Unity ARP Church - Sermons

Philippians 2:25-30

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Philippians 2:19-24

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Philippians 2:14-16

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Philippians 2:12-13 09/23/07

“Are you saved?” If someone came up to you and asked you that question, how would you respond? Here’s one way you could respond – when they ask, “Are you saved?” you could say, “Well, which part of salvation do you mean? Are you referring to predestination, election, effectual calling, regeneration, adoption, justification, sanctification, or glorification?” Here’s another possible response – “Are you saved?” Answer – “Which aspect of salvation are you referring to? Salvation from the penalty of sin, the power of sin, or the presence of sin?” You might want to try one of those the next time someone asks you “Are you saved?” It might lead to some strange looks and maybe some good discussion.

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Philippians 2:9-11 09/16/07

There is an unquenchable urge within the heart of man to make a name for himself. Individuals today, like never before, seek recognition on the world’s stage. There is, it seems, an inner desire in all of us that wants to be a star. We want to make a name for ourselves – a name that stands out and above that of the common man. Fewer people today are content to lead a quiet and simple life, devoted to God, family and work – today they want to be famous. With the ubiquity of the internet now an obscure person can put up a video on YouTube and become instantly famous the world over. Of course on YouTube you might become famous for how stupid you are, like Miss Teen South Carolina. For those of you who don’t know, Miss Teen SC was one of the five finalists in the Miss Teen USA pageant and in her final interview she totally blew it and came across as a complete idiot. However, in terms of fame, it is the best thing that ever happened to her. She is far more famous now than she would have been, even if she had won the pageant. She has appeared on national TV repeatedly over the past several weeks. She is now famous, and has a name.

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Philippians 2:8 09/09/07

An interesting book was published a couple of years ago titled Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers. This book uses data from a comprehensive, in-depth survey of American teens to evaluate their spiritual lives. The survey found that the vast majority of American teens identified themselves as Christians. This sounds like good news until you begin to dig deeper to explore the teens’ understanding of their faith. According to the book, while most teenagers talked about sin or being a sinner, very few mentioned the need for repentance, and not one of them mentioned the need for justification or sanctification. The author, Christian Smith, concludes that the de facto dominant religion among American teens is what he calls “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.”

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Philippians 2:5-7

Whenever we consider the person of Jesus Christ, it is good to ask the following four questions about Him:

1) Who is Jesus?

2) What did he come to do?

3) What has happened to Him since He came?

4) What will He do in the future?

This morning we will look at the first question – Who is Jesus Christ? He is the Redeemer of God’s elect. Question # 21 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism asks:

Q21: Who is the Redeemer of God’s elect?

A21: The only Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was, and continues to be, God and man in two distinct natures, and one person, for ever.

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Philippians 2:3-4

Today, more than ever in our culture, individualism is the dominant way of thinking and acting. Of course this individualism has bled over into the church. Individualism, or self-centeredness, is however a cancer that eats away at the church and would eventually destroy it if not checked. Paul’s message in these two verses is in fact the check or restraint we need against individualism in the church. Selfish ambition must be eliminated. Humility must be cultivated. And other-esteem must be practiced instead.

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Philippians 2:1-2

-Unity is necessary for Christian community and for Christian mission.

-Unity of spirit flows from humility of spirit.

-Humility of spirit comes from taking our eyes off of ourselves and looking to Christ.

Unity is something that must be worked at. Work towards this unity must be properly motivated. Paul gives us several motivations for this unity in the first two verses of Philippians chapter one. Each one of these motivations is found in Christ and our relationship to Him. Though Paul goes through a list of things rather quickly in verse one, I believe that his intent was to have the Philippians to give some deep thought to theses things – to meditate on them. That is what this sermon is all about today – an extended meditation upon some of the chief blessings we have in Christ that will in turn inspire us to practice humility and love, and therefore achieve greater unity.

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Striving Together for the Faith

PHILIPPIANS 1:27-30 08/05/07

The apostle Paul, in the previous verses, sought to relieve the Philippians’ fears about what had happened to him. He had been arrested and put into prison, but he assured them that he would remain to help them in their faith. Paul was putting them on notice that he was coming to make another visit. Of course this would have been good news to this young church. At the same time, it would have caused them to consider their ways. After the letter was read to the church I can imagine some of them saying, “Praise the Lord! Paul is OK and he’s coming back to visit! Oh, oh, we better straighten up before he gets here!” You know how it is when the preacher comes by – some people might try to straighten up and give a good impression, I don’t know. But Paul wanted them to know that “whatever happened”, whether he came to see them or was absent, he wanted them to live worthy of the gospel and to stand together for the faith of the gospel.

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