Unity Through Oneness In Christ
by Rev. Kirby Williams
Paul's formula for the unity of believers through oneness with Christ.
Text: Phil. 2:1-4
Date: 03/17/2024, the Evening service.
Series: "Evenfall; Sunday Evening Worship" Part 11
Description:
Paul continues to emphasize the importance of unity within the body of Christ, as a necessary outworking of the radical change brought about by the Gospel. After telling his readers to live in a way worthy of the Gospel, he pointed out that this meant striving side by side for the faith, and suffering for the cause of Christ if necessary. In this message he will flesh that out a bit and articulate his formula for unity within the church. Importantly, that unity will not be an external bond that simply ties people together, but rather the internal bond where the members of the church are bound together in their minds, their hearts and their spirits, with singularity of purpose, and souls transformed by the Holy Spirit. To put it simply, Paul's formula for unity within the Church is oneness in Christ.
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I. Introduction, John 17:19-21, 1Cor. 1:10.
II. Exposition of the text, Phil. 2:1-4.
A. Context
B. Exploring Paul's formula for church unity.
1. Four blessings that "demand" unity, vs. 1, Phil. 1:27.
a. Encouragement in Christ.
b. Comfort from love.
c. Participation in the Spirit, Acts 2:42.
d. Affection and sympathy.
2. Joy in unity, vs. 2.
a. Another source of joy.
b. Four essentials for unity.
i. United with the mind of Christ, Phil. 2:5, Col. 3:2, Rom. 15:5.
ii. United in the love of Christ, Gal. 6:10, Eph. 5:2, 25.
iii. United in spirit, Eph. 2:2, 2Tim. 1:14, 1Cor. 3:16.
iv. Being of one purpose, Luke 12:31.
3. The essential Kingdom values of humility and selflessness, vs. 3-4.
a. The importance of humility, vs. 3, Phil. 1:17, Luke 14:11, 11:43.
b. The importance of selflessness, vs. 4, Luke 12:19-21.
III. Application
A. Unity like a bag of marbles.
B. Unity like a magnet.
IV. Conclusion
