinners because you did things on this day that mattered.
For that day that's what we want and so as a Church we're not going to Grumble and we're not going to dispute and we're not going to fight about silly things we're going to hold fast to the word of Truth and we're going to tell people that Jesus Jesus is glorious and good and we're going to live this day for that day by his grace and his empowerment through his Spirit let's do that let's pray Lord may we by your spirit keep in mind that one day all the suffering is gone all the sin is gone and you our glorious King rescue your Church and may we keep in mind that on that day there.
Is no repentance there is no more at that point turning and trusting in you that everybody is either forgiven of their sins or trapped in their sins so may we live this day in light of that day and may we tell people about you Lord may we serve and love one another knowing that inconvenience and anything that declares to us that we aren't that important is good as it brings glory to your name may we be repentant over our grumbling repentant over our disputing may we joyously and graciously hold firm to the Gospel.
For ourselves and for each other that we might make much of you in Jesus name amen