outside of your biological family,
where have you sensed the most family-like bond?
Just the sense of oneness or closeness.
Think about it for a moment.
As I think about it,
and I'm going to believe girls and guys both in here,
you experienced it to a great extent
on some type of sports team.
There are people who are on a team
all the way from little league to high school,
even college.
They don't get to play that much,
but they love the sense of camaraderie.
It's like a family.
Their fellow players or their brothers or their sisters.
Coaches are like fathers to them.
Some of you experienced that in a band.
Some of you at Pickens High School.
Some at maybe a college.
Some of you are fortunate in that the place that you work,
there's maybe your office,
or some department,
or some work group.
And there's just a real closeness,
a family-like bond.
Now, don't answer out loud,
but do you sense that at church?
Have you ever?
Do you here?
Do you in a Sunday school class,
or some other small group that meets on a regular basis,
and you really get to know one another
and share life together as brothers and sisters in Christ?
You know, one of the most well-known ways
the New Testament describes the church
is that we're the family of God.
I mean, God is our Father.
Jesus taught us to pray,
think of God as our Heavenly Father,
we who are Christians.
And throughout the New Testament,
Christians, members of the church,
are referred to as brothers and sisters
over and over again.
And so as we think about church,
we need to understand that from God's perspective,
what the Lord intends,
we're supposed to be like a family.
We love one another.
In spite of our differences,
and sometimes disagreements,
we love one another,
and we work together
in doing what God's called us to do
as Pickens First Baptist Church.
Now, I thank God that we don't have a problem
with bad blood or division
between individuals or groups in this church.
You know, if you were just here for the first time,
you haven't been here many times,
you might think the way he's starting,
and when we look at this particular passage of Scripture,
you might think to yourself,
there's a problem.
He is really dealing with some division in the church.
I'm not aware of anything like that.
We are dealing with this subject matter
because that's where we are in the book of Philippians,
and we're going through the book of Philippians.
So that's one of the good things
about going through a book of the Bible.
You cover all kinds of topics,
things that the Lord knows we need.
So I'm not thinking about,
I don't know about
any kind of rupture in our church family.
Here's the way I'm approaching this,
last week and this week.
Do you feel like you are a part of a
close-knit spiritual family
here in this church?
Now it's hard for that to take place
together here like this,
but in smaller groups is where you really experience it,
where you really feel it.
You know, many churches have difficulty
being a close-knit family.
There's a lot of reasons,
but one, we American Christians,
this is not my, I didn't come up with this idea.
I've read this numerous times, and it's true,
but we as American Christians,
we mainly emphasize the idea of our spiritual lives
having a close personal relationship with Jesus Christ,
with God as our Heavenly Father.
And while we like fellowship with other Christians,
it's sort of the icing on the cake.
It's not a part of the real foundation
of what the church is supposed to be
in the way that we normally think.
If we're right with God, that's the main thing.
And it is the main thing,
but it's not the only thing.
Another thing that makes it hard for a church
to really bond together,
some churches, some areas,
is a lot of us,
we have close, immediate,
or extended family members right here close by,
and we don't really have a need
for a lot of other close relationships.
And you think maybe how busy your life is
with work and other things you've got going on,
your immediate or extended family members,
they're not only meeting your needs,
but they're, you think to yourself,
they're the only ones I have time for.
And so when you think about all this together,
it's not an easy thing for a church family
to really,
it's not easy for us to come together
and really think of one another,
relate to one another
like a real family,
as the New Testament calls us to do.
Now, God calls us
to be serious about this,
to truly love one another like family,
and work together in harmony,
doing things to help us
to accomplish our purpose ministry-wise.
God wants us to do that
as a way of expressing our love to Him,
as a way of obeying Him.
We can think about,
we need to be the kind of spiritual family
that the Bible,
we're going to be reading about,
and it pleases our Heavenly Father.
Let me give you a thought here.
Every parent in this room,
it doesn't matter if their children
are 6, 8, 10,
or if they're 50, 60 years old,
every parent in this room
would say that one of the greatest joys
in my life
is for my children,
to see my children love one another.
Get alone.
Have good relationships.
Now, kids in this room,
people in this room who are children,
teenagers, never been married,
you may not can understand that,
but there is nothing
that pleases your parents more
than to see you get alone,
love one another,
just enjoy being together.
And on the other hand,
one of the most disappointing,
hurtful things in all of life
for a parent
is when their children
despise one another,
always at each other's throats,
or they don't have anything
to do with one another.
It's not enough for parents
to have children
that don't just fight,
but ignore one another.
That's the way it is in the church.
God is not pleased
just when we don't fight.
He wants us to really be a family
and live and enjoy life together
as we can
as a church family.
I want you to turn with me
back to Philippians chapter 2.
We're going to continue looking at
verses 1 through 4,
verses 3 and 4 in particular today,
what we started last week
about developing greater closeness
in this church,
developing real family-like relationships
with one another in this church.
Philippians 2, verse 1.
So, if there is any encouragement in Christ,
any comfort from love,
any participation in the Spirit,
any affection and sympathy,
complete my joy by being of the same mind,
having the same love,
being in full accord and of one mind.
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,
but in humility count others
more significant than yourselves.
Let each of you
look not only to his own interests,
but also to the interests of others.
This is Paul's way of calling
this church he's writing to.
He knows them well.
He has a great relationship with them.
And overall,
it's probably the best church
that we have a letter
from Paul to that church
in the New Testament.
But everything's not perfect.
There are some issues there
that he is trying to address.
And trying to help them understand
how to grow deeper together
as true brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Let's look at what that requires.
Now, like we did last week,
as we go through this passage,
you apply this to your home life
wherever you can.
Every point,
everything we look at
is not going to apply
to your family.
But a lot of it can.
A lot of it will
if you'll think through it that way.
And it may be that
what you really need
to get out of this message
is not so much
being closer to people in this church,
although that may be a need,
but it may be that God's got you here
this morning to help you
see the need for you
to start working on
being a better parent
parent or child
or brother or sister
in your home.
Let's look at it.
Number one,
to experience true Christian unity,
we must build upon
some common Christian experiences.
Paul's writing to this church
and before he starts talking to them
about really, you know,
putting one another first
and be humble before one another,
he's trying to look at this church
and say,
there's a lot of things
you've got in common
that you share together.
And we looked at that
a little bit last week
in verse one.
I want to look at
just one thing right here.
He says,
we've all experienced
encouragement in Christ.
That word encouragement,
sometimes it's translated comfort,
sometimes it's translated help.
The idea is
we've experienced
encouragement, comfort, help
through having a relationship
with Jesus Christ.
For an example,
if you're a Christian,
you know what it's like
to be forgiven of your sins.
Some people in this room may,
you may have before
you became a Christian
or at some point in your life
through what you did sinfully,
you confessed it,
you repented,
you know what it's like
to have a great weight
of guilt removed from you.
But all of us as Christians,
we know,
we have this common understanding,
I am a forgiven child of God.
I'm no longer guilty.
I have to hang my head
and walk around
with my head down anymore.
Another thing we have in common is
we have assurance as Christians
that we are children of God.
We're not like everybody else
in the world.
We're children of God.
Now and will be for all eternity.
Sharing common experiences
of any kind
has a way of drawing people
close together.
That's why people who play sports,
they do things together.
They work hard together.
People who are in the band,
people who, you know,
are together at work
and do some good things together.
It just draws you together.
This is a good reason
why it's good for families
to do all kinds of things together.
Think about it.
Spring is not far
and there's a lot of people
in this room
as spring comes
you're going to be outside more.
There's things you're going to
need to do
and want to do
in your yard,
in a garden.
Get your children involved.
That is something
that you can do together,
work together.
It can build
good relationships.
Your children need to learn to work
so let them work with you
and make it a positive experience.
But don't let it all be work.
Children and parents
need to do some fun things together.
Play together.
Find ways
where
you just
laugh.
You have fun.
You do things
that you all enjoy.
It brings you together,
doesn't it?
Even eating meals together.
I know there can be
some wars at the table
but eating meals together
can be that thing
that sort of brings you together.
I'm not talking about
just parents
with children at home.
I want to encourage you,
you've got brothers and sisters,
you've got parents,
you have adult children,
don't just
all go your separate ways
and lose the bond,
the closeness
that God intends for us to have
until death takes people out.
Do things with your adult children.
Do things with your parents.
Do things with your older brothers,
grown brothers and sisters.
Keep those relationships alive
if you can,
if they'll allow you to.
Now,
all of us who are members
of this church
have many common
spiritual experiences
that can
be used by God
to draw us closer together
as a church family.
think about them sometimes.
Talk about them.
Some of your common
spiritual experiences
with one another
and build
something more than
a shallow,
superficial relationship.
Number two,
to experience true Christian unity,
we must develop
a common Christian mindset.
mindset.
Not uniformity
we talked about last week.
Everybody's not going to think
the same way
about everything,
but what we're talking about
is something specific here.
Look,
he says,
complete my job
of being of the same mind,
having the same love,
being in full accord
and of one mind.
To summarize
what we looked at last week,
the key for a church
to experience
family-like unity
can be found
in two statements.
Number one,
we must love one another
with self-giving love.
If we're going to be
a true family here,
we've got to learn
to love one another
in this self-giving,
patient kind of way
and not go around
with our feelings
on our sleeves,
least little slight,
least little whatever,
and we're offended
and we withdraw.
Look at what
the kind of love
we're talking about involves.
Now,
this also is the kind of love
that we need to have
in our homes,
parents and children,
children and parents,
brothers and sisters.
Wake up,
brothers and sisters.
Look on this screen.
Love is patient
and kind.
Love does not envy
or boast.
It is not arrogant
or rude.
It does not insist
on its own way.
It is not irritable
or resentful.
It does not rejoice
at wrongdoing,
but rejoices
with the truth.
Love bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things,
endures all things.
Love never ends.
This is the kind of love
that we need to develop,
we need to work on,
really in all
of our relationships.
What we're talking about here,
among one another
and always in your home.
Second thing
that will help us
to be united,
we must focus
on our purpose
and work together
to accomplish it.
We looked at this
last week.
I don't want to spill it.
It's been a great deal
on that.
We exist for this.
In the book of Acts,
the first summary statement
of what the church
was doing,
they were worshiping,
evangelizing,
learning,
and loving.
That's what we're
called to do.
That's how we fulfill
the great commission
that the Lord
has given us.
You know,
in a church family,
we don't get to choose
who we will
or won't love.
It's like in your family.
I mean,
if you're going to really
be a strong family,
it doesn't matter
what your brother
or sister is like.
They're your brother
or sister.
And a lot of you
have close interactions
with more extended family.
You're cousins.
You don't get to choose
who they are.
That's decided for you.
And we just have to learn
to love one another.
And a lot of times
and a lot of ways
we do that at home.
And what Paul's talking about
is we've got to bring it
to the church.
We've got to love
one another.
Warts and all.
Differences and all.
Do you try to express
this kind of love
in some of the relationships
that you already have
here in this church?
Not be easily offended,
but really
give yourself to people
this way.
We're also called
to fulfill the Lord's
great commission
by being this well church.
And I want to ask you this.
Are you helping us
do that in some way?
Every Christian has
spiritual gifts,
talents, and abilities
that God expects us,
calls us,
commands us
to use in our church
or through some of the
ministries of our church
to glorify Him,
to help other people
come to know Christ,
to help people grow
in their relationship
with the Lord,
to meet real needs
that people have.
How are you involved?
I know we're not
doing a lot right now
because of the
COVID situation,
but how were you involved
before we sort of
put things on hold?
How do you plan
to be involved
when things
pick back up
and come to the,
what will be
a new normal?
Let's look on now
at the third way
to build church unity.
Look at this.
To experience true
Christian unity,
we must work daily
on our common
Christian responsibility
to humble ourselves.
I want you to look
at what he says here,
verses three and four.
Do nothing from
selfish ambition
or conceit,
but in humility
count others
more significant
than yourselves.
Let each of you
look not only
to his own interest,
but also to the
interest of others.
Let's look at
the specifics here.
Number one,
we can't promote
ourselves over
other people.
Do nothing from
selfish ambition
or conceit.
Note two phrases.
Number one,
selfish ambition
refers to self-promotion.
Conceit,
or some translations
you have,
says vain conceit.
It refers to
seeking glory
for yourself
that is not deserved.
Now the thought
may come into your mind,
don't seek glory
for yourself
that's not deserved.
How do I know
if mine's deserved?
Don't seek glory
for yourself
and you don't have
to worry about it.
Just don't seek
glory for yourself.
Call attention
to yourself
and you won't have
to worry about
whether it's deserved
or not.
You know,
as I was,
you know,
studying this,
thinking about this,
we see it a lot
in the sports world,
especially among
professional athletes.
If you read a lot,
watch things
on ESPN
and so forth,
interviews,
what people are saying
about one another
and so forth,
there's a lot
of professional athletes
who complain about
not getting
the respect
they deserve.
when I read
a lot of these athletes
making multi-million
dollar salaries,
living just totally
ungodly lives
and thinking of no one
on the team
but themselves,
I think about how
absurd it is
for them to complain
about,
I don't get the proper
respect I should.
There's one thing
we need to make clear
this morning.
We can't demand
respect of other people.
You can't demand
people around you
respect you.
Now let me take
the time out here
with exceptions.
The Bible calls us
to respect our parents
throughout their life.
Boys and girls
and all of us
in this room
if our parents
are alive,
it's our God-given
responsibility
to respect them.
And boys and girls
at home,
if you show
disrespect
to your mother
or father,
they need to
just wear you
out
for your lack
of respect
and make you
at least show
respect for them
as the authorities
of the home
because that is
a God-given
authority picture.
There are
God-given
authorities
in the scripture
and parents
are one,
a main one
who do,
can make you
as children,
you've got to
show me respect.
You may not mean it.
They can't make you
mean it.
They can make you
show it
or suffer
serious consequences
and good parents
will make their
children show
respect
or suffer
the consequences
of not doing it.
That is important.
But outside
of the commands,
the authority
structures
of the world,
we can't demand
respect.
Respect is
something we've
got to earn
by our character,
by our work ethic,
by the way
that we treat
other people.
You know,
a lot of these
professional athletes,
they could,
they would be
respected more
if they focus
on being a better
teammate,
if they focus
on being a
better human
being.
They would find
that they're
respected more
within their team
by their opponents,
their coaches,
their fans.
If you want to
develop closer
relationships with
people in your
life everywhere,
at home,
church,
wherever,
don't promote
yourself.
arrogance is
not becoming
on anyone
anywhere.
Instead,
look at this,
we've got to
humble ourselves.
We must not
think too highly.
We must not
think of ourselves
as being better
than others,
the second part
of verse 3.
But in humility,
count others
more significant
than yourselves.
I want to
explain this
with a story.
A.T.
Robertson,
in the early
part of the
1900s,
he was one
of the most
respected
New Testament
Greek scholars
in the English
speaking world.
He wrote
about 25 books
including a
1,500 page
grammar of the
Greek New
Testament.
He wrote a
verse-by-verse
commentary on the
entire New
Testament that
explains the
meaning of
every major
Greek word.
He was also
a full-time
professor at
the Southern
Baptist Theological
Seminary in
Louisville,
Kentucky.
He was up
there with
few peers
as a scholar,
as a Christian
scholar in his
day.
His father-in-law
was John
Broadus.
Broadus was
one of the
founders of
Southern Seminary.
He was also a
New Testament
scholar.
He was respected
but nowhere near
the level of
Robertson.
Now both were
buried in the
Cave Hill
Cemetery in
Louisville,
Kentucky.
Broadus died
first.
Much older,
so you would
expect that.
He did.
Broadus died
first.
His grave is
marked by a
towering monument
erected by his
family.
That wasn't his
desire, but his
family chose to
erect a monument
over his grave.
Well, next to
Broadus' monument
is the flat,
level with the
ground grave
marker of A.T.
Robertson.
It was
Robertson's
request to
be buried in
Broadus' shadow.
And I read
that, I just
thought, what
humility.
A.T.
Robertson knew
who he was.
He knew what
he had
accomplished.
He knew what
his status was
as a scholar
in his day,
and that brought
us a great
man.
But nowhere
near his
level.
But he
chose,
requested,
to be buried
in what
the world
would say,
a lesser
man's
shadow.
That's the
kind of
attitude
that enables
us to
humble
ourselves
and count
others more
significant
than ourselves.
that's the
kind of
attitude we
need to
demonstrate in
this church
and in
our homes.
Now, some
husbands and
wives need to
work on this.
I haven't got
any kind of
emails or
letters or
calls, but
let me just
say this,
men.
Let your
wife and
children decide
if you should
be treated
like a king.
Don't you
demand it.
If you do,
you're an
arrogant
rascal.
Ladies,
let your
husband and
children decide
if you should
be treated
like a queen.
Don't
demand it.
It's
unbecoming
to be that
prideful.
Now, boys
and girls,
young people,
teenagers,
some brothers
and sisters
need to work
on developing
humility
and counting
their brother
or their
sister or
their parents
more important
than me.
You hear
that?
And
regardless of
what your
parents may
say or do,
you are not
a princess
or a prince.
I know
some of the
parents today,
you have this
mindset, you
treat your
child, your
girl as if
she's some
kind of
princess that
can do no
wrong.
There's a few
that even
treat their
boy as if
he's some
kind of
prince who's
never done
wrong.
Let me tell
you about what
your children
are.
Your children
are selfish,
self-centered
sinners just
like you
are.
And just
like I
am.
They can
be arrogant,
they can be
selfish and
self-centered,
just like we
all can be
arrogant and
selfish and
self-centered.
It's hard to
do, I don't
know any kind
of easy lesson,
but we as
parents, we
need to model
and then we
need to teach
our children
how to
humble
themselves,
not think
they're some
kind of prince
or princess,
and to think
of others
more
significant
than
themselves.
Paul provides
more details
about what
humility involves.
Look at this,
we must not
be so self-centered
that we fail to
look out for the
interests of
others.
I want you to
think about this.
Look at the
verse.
Let each of you
look not only to
his own interests,
but also to the
interests of
others.
Note that he
says we should
not look only to
our interests.
Do you
understand?
It's just a part
of human nature
to take care of
yourself.
Jesus,
talking about the
second greatest
commandment,
said to love
your neighbor
as yourself.
That is not a
command to love
yourself.
We already do.
It's just human
nature.
We love
ourselves.
We look out
for ourselves.
In fact,
in some ways,
important ways,
it's a part of our
Christian responsibility
to provide for
ourselves and our
family and not be
dependent on other
people.
We've talked about
that in a day
gone by.
talking about the
importance of
working and saving
and investing and
the awful way that
socialism will lead
this country and ruin
our lives.
I just had to throw
that in a lot of the
socialistic Congress
and president that we
have today.
Just to throw it out
there, keep it on
people's minds.
They are not looking
out for our best
interests as
Christians in this
world who desire to
live according to the
truth of God.
And we need to keep
that in mind.
Living humbly before
others is not an easy
thing to do.
It is contrary to our
selfish and self-centered
sinful nature.
But it can be done.
There are no commands.
There are no instructions
in the Bible for us to
do anything that we
cannot do.
Paul is telling us
here that we can't live
this way as a church
family.
We can't have healthy
families in our homes
humbling ourselves,
putting others first.
The key to doing this
though is to first
humble ourselves before
God.
I want you to look at
this.
Peter explains this in
1 Peter.
He says,
Clothe yourselves,
all of you, with
humility toward one
another, for God
opposes the proud, but
he gives grace to the
humble.
Boys and girls,
teenagers, adults,
God opposes the
proud.
God will humble the
proud.
Make no mistake.
He says,
humble yourselves
therefore under the
mighty hand of God
so that at the
proper time he may
exalt you.
At the proper time he
will exalt you.
As we live in humble
dependence upon God,
he'll supply us with
everything we need to
obey him in this
matter.
One of the things that
God will supply us is
the Holy Spirit who
lives in us if we're
Christians.
It's the Holy Spirit's
work to give us
desires and then give
us the ability to live
this kind of life.
In fact, Paul describes
the work of the Holy
Spirit, he talks about
the fruit of the Spirit.
Some people describe the
fruit of the Spirit as the
character of Jesus.
It's in Galatians
chapter 5.
The fruit of the Spirit is
love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control,
these kind of things.
If we're Christians, the
Spirit of God works within
us to help us to develop.
It's a lifetime endeavor to
help us develop this kind
of character.
And by God's grace, we can
make progress over time,
trial and error.
Like Swindoll says, three
steps forward, two steps
back.
But even that is progress.
Now, based on what you see
in this passage about
growing closer together as a
real church family, what do
you need to do to make this
happen here in our church?
Or if God's spoken to you
about making your home a
closer-knit family, what do
you need to do?
Would we be a closer
church family if you would
stop talking negatively or
critically about other
church members?
Would we be a stronger,
closer-knit church family if
you'd start saying positive
things?
Go out of your way to affirm
people.
Would your home be better?
Would your home be better if
you just stopped that
negative complaining, fighting
with your brother or sister,
whining to your parents,
disobeying them?
Would we be a closer church
family if you'd stop promoting
yourself, trying to call
attention to yourself?
Would your home be stronger if
you didn't try to make
everything about you?
Would we be a closer church
family if you started paying
attention to other people?
Noticing something's not quite
right.
And because you love them and
you care about them, you sort
of, you try to inquire, is
there something wrong?
Is there something I could help
you with?
And then you do.
Would our church family be a
stronger church family if we
would inconvenience ourselves
for the benefit of somebody
else?
Even make sacrifices of our
time to serve somebody else, a
brother or sister?
I want you to think about it.
What is God calling you to do or
stop doing to make us a closer
church family?
Well, I want to encourage you to
obey Him.
And then, what's the Lord calling
you to do or stop doing to make
your home a closer-knit family?
Make that commitment.
It won't be easy.
By God's grace, the indwelling
Spirit of God, you can be the kind
of church brother or sister that we
need.
You can be the loving member of your
home family that everyone needs and
wants you to be.
Let's pray and ask God to help us be
there.
Would you join with me?
Dear God, help us to see right now how
we should respond to you so that we can
be contributing family members to a
close, loving, serving together.
church family call, pickings first
Baptist.
And then, Father, show us parents,
children, siblings, how we should
respond to make our homes better, more
positive, more loving.
Let's listen to the Lord and obey Him as
we just go through a time, attitude of
prayer, listen to God, take it seriously,
and respond to Him.
to God so far, listen to God.
Right now, today, we need some
things.
Come with us.
Welcome to God.
Let's pray for us.
And that's right for you.
Let's pray.
Will —
Please go ahead.
And there's not as is,
you know?
Oh,
good reason.
Just do love for you able to
to transform.