Philippians 2:1-11

If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Sermon Series - the Five-Fold Vision Statements of Dr. Barry - #6

"A Vision for the Church"

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

In the last five weeks we have examined the "vision" of Dr. Alvin Barry, the president of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod for the Synod. At our last convention, in Saint Louis last summer, the Synod officially adopted the five-fold vision of Dr. Barry for the Synod as our theme and as a set of principles upon which to organize our work together as a Synod. Today we sum it up. We want to take a last look at the five statements with the theme, a Vision for the Church.

• Be in the Word.
• Care for One Another.
• Tell the Good News.
• Remain Faithful.
• Live in Peace.

Dr. Barry's "Vision" for the church is more than just a vision. It is a hope for the church, in God, and a prayer -- and the knowledge that with God's blessings, these things can be. We can be the kind of church that Dr. Barry envisioned, but we will need God's abundant blessing, and we will need to faithfully, intelligently and deliberately strive for the goal of being the sort of church that God would have us be - for that is the sum and substance of the vision of Dr. Barry.

Our text suggests that those who are Christ's will share that vision. Dr. Barry did not dream up something on his own, but he held up before us what the Holy Spirit works in us, and which God has clearly revealed in His Word that He would have us to be. Our text begins with the "if" statements. If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion.

Those "if" statements really mean to say "if you are a Christian. If it is real and you are not fooling yourself. If God is at work in you." If you are genuinely part of the body of Christ, then you know that the Church desires to be what God wants the Church to be. We may not succeed at every moment, but we want it. We want to stand in the Word and in the Truth. We want to have and enjoy that fellowship of the saints. We want the peace that passes understanding. We want to be the Church that God wants us to be.

And if you are a Christian, the Bible says that you have been called to be the Church that God wants you to be. Listen to our text. It follows the "if" with this exhortation: make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Our mission is to be the faithful people of God. It is only as we are faithfully what God called us to be that we can reflect His glory in the world, and draw men to Him, to show Him to them. Our unity and fellowship and love for one another are what the world can see of the blessedness, communion, and love of God - and of the good things that God would give to those who call upon Him in faith.

In Church as God would have us be Church, God comes first - otherwise He is not God in our minds and hearts. After God, others come second. Paul wrote, Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Then everything else follows after in its place.

That is what sets the Christian apart. Our neighbors - fellow believers in particular - come before ourselves. In the world, everything works the other way. Everything in the world focuses on the self. What's in it for me?, is the world's question. How do I profit? Where is my share? Anything else than putting number one first is considered foolish, except from the perspective of the Gospel.

Paul calls it having the mind of Christ - Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus. The attitude He describes is the attitude of humility. It is not an attitude of which denies our own worth, but an attitude which places other people, other things, and the ideas of others ahead of our own. It is the attitude demonstrated by Jesus. Although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Jesus knew what was real -- and what was not. He knew who He was and what He had - so He could set it aside for others. The Gospel enables us to do the same. The Gospel tells us that our sins have been taken away, that God loves us with a deep and lasting love, and that our well-being is of primary concern to Him. It tells us of the certainty of blessings, of resurrection from the grave, and of life eternal, glorious and joyful and without end. These are the promises of God to all who believe and trust Him.

In the Gospel, you have already everything you need. God is on the job. He will not let you suffer the lack of anything you really need - although He may take those things away from you upon which you depend and which you falsely think that you cannot do without. He has promised to guard and guide and keep and bless you, and that even death is not the end, nor can it defeat you, when you trust in Him. And you know you can trust Him, He showed how deep and profound His love and commitment is to you by the sending His Son to die on the cross for you that you might have life!

So others are important. You know what is true about you, and what you believe, and that your hope is in God completely - If indeed it is (remember the If statements at the beginning of the text). You know, but what we do not know is the condition of any other person, not even the one sitting next to you in the pew, or on a chair. We assume the others here are Christians, but we don't know. We don't know what is happening to them, or what temptations they are facing, or what sorrows threaten to topple their confidence in God. We need to act on their behalf, to strengthen and encourage them in the faith at every moment.

We really do not know what is happening to those who are not among this morning, or any morning. We do not know what they know, or what they believe - although we can be sure that many of them have no idea what God has done, or what He offers. Even in other churches they are often not told that forgiveness and life and salvation are the gifts of God. We have everything we need in the Gospel, but they do not know that it is there for them as well. We can afford to set others first, we cannot lose what we have if we trust God, and we have everything we need for forgiveness, salvation, and everlasting life in Jesus Christ.

When we have the same attitude as Jesus showed, then we will want to do what is right at all times - even at great personal cost. We can set aside money. We can set aside possessions. We can set aside friends, fame, even family if we must. Indeed, we must. Jesus said, "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me."

The mind of Jesus is that we trust God -- so that we can set anything aside which we must set aside, risk loosing anything to remain faithful, and to do what is right and good, and to be a blessing for our neighbor. Jesus gave it all for us. We are to give it all to Him.

It doesn't sound easy, does it? It is not. It is only by the power of God that we do any of it. If is by his power that we believe. It is by His power that we desire to do what it right. And it is only by His power that we will do what is right and good. In Jesus Christ, we have everything we need - even the faithful doing of what God would have us to do, and being what God would have us to be. Yes, He teaches this truth is Scripture - two verses after our text this morning, in verse 13 of Philippians 2: for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

The up-side is the blessing that comes with faithfulness. For Jesus it was this: Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. For you it is life and salvation, and resurrection from the dead, and things which we cannot say, do not know, and if we did, we probably wouldn't understand them clearly anyhow. But it is called "glory" and "joy" and "peace forevermore" in the Bible.

• Be in the Word.
• Care for One Another.
• Tell the Good News.
• Remain Faithful.
• Live in Peace.

This is how we confess Christ in our world as a Church. We live in the reality of what we believe by living out what it means for our lives and the lives of those around us - peace, unity, joy, fellowship, confession, steadfastness, and love. If it seems to you that we do not live it out well, that is true. Some of us have not matured in the faith, some of us may not be in the faith at all, and each of us has to fight the sin and evil desires of our flesh, and of the Tempter. But we live out this confession, however incompletely, if we are truly His.

One of the truths of Scripture - mentioned in the last verses of our text - is that everyone will confess Christ. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess. We will either confess Jesus with heart and lip and life here and now, or with terror, and sorrow, and weeping and gnashing of teeth at the judgment. But every tongue will confess Jesus Christ is Lord!

So, be in the Word. Care for one another. Tell the good news to everyone you can at every opportunity God gives you. Stand ever-faithful to the truth. And live in peace with everyone, at least as far as such peace depends on you. That is the vision for the church, and the vision for each one of us in Jesus Christ as we live in this world.

This is the Vision of the Bride of Christ. In it we see the Church as she is, without spot or wrinkle or blemish or any such thing. The Church is always like this for this is what Jesus makes her to be and gives to her. There are no failures in the Church, no hypocrites, no unbelievers. She is cleansed and pure in and through Jesus Christ. That is no vision, but reality. The "vision" part of it is that we will be in her, that we will be faithful and pure. And if we are in her we must be, for the Bride of Christ is faithful and pure - by the blessing of God. God grant that we stand within her!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

(Let the people say "Amen".)

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