United We Stand

1:54But of course, I don't have to tell you that we are not a very united country right now. That there is a lot of division in our nation. It doesn't feel like the United States of America. It feels like we're much more divided. We're struggling to find common ground in a lot of different areas. Politically, there's division. With racial tensions, there's division. Even with this virus, there's division. And it seems that division is the main thing that marks our nation at this moment in our history.

2:29And so it seems like to many observers that the second portion of that motto, united we stand, but divided we fall, it seems like we're perilously close to accomplishing the second portion of that motto of our nation literally falling apart because of our divisions. And unfortunately, in the church, there's a lot of division along the very same lines. And it makes me sad to see it. But unfortunately, the church is not doing, I believe, what we can do during this season of our nation's history, and that is to shine a light upon a different type of unity, a much greater unity that has a firm foundation, a unity rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ, a unity that cannot be broken.

3:25We have an opportunity, church, to do that, but I'm afraid that many of us in the church at this time are failing to shine the light on the gospel where true unity can be found. Now, in today's text, it was just read, Philippians 2:1 through 11, the underlying focus of this text is Christian unity. Unlike many of the churches that the Apostle Paul wrote to, the church in Philippi didn't have any huge doctrinal issues. There weren't any serious ethical concerns like there wasn't in Corinth. But there was this one thing that seems to be a problem. There was a disunity that was creeping into the body there in Philippi. We see unity alluded to already earlier in the text, in chapter 1.

4:16But then in chapter 4, verses 2 through 3, you see Paul specifically call out a couple of women in the church. And he calls for them to work together, to come together. And he actually asks the leaders of the church to intervene and to help. These two women settle their differences for the sake of the gospel. And so, unity is a huge theme in this book. So, I believe the book of Philippians, especially the chapter we're going to be in today and for the next couple of weeks, provides us a template for Christian unity.

4:52So, look with me now at verse 1 in our text, and you'll notice the very first word is the word so, or maybe in your translation it says therefore. And like I said, this is a church that takes the Bible seriously. So, every word that is in the Word of God is important, and it's inspired, and it's infallible, and it's inerrant. And so, this very first word here, so, is important because it points us back to something. So, in light of, therefore, because of what's come before, he's now going to tell us something.

5:23So, what is it that Paul is pointing back to? Well, he's pointing back to the argument that he already began to make in chapter 1, verse 27. And in chapter 1, verse 27, we are called to live lives in a manner worthy of the gospel. And if you'll remember from last week's sermon, Pastor Allen gave you three characteristics of a life worthy of the gospel. They were number one, unity, number two, mission, and number three, courage. And if you'll recall, those characteristics are not independent of each other, but they're interdependent.

6:00The unity equips us for the mission, and the mission empowers our courage. And so, he gave you an illustration last week of a Greek phalanx, which was a military formation where they would bring their shields together and they make this formation kind of like a box. It looked like a turtle. And they had their spears sticking out of this turtle. And it was a formidable formation, and it caused, it would create fear in those who would see it.

6:29But they were united together, and that equipped them for their mission, what they were to be doing, and it gave them courage to press on. And so, playing off that or continuing off of what he had taught there in chapter 1, verse 27, we move in now into him talking further about this Christian unity. And so, I want us to look real quickly at the structure here. As I've said, so points back to verse 27 of chapter 1, and you would expect him now to enter into his exhortation. So, here's what you need to do. But he doesn't do that immediately. Matter of fact, the exhortation doesn't come until verse 2. Now, look there at verse 2. Skip over verse 1 real quick, and you'll see, verse 2, it says, Complete my joy.

7:14So, that's the exhortation. So, so do what? So, complete my joy. How? By being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord, and of one mind. Now, before verse 2, we have some if clauses. Okay, so if this, this, and this, okay, then complete my joy by being of the same mind, so on and so on. Now, we'll come back to those if clauses in a second, those if clauses that are found in verse 1, because in those clauses we see the first key to Christian unity. But before we get there, let's look at verse 2 here and consider what Christian unity is. What is it? What is Christian unity? And we have four statements here. It says, being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord, and of one mind.

8:07Now, let me just say, real quick here, he says that if we have these things, it completes his joy. Now, you know, the title of this whole series is Unwavering Joy in Uncertain Times. So this is a continuation of the theme that permeates this whole book, this theme of joy. But what is it that gives Paul joy? It gives him joy if the church practices these things, these four things here: same mind, same love, full accord, and one mind. And immediately, if you're paying close attention to the text, you'll see the first one, same mind, is very similar to the last one, one mind. Those are basically synonyms.

8:45And so, what he's doing here, he is giving us sort of brackets for this verse here. Same mind, one mind, and the two things in the middle, same love and full accord, tell us how we have that same mind. Mind. Okay, how do we have this one-mindedness? We have this one-mindedness by practicing the same love and being in full accord. So let's look here at this one-mindedness, this Christian unity, same mind, one mind. What is that? Well, I'll tell you what it isn't first. It doesn't mean that we are clones, that we are just thoughtlessly identical in our opinions and our preferences.

9:27It doesn't mean we lack uniqueness or we lack self-expression. That's actually the way our culture is pursuing unity right now. You may or may not realize it, but despite the calls in our culture to be inclusive and for tolerance, we're actually living in a culture of what's being called the cancel culture. We are living in a day and age when the cultural influencers find unity not in diversity, but in conformity of thought. And if you don't conform to the thought of the cultural influencers, you're canceled. You see, that's the way they're pursuing unity. It should actually cause you to get rid of your thinking and to come in line with everybody else. That's not what Paul means when he says one-mindedness. That's not what he means when he tells us to have the same mind. The one-mindedness that marks Christian unity does not cancel out one's individuality, but rather it's a harmonious mindset, an attitude, a demeanor.

10:30I define it this way. Christian unity is a shared way of thinking that is the result of us being knit together in love through the gospel of Jesus Christ. So let me say that again. Christian unity is a shared way of thinking that is a result of us being knit together in love through the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we see that knit together in love in those middle two clauses where he says we are to have a shared love and we are to be of full accord. That helps us to see what this one-mindedness is. So this shared love is the love, the mutual experience of Christ's love being poured out for us and being poured into us and then flowing out of us. That's the mutual experience that we should all be having of love. It's Christ's love poured out for us and poured into us and then out through us toward one another. That should be happening to every single person who belongs to the body of Christ. You experience that love and it flows out of you. You're a conduit of Christ's love. I remember when I was a kid in a children's sermon, and I used to be a children's pastor as well, so I love using illustrations because I think Jesus preached that way. He used illustrations, and I'll never forget someone preaching on this very passage, talking about that same love. And he had two items in front of me. He had a bowl and he had a pipe. And he says, what this passage is calling us to be is a pipe. He says, A bowl collects water and it just sits there and it gets stagnant. If that's the way you view your Christian life, that you're just a recipient of God's love, then you're going to get stagnant. You're not going to be useful. But instead, we should be like that pipe. It's the love of Christ flowing in us and then out of us towards others. So that's this same love that the church is experiencing. And then he says, being in full accord. This literally means to have our souls joined together. So we are united together as we are united to Christ. That's the picture here. Our souls being united together. So the church operates as one body, united together, but with many unique parts. And that's so beautifully taught in Romans 12 and in 1 Corinthians 12, where we are this one body joined together, but with a variety of different gifts and the ways we express ourselves in the body of Christ. And so Colossians 2:2 puts it this way, that we are being knit together in love. I think that's really what these two clauses mean, is that we are being knit together in love. Now, I used to play when I was in high school, I used to play in an orchestra. I played the trumpet. I wasn't really good, but I could read music and I could make a semi-accurate sound. And so I was in this orchestra. Now, an orchestra has to be united and of one mind. But that doesn't mean sameness. Imagine if that whole orchestra was made up of solo. Mediocre trumpet players like myself. It would be an awful sound. Instead, it's made up of different instruments playing different parts, all bound together by a common sheet of music under the direction of a talented conductor to produce a harmonious sound. And that's what the church is. Different parts, different gifts working together with one sheet of music, the gospel message, under the conduction of Christ. for the glory of Christ, making a harmonious sound that shines out to the world as something different, something different than what the world has to offer when it comes to unity. So to restate, unity does not mean uniformity, oneness does not mean sameness, and harmony does not mean homogeneity. But to put it positively, again, Christian unity is a shared way of thinking that results from us being knit together in love through the gospel of Jesus Christ. So now, let me ask the question. Where does that unity come from? How do we pursue that unity? And I have three observations from today's text. And forgive me for playing around with this thing. Usually I have this microphone on, but see, when you have to wear a mask to church, you have to take the mask off and then put the microphone on and everything else. So if I'm distracting you by trying to fix my microphone, I apologize. So again, three observations from the text regarding Christian unity. Number one, Christian unity is equipped by gospel realities. Christian unity is equipped by gospel realities. So, going back to the military image from last week, we are equipped. We have to have equipment to be able to go into the battle. So, we are on this long battle. We are on this long journey together. And what equips our unity? Well, it's gospel reality. So, what do I mean by that? Well, let's go back to verse 1 and look at these if clauses. So, why does Paul put these ifs here? Why couldn't he have just said, so, in light of chapter 1, verse 27, so, complete my joy by being of the same mind, and so on and so on? Why doesn't he just do that? Instead, he says, so, and then he inserts these if clauses. If there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy. And then he goes on to his exhortation. Why does he do that? Because he wants to give us the motivation behind our unity. He wants us to give the motivation behind the exhortation. Paul does this all the time. He does this in all of his letters. Before he gives us imperatives, what we are to do, he gives us indicatives, what's already been done for us. And that's what he's doing here. He grounds his appeal for unity in gospel realities. A life worthy of the gospel must be grounded in the gospel. We are to pursue one-mindedness, but pursue it equipped by what we already have in the gospel. So we have encouragement in Christ. We have comfort from love. We have participation. Patient in the spirit, and we have affection and sympathy. These things are yours in the gospel if you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ. Now, you may say, wait a second, Steve, I hear you saying gospel realities, but the text says if, and that doesn't sound like a reality, that sounds like uncertainty. Well, that's because the Greek doesn't quite come through for us in the English. This if could be translated since, but the conditional if here actually is meant to provoke a self-examination among the Philippian believers, and it's not a statement of doubt as to whether or not what we have in the gospel. So, perhaps I can illustrate it by just using the word if for us and the way we use the word if sometimes. So, if a wife comes to her husband and says, Babe, if you love me, you'll go get me some donuts this morning. All right, she is not by saying if you love me, doubting his love for her. Okay, she's not trying to question whether or not, she's not uncertain about his love for her. Matter of fact, she's actually quite confident in his love for her because she says, If you love me, you'll go get some donuts. And the man, if he's smart, will not say, Well, honey, I do love you, and you've put on a few pounds, so I better not go get you some donuts. All right, he won't say that. He will go get those donuts if he truly loves his wife, right? Yes, men. Okay, don't let that muffle your mouth. I want to hear an amen. You're supposed to get the donuts for your wife.

17:56So, let's look at these four realities found here. Verse 1. Look at the encouragement in Christ. This word encouragement here means coming alongside one another to help and strengthen one another. And that's what's already happened for us in Christ. Okay, Christ has come alongside us through our union with Him, and we'll talk about our union with Christ here in a second. Through our union with Him, He will never leave us, He will never forsake us, He is always by our side, is what the scriptures tell us. It's what we have to reality in the gospel. And so, that reality that Christ will never leave us, that He has He is there encouraging us, that equips us to come alongside one another. That gospel reality equips us to do the same. And then it says, Comfort in love. Now, this is a peaceful consolation that flows from Christ's tender agape love that He has toward us. This love alleviates grief, it alleviates loss, it alleviates our trouble during seasons of trial.

19:02This comfort that we receive from Christ equips us to comfort one another. 2 Corinthians 1:4 says, He comforts us in all our afflictions, so that we may be able to comfort one another. So, I'm glad that it's already been mentioned a couple of times this morning. We're praying for one of the churches in our association, Southern Oaks Baptist Church, who last night lost their church building. It burnt all the way to the ground. We don't know that. Cause of it yet, but all we know is that we have brothers and sisters in Christ that need some comfort right now. And so, we, as their brothers and sisters in Christ, are equipped because of the comfort we've received from Christ now to offer comfort to them. And so, these things, again, equip us toward unity. Next one says participation in the Spirit. Now, this word participation, you probably know it if you know, if you heard this said before, it's the word koinonia, which can also be translated fellowship. That's what's being mentioned here. Fellowship, it's an intimate partnership, a communion. We experience fellowship with God through the Holy Spirit. It's participation in the Spirit. We experience that communion with God through the Spirit, and thereby we are also joined to one another, and we are fellowship with one another. We have that intimate partnership and communion with one another. Again, we're equipped by the gospel reality to then participate with one another. And then, finally, affection and sympathy. This is a couplet here, and these simply refer to our emotional care, the reality that in the gospel we experience this tender mercy and this compassionate care for our souls, and thus we are equipped to show that tender mercy and compassion toward our brothers and sisters in Christ. And so, that's the equipment. If you have believed the gospel, then these things are not possibilities, these things are realities in your heart and in your life. Life. And by appealing to these realities, Paul is saying that we are now equipped for unity. We're equipped for the one-mindedness that he exhorts us to have. So, the first thing I want us to see about Christian unity is simply that we are equipped by gospel realities. But, secondly, Christian unity is evidenced by a humble mentality, by a humble mentality. And now we come to the portion of this passage which really is the key, the key to Christian unity.

21:31This unlocks, in my mind, what one-mindedness is: humility. Look at verses 3 and 4. We have two sets of contrasts where Paul gives us a negative exhortation, followed by a positive exhortation. Look at verse 3: Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit. So, there's the negative, but in humility, count others more significant than yourselves. Now, this word count actually means to think, to use your mind to consider others more significant than yourselves. And so, it involves the mind. That's important. One-mindedness, the way we use our mind is important when it comes to unity. Now, he says here, do nothing out of selfish ambition. Now, this word selfish ambition is interesting, it actually has political connotations to it. It denotes a self-seeking desire to win followers, it creates factions and rivalries. It was actually a political word, of course, in our age of social media.

22:30The politicians aren't the only ones trying to get followers and to be liked. No wonder we live in such a divisive age. I believe social media can be used for the sake of the gospel in glorious ways, but I also mean, think it believes, I also believe it feeds selfish ambition. It feeds selfish ambition. So, this selfish ambition, you may remember back chapter 1 in verses 15 through 17, Paul spoke of some people preaching the gospel from envy and rivalry, and then in verse 17, he exposes their motive. He says that they preach Christ out of selfish ambition. It's the same word. But we can learn something from Paul. We can learn something from him. Despite the fact that these other preachers had selfish ambition, Paul was gracious to them because he was thankful that the gospel was still being preached. And that should teach us something. Because what happens to us when we get into these fights, especially on social media, you see, what happens with social media is you dehumanize the other person. All they are is a video screen. No longer are they an actual person. And what happens, instead of showing the grace that Paul showed, we end up attacking them because they don't quite line up with exactly what we believe. Instead of focusing on the essentials, are they actually preaching the gospel? Do they actually believe the gospel? If so, I don't need to post what I'm about to post.

23:58I need to be thankful the gospel is being preached. Even though it's someone that I don't necessarily agree with. And so we can learn something from Paul's behavior and attitude towards those who had selfish ambition. And then he mentions conceit. This word literally means vain glory or empty glory. That's what selfishness produces. Self-glory that ends up being empty. If you want to draw glory to yourself, if you want to be a glory-grabber instead of a glory-giver, you'll find that your glory that you've accumulated was simply fool's gold. It's empty. It's worthless. It'll be burned up on the day of judgment. We are not to be glory-grabbers, but instead, just as John the Baptist was in John chapter 3, verse 30, if you remember the passage, some of John's disciples were getting kind of upset because Jesus and his disciples were now beginning to attract more people, and Jesus was baptizing more people, and some of John's disciples said, What are we going to do about this? And what did John say? He must increase, but I must decrease.

25:02Now, the antidote to vainglory is to count others more significant than yourselves, to think less of yourself and to think more of others. So, how does that play itself out practically? How is our mentality and our thinking play itself out in our actions? Well, we see that in verse 4. Look at verse 4. Let each of you look not only to his own interest, there's the negative, but, here's the positive, also to the interest of others. Now, with all due respect to the brilliant men. Who translated the ESV and most of the other English translations that we have, there's a slight problem with the way this is translated into English. Verse 4 says in your ESV or whatever translation you're using, it probably says the same thing. Let each of you look not only to his own interest. The fact of the matter is, in the Greek, the word only is not there. It actually says literally, let each of you look not to his own interest. But then he goes on to say in the positive exhortation, but also to the interest of others. So the word also implies that we are to look after our own interests. So the also is there. It implies that we have to take care of ourselves to a degree. We're supposed to take care of our bodies. We're supposed to provide for our families. We are to look after our needs to a degree. But I think by putting the word only into that first half of the verse, I think the translators were trying to balance it out and try to make it make more sense. But I think they actually took away from the weight of Paul's argument. What he's trying to say here, he's not trying to say that, hey, let's do a 50-50 split. You need to look out for your own interest and the interest of others. So make sure you're 50-50. If you're 49-51, you're a little bit off. That's not at all what Paul's saying. What Paul is speaking of is a matter of priorities. Look to the interest of others first.

26:47Go after the interest of others first. It's not that you don't look after your own interests. You have to do that to a certain degree. The issue is an issue of priority. What's your primary motive? Are you going after your interest before? For others, or are you going after theirs first? And that's what he's calling for us to do: to look after the interests of others. You understand that when we go after our interests first, it destroys unity. I've seen it as someone who works with churches. I see it all the time. We put our preferences, we put our desires above those of others, and it kills the church. It's the opposite of what Paul calls for us to do. I'm going to put it on screen here. James 4, verses 1 through 3, teach us this very thing. It says, This, what causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this? That your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. Let me pause right there, real quick. I don't think James is speaking of physically, literally murdering each other in the church. I don't think that was the problem. I think James, by the way, lines up very well with the Sermon on the Mount. So I think what James is speaking about is the very thing Jesus spoke about when we have murder in our heart towards our brothers because we hate them.

27:59We are angry toward them. That's what he's talking about. You desire and you do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and you quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly. Why? To spend it on your own passions. A heart of humility puts the needs of others first. 1 Corinthians 13:5 teaches us that love does not insist on its own way.

28:31Christian unity is a mentality of humility that actively seeks to put others first. The great Augustine of Hippo once said this in a letter that he wrote to a friend. If you should ask me what are the ways of God, I would tell you that the first is humility, the second is humility, and the third is humility. So the pursuit of Christian unity, in the pursuit of Christian unity, we need to see that Christian unity is number one, equipped by gospel realities. Number two, it's evidenced by a humble mentality, and number three, it's empowered by a new identity. And now we come to one of the most beautiful and profound passages of Scripture, portions of scripture. And I only have, let me see here, oh, about seven minutes or so to cover it.

29:25This whole passage we're about to get into is more than likely an early Christological hymn. It may have been written originally by Paul, or he's using a hymn that was already being used in the church as this passage describes the incarnation, the divine condescension of the Son of God to take on flesh, to go all the way to the cross, and then to be exalted with a name that's above all names. It's a beautiful, beautiful passage of Scripture. So it begins with this, verse 5. Have this mind. Now there's that word again, the one-mindedness. Same mind. So have this mind among yourselves. Now listen to this very important clause, which is yours in Christ Jesus. Did you catch that? It is yours in Christ Jesus. Friends, our union with Christ actually gives us access to the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16 actually says we have the mind of Christ. So in verses 6 through 11, the humble mindset of Christ is not merely an outward pattern for us to emulate, but an inward truth that should be transforming us.

30:47Let me say that again. These verses, 6 through 11, it's not just something you're supposed to act like. It is that, but it's so much more. This is not just a pattern to follow. The fact of the matter is, what Christ does in verses 6 through 11 is a reality in your own heart because God has united you to his Son. And so therefore, the very work, the very power of God at work in Christ should be at work in us. And so as we look to Christ, we follow his pattern, but we follow his pattern not by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps, but by humbly falling on our knees and saying, Christ, do this in me. Holy Spirit, do this in me.

31:31Work this in me. I want to be this kind of person. So, friends, listen to me. The unity that we are called to is not naturally enabled, but supernaturally enabled. That's why the unity in the church is so much different than the world. Because it's a supernatural unity wrought by the Spirit of God through our union with Christ. We are supernaturally, according to Romans 8:29, being conformed to the image of Christ. And according to Galatians 4:19, Christ is being formed in us. So, my question is: this: Do you know who you are? Do you know your identity?

32:15If you are a believer, then your identity is found in Christ. You are hidden in Him. And by virtue of our union with Christ, we are supernaturally enabled to exercise Christ-like humility. Never perfectly because we're not Christ, but gradually, progressively, more and more as we mature, our humility should look like that of Christ. Is this not what Jesus commands of his disciples? In John chapter 13, you remember that famous passage where Jesus gathers his disciples on that Last Supper night and he has them gather there, and he takes off his outer garments and he puts on the towel like a slave, and he gets out a basin of water. Water and he begins to wash their feet.

33:03And he says this in verse 12, it says this. When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his outer garments and resumed his place. And he said to them, Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I, then, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example that you also should do just as I have done. I actually believe John 13 is a living out, a vivid picture of what we see in Philippians 2, 6 through 11. You see him removing the garments, just as Jesus set aside his divine prerogatives, and he goes all the way down and does a slave's job, puts on the garment of a slave, just as he put on flesh, and he does a slave's job to serve others. Jesus said, I came not to be served, but to serve and to give my life as a ransom for many. So let's walk through these next few verses real quickly and just let the scripture itself just speak to our hearts as we read these words. Look at verse 6. Though he was in the form of God. Now, the word form here means the exact imprint of God, the true nature, possessing all the characteristics and qualities of God. Though he was in the form of God, he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped. What does that mean? Okay. That means in his absolute divinity, in his absolute power, he said that those divine prerogatives that he had were not things to be held on to and exploited for his own benefit and for his own advantage. Instead, it says in verse 7, he emptied himself. Now, this does not mean that he ceased to be God or that he gave up his divine attributes, like Superman losing his power somehow. No, it means that he set aside his divine prerogatives and privileges. He set aside his divine rights to take on flesh. Continuing in verse 7, by taking the form of a servant, and you probably know that word servant is the word doulas, which is the word for slave, and being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form. That is, he took on human nature, he took on our flesh. He's 100% God, 100% man. He had to be made like us in every respect in order to be our merciful high priest and savior. So he set aside divine prerogatives, took the posture of a slave. Why? Continuing in verse 8, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

35:41And so we see. We see what it is that we're called to. He humbled himself. He went all the way down. It was a downward path. Divine son, human, slave, death. You see, the cross was primarily reserved. For revolutionaries and slaves, and Jesus was both. And so, the American dream tells us that, and the American mentality tells us that we are to move from what? Rags to riches. But the Christian mentality says you move from riches to rags because that's what Christ did. 2 Corinthians 8:9. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. And this is the mentality that is ours, it is yours in Christ Jesus to go down, to go down, to go down, to go down in humble obedience, in sacrificial service for your brothers and sisters in Christ. That's the mindset that empowers true unity, is when we're humble and we serve one another. And now I want you to notice something. As Jesus goes down, down, down in humble obedience, the Father brings him up. Look at verse 9. Therefore, in light of this humility, God has highly exalted on him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name.

37:13So, friends, we are not to seek our own exaltation. We are not to be glory grabbers. And as we've seen, selfish ambition and vainglory, it kills unity. Instead, we are to have humble minds. And in doing so, we are to leave everything else in God's hands. We are to serve. We're to go down, down, down, and serve and leave everything else in God's hands. There is a false humility where people serve to get noticed. That is not going to please God. What pleases God is true humility. 1 Corinthians 5:5 says this. Clothe yourself. I mean, 1 Peter 5:5, it should be on your screen. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another. For God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Listen to this. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time He may exalt you. Don't worry about your own exaltation. If you go through this whole life and no one ever notices you, or anyone ever knows about the service you had, and by the way, this is especially hard for preachers. So, if you are a pastor in the ministry here in this building, you're always tempted because of the nature of this role to draw attention to yourself or to wonder, I wonder if they like this sermon. I wonder they're mad that he went so long. You're always tempted to worry about what people think about you. Instead, you just have to be faithful. And if no one ever notices your preaching, if it never gets any likes on YouTube, it doesn't matter. If you're faithful to God and you're serving your brothers and sisters in Christ, then he will exalt you in the proper time in his way, and it probably won't happen on this side of heaven.

38:52Down, down, down is the pattern of Christian service, and it's the fuel for truth. Humility, and it's the fuel for unity in the church. So, to recap, Christian unity, it's a supernatural unity equipped by gospel realities, evidenced by a humble mentality, and empowered by a new identity. And so, as we get ready to respond with the Lord's Supper here in a minute, I'm going to leave two challenges. For those who are here who are believers, let me simply ask you this: Are your eyes fixed on Christ? Who are you looking to right now?

39:32And we're coming up on this crazy political season, and everybody wants your eyes to be fixed on them. Fix your eyes on Christ. He is your example, but he's more than that. Do you know who you are? Do you know that in Christ you have access to supernatural humility? If so, pray that God will give you the grace to serve in the church the way you should. And if you're an unbeliever here this morning, you've never placed your faith in Christ, then I want you to know that you do not have access to this type of humility. But if you'll bow the knee to Christ, if you'll trust in Him, place your faith in Him, you will be united to Him, and He will give you His Spirit, and your life will be changed, and you will have access to this humility that you need in order to have true unity, not only in the church, but in this world. And friends, I urge you to do it now while you can. This passage ends with these words. At the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father. There is a day coming when Christ will return, and every single knee on this planet, everyone who's ever lived before now and after now, will bow the knee to Lord Jesus Christ. It'll be too late at that point. You will bow your knee, but I ask you and urge you now to bow it willfully and joyfully as you commit your life to Christ. So let's pray, and then I'll turn it over for the Lord's Supper.

41:05Father, we come to you right now, and we thank you, Lord, for your grace and your mercy toward us, your encouragement that you give us, the love that you comfort us with. Father, that participation that we have in the Spirit and that sympathy we have from you. Oh, Lord, these things are realities for us because of what Christ has accomplished for us when He went down, down, down to die a slave's death on the cross in our place, a death we deserved. And so, God, we thank you for that. But, Lord, help us to see that that not only saves us and that we are now united to Christ and that we now have access to you, Father, but it also equips us. The gospel doesn't just save us, it equips us to now live out lives that bring you glory. Oh, Lord. You prayed, Jesus, you prayed in John 17 for us to have unity in the church, for us to be one as you and the Father are one, so the world might know who you are. Oh, God, let us take up that mantle and say, Yes, I'm going to serve my brother and sister in Christ through the power of Christ for the glory of Christ. So, God, we thank you and pray now that you be with the remainder of this time. In the precious name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.

42:30Thank you for listening to the sermon audio from New Life Baptist Church in College Station, Texas. For more information or to support our ministry, visit us online at newlifecs.net.