Thursday, September
20, 2012, 5:38 a.m. – the Lord woke me this morning with the song “Living Sacrifices” playing in my mind.
Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Philippians 2:1-18 (NIV 1984):
If you have any
encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if
any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my
joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit
and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in
humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not
only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Your attitude should
be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very
nature God,
did not consider equality with God
something to be grasped,
but made himself
nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in
appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted
him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every
name,
that 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 God the Father.
Therefore, my dear
friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more
in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for
it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
Do everything without
complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of
God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like
stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may
boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. But even if
I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming
from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be
glad and rejoice with me.
Our Benefits
If you have been truly united with Christ through faith,
then you have his love, encouragement, comfort, fellowship with the Spirit,
etc., for these are just some of the many benefits you reap from that union
with Christ. So, why does Paul phrase this in such a way seemingly to suggest
the possibility that one might not possess these benefits, i.e. he says “If you
have any…”? Perhaps it is to get the reader to think about his relationship
with Jesus Christ and to examine what he has in Christ that he would not have
otherwise. Sometimes we take our blessings for granted, or over time they
become so second nature that we don’t really give them thought or express
appreciation for them as we should. Or, perhaps we are not taking full
advantage of the benefits we receive from our relationship with Jesus Christ
due to neglect, apathy, or the busyness of our lives, etc., and so we have
forgotten the benefits we reap from our union with Christ, and thus need to be
reminded.
Whatever the reason for Paul’s usage of “If” phrases in this
context, what is clear is that encouragement, comfort, love, fellowship with
the Spirit, and tenderness and compassion are all benefits we reap from our
union with Christ, whether we take full advantage of them or not. And, Paul is
reminding us of these benefits, I believe, lest we take them for granted or not
take full advantage of them, or they become so common place to us that we lack
the appropriate appreciation for all that Christ Jesus has done for us. The
reason I believe this is because of what Paul said next. If truly we
acknowledge that we have these benefits from God, that we did nothing to earn
or deserve them, but they are his gifts to us, and we, in all humility, have
the full appreciation of the extent of God’s love and mercy toward us, then it
should be evident in how we treat others, in particular our fellow believers in
Christ.
I think that sometimes we don’t treat others the way we
should because we forget from where we came and where God brought us, and we
forget his benefits to us, and we do take them for granted. That brings to mind
what the psalmist said in Psalm 103
(NIV 1984):
Praise the Lord, O my
soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, O
my soul,
and forget
not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all
your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your
life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your
desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
So, sometimes we need to be reminded of all that we have in
Christ so that we are not conceited or self-righteous or proud or pompous and
think we have God’s blessings because of how wonderful we are, but so we are
reminded that what we have we have because of God’s mercy and grace, and
because he has chosen to give us these blessings.
“For who makes you
different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if
you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?” ~ 1 Co. 4:7
Our Responsibility
Because of all that Jesus Christ did for us we have a
God-given responsibility to forsake our lives of sin, to not live for our own
selfish desires, to live and walk in the Spirit of God, to obey Christ Jesus in
all things, to love our brothers and sisters, and to be led of the Spirit of God
in how we conduct our lives each and every day (see Ro. 8:12-14). If we are
doing this, then it will be evident in how we treat others. And, Jesus Christ
set the prime example for how we are to treat others. We are to love others as
he loved us and gave himself up for us.
Jesus Christ is God, the second person of our triune God –
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He was with God in heaven, yet he willingly left
his throne in heaven, came to earth, took on human flesh, suffered as we
suffer, was tempted as we are tempted, yet without sin, was despised and
rejected of men, a man of sorrows (see Is. 53), was betrayed, denied, beaten,
falsely accused, mocked, criticized, and was hung on a cross to die for our
sins, although he had done no wrong. He humbled himself and became obedient to
death on the cross so that you and I could go free from slavery to sin and be free
from the ultimate penalty of sin – eternal damnation. When he died, our sins
died with him, and when he arose from the grave, he came back to life
victorious over death, hell, Satan and sin. And, one day he will come again and
everyone will acknowledge that he is the Lord Christ, the Son of the Living
God, and every knee will bow before him.
How Should We Live?
So, what kind of lives should we live because of what Jesus
Christ did for us? And, because of all the benefits we reap from that union with
Christ? First of all Paul stated that we should be like-minded, having the same
love (as that of Christ), being one in spirit and purpose. In order for us to
be like-minded, etc., we have to have a common goal, purpose, attitude, etc.
Our example or model is Christ and his word. We must be very discerning about
this, for there is much talk in the church of today about “unity” that is of
man and with man and that is not of God or with God. So, we must be diligent
about our times with God in his word, and in following what his word teaches
us, so that we know the mind (thoughts, attitudes, goals, purposes and desires)
of Christ, for that is the only way we can be like-minded with each other. We
must first of all share with Christ in his goals, purposes and desires if we
are to be united with one another in the same manner.
The next thing Paul said we should do because of the
benefits we reap from our union with Christ is that we should not do anything
out of selfish ambition or vain (empty) conceit, but in humility we should
consider others better than ourselves. Our society, even within the church,
contradicts this on many levels as we are continually fed this me-me attitude
about life – What’s in it for me? What can I gain from this? How can this bring
me pleasure and fulfill all my dreams? Even in the church so much is being done
to please men, especially those of the world, so that they will want to come to
our churches. Obviously we should consider the needs of others in all humility
of spirit, but I think sometimes the church helps feed this “entitlement”
mindset and thus people get the idea that church is just a place to get
cleaned-up entertainment or socialization without cost or obligation.
So, perhaps to best understand what is meant here by not
doing anything out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility to consider
others better than ourselves, we must look to Christ as our example. He exemplified
and modeled humility and servanthood, yet he also taught us to follow suit by
his example. He gave willingly of his time, talents, heart and service to meet
the legitimate needs of others. He did not do this to please people or to tickle
their ears or to make them feel good about themselves or to entertain them so
they would like him. He always told them the truth, even when it hurt. And, he
told them the cost of following him – death to their old lives of sin and
following him in full obedience and surrender to his will for their lives. Yet,
he lovingly cared for their true needs, he showed much compassion and sympathy,
he took time with them even when he was tired and he needed to rest, and he
ministered to their whole being – heart, mind, body and soul.
Paul then said something that often causes confusion for
some people, yet if understood in its context, it should alleviate that
confusion. He said to the Philippian Christians that just as they had always
obeyed Christ, they were to continue to work out their salvation with fear and
trembling. This is not works-based salvation! A true Biblical understanding of
salvation will teach you that you are saved, you are being saved, and you will
be saved. Our salvation will not be complete until Jesus Christ returns for his
bride. This “working out” of our salvation, thus, first of all involves continual
obedience to Christ and to his word. It involves our spiritual growth and
development, i.e. the process of our discipleship in Christ. And, it involves perseverance,
continuing in our faith, standing on what we believe, daily dying to self and
sin, and daily choosing to obey Christ and to follow him wherever he leads us,
etc. Yet, this is the work of Christ in us, doing his will and good purpose for
our lives as we cooperate fully with that work in full reverence for God and
with singleness of purpose.
Lastly, Paul said we should do everything without
complaining and arguing, so that we may become blameless and pure. In other words,
we should be content with where God has us and with his will for our lives so
that we can live lives pleasing to him with wholehearted, pure and undivided
loyalty and devotion to him and to doing his will. We should shine like stars
in the universe as we hold out the word of life in a crooked and depraved
generation. In other words, our lives should stand out as different in a good
way. We shouldn’t be like the world nor should we follow after the ways of the
world or even be entertained by them. We should live holy lives pleasing to
God, which is our reasonable service of worship. And, we should actively be
involved in sharing the gospel, the word of truth, the word of life with all
those to whom God leads us to share the gospel of our salvation. And, we should
give of our very lives for the gospel, for our testimony for Christ, for his
service, and for service and love to others, following the example Christ Jesus
set before us.
Living Sacrifices
/ An Original Work / September 14, 2012
Based off Romans 12:1-2; 6:11-14 NIV
Oh, holy ones, I
counsel you,
In view of God’s
mercy,
To give yourselves to
God in love
As living offerings,
Pleasing to God, holy
in love.
This is your true worship.
Do not conform to
worldly lives.
Let God transform you
today.
Then you’ll be able to
Test and approve of
what
God’s will is – His
pleasing
And perfect will.
Oh, holy ones, I
counsel you –
Offer yourselves unto
God.
Oh, holy ones, I
counsel you –
Do not be conceited.
Humble yourselves
before your God.
Do not be
self-righteous.
The strength you have
to live in love
Comes from your Lord
God, so
Live your new lives in
pow’r of God.
Be changed in heart,
mind and will.
Do this because of
what
Christ did for you
when
He died on the cross
to save
The world from sin.
Oh, holy ones, I
counsel you –
Humble yourselves
before God.
Oh, holy ones, I
counsel you –
Count yourselves dead
to sin,
But be alive to God in
Christ.
Do not let sin reign
in
Your earthly lives so
you
Obey its evil desires.
Offer yourselves unto
your God
As those who’ve been
born again.
For sin shall no
longer be
Your lord and master.
Give of yourselves to
God
For righteousness.
Oh, holy ones, I
counsel you –
Be alive to God in Christ.
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