Shining Like the Son in a Sin-Darkened World

"Shining Like The Son In A Sin-Darkened World!"

Philippians 1:27-2:16

INTRO.Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:16 said, “Let your Light SO SHINE before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Emphasis mine) We, as believers, are to show forth Jesus, the Light of the world to a world that is darkened by sin. The only hope possible for this world is that God's people would let their Light SO SHINE!

I want to title the message, "Shining Like The Son In A Sin-Darkened World!" The apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:5, "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." He continues in v9, "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

Each one here today that God has saved by His grace was saved for a purpose. Our salvation from God was a gift, but God never intended for it to stop there! He gave us all spiritual talents, abilities, and His grace to enable us to serve Him. Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

In Philippians 1:27-2:16, the apostle Paul tells us how we can shine like the SON! Let us consider these together.

NOTICE:

(1) The Plea

Philippians 1:27-2:4

THE COUNSEL. Paul encourages the Philippian believers to do three things. There are three pleas he offers:

A Plea To Stand (v27a). The word "stand"is translated from a Greek word which means "to be stationary, and to persevere." It implies being unmoving! The basis for this plea is that: THE WAR IS ON! (Ephesians 6:11). V28 tells us that the battle is with our adversaries (1 Peter 5:8). We MUST BE UNITED in this effort (2 Corinthians 13:11)!
A Plea To Strive (v27b-28). The Greek word for "striving" used here means "contending." It suggests a team effort! We are to be “striving together For the FAITH OF THE GOSPEL"—The whole body of inspired, revealed TRUTH (Jude 3). Such a task calls for boldness, courage, and fearlessness! (1 John 4:4)--Never fear the enemies of the GOSPEL! But rather as 1Corinthians 15:58 encourages us, “…my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
A Plea To Suffer (v29). Suffering is part of our Christian experience and the lot of mankind. 2 Timothy 3:12 assures us, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” Peter in 1 Peter 4:12-19 tells us, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.” We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world.-- Helen Keller, quoted in The Miracle of Change. Christianity Today, Vol. 41, no. 6.

THE CONSTRAINT. Paul gives them in Philippians 2:1 four appeals or constraints to help them shine brightly for the Lord:

Appeal To Consolation (vla). “If there be therefore any consolation in Christ…”. The word "consolation" here means “encouragement”. What Christ has done for us should bring peace and encouragement!
Appeal To Comfort (vlb). Since God loved us enough to die for us, we should love each other (1 John 3:16)!
Appeal To Communion (vlc). 1 John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
Appeal To Compassion (vld). John 15:12 says, “Thisismycommandment,Thatyeloveone another,asIhavelovedyou.” One of the sure marks of a living faith is that we love our brothers and sisters in Christ! The love life of the early saints astonished the heathen. "Behold," they said, "How they love one another." The Christians often called each other 'brethren' which had a deeper and sincere meaning. The pagans were astonished how they loved each other without knowing each other. -Ethics of the Early Church Research Paper --Wayne Steury. Love talked about is easily turned down, but love demonstrated is irresistible.

THE COURSE. Paul had made his appeal, his constraint, now four approaches are given to accomplish them:

Be Like-Minded (v2a). The Church’s strength is UNITY! That is why Paul says “be likeminded.” The word “likeminded” means “to be of the same mind.” It speaks of full agreement and perfect harmony. Church-goers are like coals in a fire. When they cling together, they keep the flame aglow; when they separate, they die out. -- Billy Graham, evangelist. Men of Integrity, Vol. 1, no. 1.
Be Genuine and Have The Same Love (v2b). Peter tells us in 1 Peter 1:22—“Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.” Someone has said, “love is pure when self is slain.” How true that is! How often do we let self get in the way of our love for others!
Be Of One Accord (v2c). Being of one accord simply and literally mean that we are of one heart and one soul. Nothing is done in strife. We are not contentious or argumentative.
Be Of One Mind (v2d). We should be of one interest, one sentiment, one concern, and one opinion! We should rejoice with those that rejoice and weep with those that weep!

(2) The Pattern

Philippians 2:5-11—“Let this mind be in you, which was also in

Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

THE HUMILITY OF CHRIST. Paul here gives us three characteristics of His humility that should be the pattern of our lives:

A Humble Spirit (v7a, 8a). Notice the words, “But made himself of no reputation…And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself…”. So many today of God’s people lack that humble spirit. They serve God to be seen, to hear the approval of men and receive the recognition that follows. But Jesus said, “YeknowthattheprincesoftheGentilesexercise dominionoverthem,andthey that are greatexercise authorityuponthem. Butitshallnotbesoamong you:butwhosoeverwillbegreat among you,lethimbeyourminister;Andwhosoeverwillbechiefamongyou,lethimbeyourservant.” (Matthew 20:25-27).
A Servant’s Heart (v7b). “…took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men…”. Jesus said of Himself of in Matthew 20:28—“…theSonofmancamenottobeministered unto,buttominister,andtogivehislifearansomformany.” Friends, if we are going to shine like the SON in a sin-darkened world we must have a servant’s heart! A Preacher tells about cleaning out a desk drawer and finding an old flashlight. It wouldn’t work. The batteries were badly corroded. He had put the flashlight in a warm and comfortable spot, but it wasn’t intended to be warm and comfortable. It was intended to give light. “It’s the same with us. We weren’t created to be warm, safe and comfortable. You and I were made to be turned on—To put our lives to work in difficult, trying situations—To let our light shine—through acts of simple service.
An Obedient Sacrifice (v8b). Christ was the willing sacrifice. He freely gave Himself for us! He died the most shameful and painful of all deaths for us—the death of the cross! He just didn’t give some, HE GAVE ALL! So few are willing to give of themselves to the cause of Christ. When we come to the end of life, the question will be, "How much have you given?" not "How much have you gotten?" -- George Sweeting, former president, Moody Bible Institute. Men of Integrity, Vol. 1, no. 2. Paul tells us in Romans 12:1-2—“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

THE HONOR OF CHRIST (vv. 9-11). “God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.”Some day every knee will bow to Him and acknowledge how GREAT HE IS!

(3) The Process

Philippians 2:12-16—“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always

obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain.”

A. Reverence Unto God (v12). Paul says, “work out your own salvation

with fear and trembling.” The words “work out" is our translation of a

single Greek word which means “to bring to full completion, to full

accomplishment."

ILLUS. Dr. Lehman Strauss gives us an apt illustration of the

principle of “working out" in his commentary on Philippians.

On a visit to the West Indies in 1956, He witnessed American

aluminum manufacturers removing millions of tons of bauxite

from the hills of Jamaica. The rich ore was already there.

God had put it there, man had only to work it out. It was a

costly effort, but that effort when completed would pay off in

large dividends.

Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us, “For by grace are ye saved through faith;

and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any

man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus

unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk

in them.” Friends, we are serve God because we love Him. He has

saved us as Paul said, “unto good works, which God hath before

ordained that we should walk in them.” Ecclesiastes 12:13 says, “Let

us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his

commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.” Paul said in

Philippians 3:14—“I press toward the mark for the prize of the high

calling of God in Christ Jesus.” A .W. Tozer said, "We have become so

engrossed with the work of the LORD that we have forgotten the LORD

of the work." We must never forget WHO the Lord is and WHY we serve

HIM!

B. Reliance On God (v13). Friends, If we are going shine like the SON in

a sin-darkened world we must rely upon the Lord! Isaiah 40:31 tells

us, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they

shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary;

and they shall walk, and not faint.” Sometimes we get weary, worn,

tired, and beaten down in the sin-dark world but we must not give up

or give in to the world, flesh and the devil! We must remember what

Paul said in Philippians 4:13—“I can do all things through Christ

which strengtheneth me.” We must remember that as we let our light

shine in this sin-darkened world we are serving “Him that is able to do

exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the

power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20). Paul said in Colossians

1:29, "I also labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in

me mightily.”

C. Reflection Of God (vv. 14-16). Someone has said, "LORD, make my

life a window for your light to shine through and a mirror to reflect

your love to everyone I meet." Paul gives us here three things we must

do to be a reflection of God:

"Don't Complain & Murmur" (v14). 1 Corinthians 10:10 gives us Paul's reference to Israel's complaining and murmuring, “Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.”
"Don't Be a Counterfeit" (v15). The word “blameless” here means "without fault before others". The word "harmless" speaks of “purity in thoughts and motives". The words “without rebuke”"without blemish or moral disgrace". There are so many counterfeits in the Church today! A Christian should be a Christian! Our churches are in serious trouble today. There is virtually no difference between the average church member and the person who is not a Christian. God meant for the Christian to be different, to live a different kind of life, and to be on a different moral level from those who are not Christians. And yet, there is practically no difference in lifestyle.- Jerry Vines
"Do Carry The Word With You Wherever you Go" (v16). We are to be “holding forth the word of life…”. Jesus said in Matthew 5:16—“Letyourlightsoshinebeforemen,thattheymayseeyourgoodworks,andglorifyyourFatherwhichisinheaven.” We MUST BE BOLD IN OUR WITNESS (Psalm 107:2) and BLESSED AND LED BY THE WORD (Psalm 119:11, 105).

CLOSING: Are you letting your LIGHT shine today? When you go about life's

way, "can others see a reflection of Jesus through you?" The hero

is one who kindles a great light in the world, who sets up blazing

torches in the dark streets of life for men to see by. The saint is the

man who walks through the dark paths of the world, himself a

light. -- Felix Adler, quoted in Daily Guideposts (1996). Christianity

Today, Vol. 40, no. 7.