Sunday
Morning Bible Study
December
24, 2017
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid
to die? Does it speak to the broken
hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision
Is the church loved? Regular: 2900
words Communion: 2500 words Video=75wpm
Thursday is movie night – we’ll be showing Greg Laurie’s documentary on the
life of Steve McQueen.
In two weeks, on the first Sunday of January, I will be doing our annual
“Prophecy Update”.
For those of you who missed last Sunday, I have an announcement about some
things that may impact the future of our church.
A week and a half ago I was informed that our landlords, now known as
“Searchlight Ministries”, have had an offer made on this property.
The builder K.B. Homes has offered them a deal worth $9million, with the
intention of relocating Searchlight to Yorba Linda, and then building town
homes on this property.
Searchlight has not decided yet whether they are going to accept this
offer, but if they do, and unless we can come up with $9million to make a
counter offer, we will need to find a new home for our church, and we will have
about 12-18 months to do that.
We do have money in the bank, though nowhere near enough to finance
$9million. If you are interested in
donating towards our building fund over and above your regular giving, just
write “building fund” on the bottom of your check.
Please be praying for these events and the future direction of our church.
This morning we will take a break from our study in Proverbs, and talk
about Christmas.
It seems to me that the older I get, the more potential there is for stress
instead of joy at Christmas.
Illustration
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, except me and my spouse
The stockings were empty, no presents were wrapped
We were way behind schedule and our resources tapped
The children were nestled all snug in the beds,
While the horrors of assembling danced in our heads
Dad armed with a screwdriver, ready and poised,
To build a red trike for one of our boys.
When off in the hall there arose a strange noise,
We dove over boxes to hide all the toys
The thud, it turned out, was our dumb puppy Paul,
Who was chasing the cat and ran into the wall
Back to his task, Dad cursed at his mess,
I suspect he was lost, but he'd never confess
He wrestled with parts and fumbled with tools,
E-mailed the manufacturer and called them all fools
After hours of struggle, the bike finally took shape,
With a few cuts and bruises and the aid of duct tape
He stood back and gaped at the bike he just built,
It weaved and it wobbled and rolled with a tilt
His frustration grew; his voice shook as he spoke,
“The directions are Greek, it’s all a sick joke”
At this point he snapped, his thinking unclear,
He'll do something stupid; this was my big fear.
He grabbed each toy’s instructions, oh why won’t he learn,
He lit up the fireplace, chanting “burn baby burn”
“Burn Disney, burn Huffy, to blazes with you,
Burn Fisher Price, Playskool and Hasbro, too”
As smoke filled the room, this was his first clue ,
That in a moment of haste, he had neglected the flue
To the top of the mantle, to the top of the wall,
A black cloud developed and ash settled on all
Soot landed on stockings and covered the tree,
And gave a look of charcoal to all we could see
The firemen came, dressed in yellow, like sun,
Seems the neighbors saw smoke and dialed 9-1-1
Out came the axe, out came the hoses,
Out came a Dalmatian who trampled my roses.
“There’s no trouble here,” I swore up and down,
Realizing this faux pas would soon be 'round town
“My husband’s a good man,” I tried to explain,
“The instructions weren’t clear. It drove him insane!”
The fire chief nodded and gathered his crew,
Hopped onto their truck and away they all flew
But I heard them converse as they drove out of sight
“Her husband’s the third jerk who’s done that tonight!”
- Author unknown
Philippians 2:1-11
Overall, the church in Philippi was an amazing group of believers.
They weren’t a wealthy church, but
they were a giving church. They cared about Paul and about supporting the work
of his ministry. When other churches had
stopped supporting his ministry, this poor church continued to help Paul out
while he sat in prison in Rome.
Yet the church in Philippi was having a little bit of trouble.
There was a little bit of disunity in the church.
At the end of the letter, Paul will even call a couple of folks out by
name, urging them to learn to work together.
The passage we’re in hints at the
disunity, and later in Paul’s letter, he drops a hint that two of the gals in particular
were having trouble getting along.
(Philippians 4:2–3 NKJV) —2 I implore
Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored
with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers,
whose names are in the Book of Life.
Are you in a situation where you are facing a little strife or disunity?
As a church, we are facing a potential difficult time with our
landlords.
You or I might be tempted to get angry or disappointed with the
developments that we’re facing as a church, but we need to remember that
Searchlight is not our enemy. They are
our brothers and sisters in Christ, and we have loved them greatly over the
years. Should that really change now?
The Bible says we should “rejoice with those who rejoice”, and they
certainly have a reason to “rejoice”.
In the book of Jonah, after Jonah
has preached to the city of Nineveh, and they repented, he went up to a hill
overlooking the city and waited to see what God was going to do.
(Jonah 4:6–11 NKJV) —6 And the Lord God prepared a plant and made it
come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his
misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant. 7 But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so
damaged the plant that it withered. 8 And it
happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the
sun beat on Jonah’s head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for
himself, and said, “It is better for me to die than to live.” 9 Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry
about the plant?” And he said, “It is
right for me to be angry, even to death!” 10 But the Lord said, “You have had pity on the
plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a
night and perished in a night. 11 And should
I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and
twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their
left—and much livestock?
Our Lutheran landlords have been
like that plant, providing us shelter.
If God were to remove that shelter, we shouldn’t be angry. We’d only be angry if our priorities are in the
wrong place as Jonah’s were.
Jonah was all
upset about a plant, while God was concerned about the salvation of an entire
city.
We too ought to be
concerned about the city where God has planted us, and that ought to be our
focus … not the comfort of our location.
We are facing a time where the unity God wants between churches will be
tested.
I think our passage today will show us the way ahead, the way to honor
Christ.
One of the major areas of stress over Christmas can be the prospect of
spending time with people you may not particularly like to be with. And you’re
related to them.
And you might even be trying to exchange gifts with them…
Illustration
Dr. Laura Schlessinger has been a psychologist and call in radio-host for
many years. About fifteen years ago, her
mother was found dead in her condominium.
Yolanda Schlessinger was 77 years old, and apparently had died about a
month earlier. Her body wasn’t
discovered until a neighbor called the police because they hadn’t seen her in a
couple of weeks.
Dr. Laura had been estranged from her mother because her mother had
apparently been successful at cutting herself off from her entire family. Dr. Laura made this statement:
“And I guess one of the reasons I am so clearly committed to the sanctity
of the family and protection of children and the welfare of children in my
books and on this radio program is quite frankly because I was not fortunate
enough to grow up in a loving, close-knit family myself.
“My dad’s dead, my mother ... they were divorced, and my mother and I have
had a long estrangement, which was her choice, as it was her choice to be
estranged from all the family.
“And I deeply regret that despite any attempts I made to make contact or
stay connected she died without that ever being accomplished.”
Signing off, she said: “I just want to remind you as I do all the time,
hold your family very tight, very close and very dear and don’t sweat the petty
stuff—the bad stuff is bad enough.”
What Paul will share about getting along with others doesn’t guarantee your
relationships will all change, but it will head you in the right direction.
:1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort
of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,
consolation – paraklesis
– a calling near, summons, (esp. for help); exhortation, admonition,
encouragement; consolation, comfort, solace
comfort – paramuthion
– persuasive address; from paramuthia
– any address, whether made for the purpose of persuading, or of arousing
and stimulating, or of calming and consoling 1a) consolation, comfort
“to speak to someone, coming close
to his side”; “to speak to someone in a friendly way”
“to admonish”, “to reassure”, “to
console”; “tender persuasion”
fellowship – koinonia
– fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation,
intercourse
affection – splagchnon
– bowels, intestines, (the heart, lungs, liver, etc.); the bowels were
regarded as the seat of the more violent passions, such as anger and love; but
by the Hebrews as the seat of the tenderer affections, esp. kindness,
benevolence, compassion; hence our heart (tender mercies, affections, etc.); a
heart in which mercy resides
mercy – oiktirmos
– compassion, pity, mercy; bowels in which compassion resides, a heart of
compassion; emotions, longings, manifestations of pity; compassion for the
suffering of others, not the mercy that a criminal begs from the judge
:1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ
Paul poses several questions. The
Greek grammar demands that all these questions be answered “yes”, or “of
course”. If these things are so, then…
:2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being
of one accord, of one mind.
How can we be “like-minded”, have the same love, be of one accord, and of
one mind, when sometimes we’re so different?
And hard to get along with?
Read on…
:3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit,
but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
:3 selfish ambition or conceit
selfish ambition – eritheia
– electioneering or intriguing for office; apparently, in the NT a courting
distinction, a desire to put one’s self forward, a partisan and fractious
spirit which does not disdain low arts; partisanship, fractiousness; This word
is found before NT times only in Aristotle where it denotes a self-seeking
pursuit of political office by unfair means. (A&G)
“selfish ambition” (NIV);
“selfishness” (NAS)
conceit – kenodoxia
(“empty” + “glory”) – vain glory, groundless self esteem, empty pride; a
vain opinion
“vain conceit” (NIV); “to make a
good impression on others” (NLT)
Illustration
Cross-country Drive
Four men are driving cross-country together: one from Idaho, one from Iowa, one from Florida, and the last one is from New York. A bit down the
road the man from Idaho
starts to pull potatoes from his bag and throws them out the window. The man
from Iowa
turns to him and asks, “What are you doing?” The man from Idaho says, “Man, we have so many of these
darned things in Idaho.
They’re laying around on the ground, I’m sick of looking at them!” A few miles
down the road, the man from Iowa
begins pulling ears of corn from his bag and throwing them out the window. The
man from Florida
asks, “What are you doing that for?” The man from Iowa replies, “Man, we have so many of these
darned things in Iowa.
I’m sick of looking at them!” Inspired by the others, the man from Florida opens the car
door and pushes the New Yorker out.
When our focus in life is on our own personal needs, we end up learning to
resent others and wish we could get rid of them instead of learning to work
things out.
:3 in lowliness of mind let each esteem others
Lesson
Humility
lowliness of mind – tapeinophrosune
(“not rising far from the ground” + “mind) – the having a humble opinion of
one’s self; modesty, humility
Not the making of one’s self small
when he is really great, but thinking little of one’s self, because this is in
a sense the right estimate for any human being, however great.
The key to getting along with others is humility.
Illustration
R.C. Chapman, a pastor and teacher back in 19th century England, wrote
a book called “Agape Leadership”. He
has a couple of great quotes about “unity”:
“Pride nourishes the remembrance of injuries: humility
forgets as well as forgives them.”
“When mutual intercession takes the place of mutual
accusation, then will the differences and difficulties of brethren be
overcome.”
“Humility is the secret of fellowship, and pride the
secret of division.”
Illustration
At a reception honoring musician Sir Robert Mayer on his 100th
birthday, elderly British socialite Lady Diana Cooper fell into conversation
with a friendly woman who seemed to know her well. Lady Diana’s failing
eyesight prevented her from recognizing her fellow guest, until she peered more
closely at the magnificent diamonds and realized she was talking to Queen
Elizabeth! Overcome with embarrassment, Lady Diana curtsied and stammered,
“Ma’am, oh, ma’am, I’m sorry ma’am. I didn’t recognize you without your crown!”
“It was so much Sir Robert’s evening,” the queen replied, “that I decided to
leave it behind.”
Friends, when you go to your Christmas gatherings, leave your
crown behind.
:4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for
the interests of others.
:4 but also for the interests of others
Lesson
Others
Note the word “also”.
Paul isn’t saying that we neglect our own needs, but that we be sure to pay
attention to the needs around us.
Unity comes when we start to think about the needs of others.
Illustration
A.W. Tozer wrote,
The widest thing in the universe is not space; it is the
potential capacity of the human heart.
Being made in the image of God, it is capable of almost unlimited
extension in all directions. And one of
the world’s greatest tragedies is that we allow our hearts to shrink until
there is room in them for little besides ourselves.
-- A.W. Tozer in The
Root of the Righteous. Christianity
Today, Vol. 34, no. 3.
:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
Paul is now going to give the great illustration of what it is to have the
“mind” that leads to unity.
It’s the “mind” of Jesus, to learn to think and act like Jesus did.
:6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal
with God,
:6 being in the form of God
the form – morphe
– the form by which a person or thing strikes the vision; external
appearance; the essential attributes as shown in the form.
being – huparcho
– to begin below, to make a beginning; to begin; to come forth, hence to be
there, be ready, be at hand; to be; present active participle.
Robertson: “existing”
Jesus Christ is the only individual who has existed prior to being born.
That’s because He is God the Son.
Before His birth in a Bethlehem manger, Jesus had existed from eternity
past in heaven with the Father.
One of His names before Bethlehem was “the Word”.
John wrote,
(John 1:1 NKJV) In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
:6 did not consider it robbery to be equal with God
Lesson
Giving up your rights
robbery – harpagmos
– a thing seized or to be seized; a thing to be seized upon or to be held
fast, retained
from harpazo – to seize, carry off by force; to seize on, claim for
one’s self eagerly; to snatch out or away
This is the example Jesus set.
Though Jesus was in heaven as God, He didn’t feel like He had to cling to
His position and His rights as “God”.
He considered our needs more important than His own needs.
consider – hegeomai
– to lead; to consider, deem, account, think; denotes a belief resting not
on one’s inner feeling or sentiment, but on the due consideration of external
grounds, and the weighing and comparing of facts; deliberate and careful
judgment.
equal – isos
– equal, in quantity or quality
:7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and
coming in the likeness of men.
:7 made Himself of no reputation
made … of no reputation – kenoo
– to empty; deprive of force, render useless, of no effect
Jesus didn’t stop being God when He took on human flesh, but He emptied
Himself of his “rights” to His home in glory.
One commentator (Lightfoot) wrote, “He stripped Himself of the insignia
of majesty”.
I like to think of it as Jesus
putting on a “veil” over His glory.
There were a few times during His
ministry where He allowed His true inner glory to “peek” through, like at the
Mount of Transfiguration (Mat. 17:2), but for the most part He covered up His
glory.
(Matthew 17:2 NLT) As the men
watched, Jesus’ appearance was transformed so that his face shone like the sun,
and his clothes became as white as light.
:7 and coming in the likeness of men
the likeness – homoioma
– that which has been made after the likeness of something; a figure,
image, likeness, representation; likeness i.e. resemblance, such as amounts
almost to equality or identity
Jesus was fully God.
He also became fully man. He put on
human flesh.
Have you been wondering where “Christmas” comes into the message? This is it.
This is what happened in Bethlehem.
Illustration
The land of Persia was once ruled by a wise and
beloved Shah who cared greatly for his people and desired only what was best
for them. One day he disguised himself as a poor man and went to visit the
public baths. The water for the baths was heated by a furnace in the cellar, so
the Shah made his way to the dark place to sit with the man who tended the
fire. The two men shared the coarse food, and the Shah befriended him in his
loneliness. Day after day the ruler went to visit the man. The worker became
attached to this stranger because he “came where he was”. One day the Shah
revealed his true identity, and he expected the man to ask him for a gift.
Instead, he looked long into his leader’s face and with love and wonder in his
voice said, “You left your palace and your glory to sit with me in this dark
place, to eat my coarse food, and to care about what happens to me. On others
you may bestow rich gifts, but to me you have given yourself!”
Jesus emptied Himself and took on human flesh. He knows what we’re going
through because He’s been through it too.
:7 taking the form of a bondservant
Lesson
Serve others
We talked last week (Proverbs
17) how we cultivate humility by learning to serve others.
Jesus gave a great example for us to follow at the Last Supper (John 13).
Jesus got up from the supper, laid aside His outer garments (like giving up
His rights), and took the role of a servant to wash the disciples’ feet.
Over this holiday period, will you be looking to others to serve you? Are you all about what others will give you?
Or will you serve them?
(John
13:17 NKJV) If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.
Your “blessedness” or “happiness” will be related on
whether you are thinking about yourself, or whether you are serving others.
:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became
obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
:8 even the death of the cross
Lesson
God’s Plan
At the time the disciples didn’t understand what Jesus was doing, but we
now know that Jesus was coming to fulfill His long planned purpose of coming to
earth. Isaiah foretold God’s plan 700
years before Christ:
(Isaiah 53:5 NKJV) But He was
wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His
stripes we are healed.
Jesus died to pay for our sins.
He did this because He loves us.
(Romans
5:8 NKJV) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us.
:9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which
is above every name,
:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven,
and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
:11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
:11 confess that Jesus Christ is Lord
Lesson
Your Choice
Here’s the absolute truth:
Every single person who has ever been born will one day bow their knee and
admit that Jesus is the Lord of heaven.
Some will do it reluctantly, after they have died and are facing God.
They will no longer be able to lie to themselves about the truth of
Jesus. They will come face to face with
Jesus and will realize that He is God, that He had died for them.
But it will be too late for them. Having refused God’s gift of forgiveness,
they will spend eternity paying for their sins in hell.
Some willingly confess that Jesus is Lord now, before they die.
And when they do that, they find the love and forgiveness that God has for them,
the same love and forgiveness that others have rejected.
You will spend eternity with God in heaven.
What is your choice today?