Sanctification by the Gospel, not Discipleship (Phil 2:5-11)

Philippians 2:5-11; Key Verse: 2:8

"...even death on a cross."

Gospel-Driven Sanctification: The title of my sermon is "Sanctification by the Gospel, not Discipleship." This might be misunderstood as saying that discipleship is not important for Christians. That is not what I am saying. What I am saying is that discipleship does not necessarily result in sanctification. Rather, sanctification results in true discipleship.

Tullian Tchividjian wrote, "Many Christians have come to believe that the key to deeper spiritual renewal and revival is 'working harder.' (or discipleship) The truth, however, is that real spiritual growth (sanctification) happens only when we rediscover the gospel." (Surprised by Grace, 17)

Graeme Goldsworthy wrote, "The imitation of Christ (discipleship) is not the center of the teaching of the NT. We are saved and made into the image of Christ not by our efforts to imitate him. Such an idea reduces the gospel to ethical effort. ...the gospel tells us of the absolutely unique work of Christ, both in his living and his dying, by which we are saved through faith." (Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture, 4)

Matt Chandler wrote, "For some reason--namely our depravity--we have a tendency to think that the cross saves us from past sin, but after we are saved, we have to take over and clean ourselves up. This sort of thinking is devastating to the soul. We call this the 'assumed gospel,' and it flourishes when well-meaning teachers, leaders and preachers set out to see lives first and foremost conformed to a pattern of behavior (religion) and not transformed by the Holy Spirit's power (gospel)." (The Explicit Gospel, 14)

John Piper wrote "Future Grace," a 447 page book, "to explore how the faith that justifies also sanctifies."

When we are truly sanctified by the gospel, we thrive as delightful disciples of Christ. Because of the gospel, our lives become abundant and full (Jn 10:10); it becomes a life of rest where Jesus' yoke is easy and light (Mt 11:28-30). But if our focus is on discipleship and spiritual disciplines, it emphasizes what man must do rather than the gospel of our salvation. This anthropocentric focus easily becomes burdensome and results in Phariseeism, tribalism, traditionalism, and CFS: Christian Fatigue Syndrome. It is because piety not marinated by the gospel will run out of gas. The gospel produces both delight and duty. Discipleship forces and imposes duty, often disregarding delight. The Christian who grows best and are getting better are those who increasingly realize that their relationship to God does not depend on them getting better. Christians grow not by behaving better, but by believing better--by believing the gospel in bigger, deeper, brighter ways.

Inward/Outward Focus: Phil 2:5-11 has been called "The Song of Christ," "A Hymn of Christ" (The Christ Hymn), and "The Theology of Christmas" (by John MacArthur). William Barclay says, "If humility, obedience and self-renunciation were the supreme characteristics of the life of Jesus, they must also be the hallmarks of Christians. Selfishness, self-seeking and self-display destroy our likeness to Christ and our fellowship with each other." The gospel always creates an outward (others) focus (Phil 2:3-4; 2 Cor 5:15), never an inward (self) orientation (incurvatus in se). Because of the gospel, Paul's life is filled with hardship (2 Cor 6:3-10), yet palpably full of joy (2 Cor 7:4). Even Job in the OT "knows" the gospel in his utter devastation when he expresses his "joy in unrelenting pain" (Job 6:10).

How do we grow as Christians? How does sanctification work? I decided to spend a 2nd week on this text because it is so crucially central to Christianity and to being a Christian. There are 3 points I wish to expound on (which are critical for joy):

1. Sacrifice: Understanding Jesus' sacrifice grounds our life foundation as Christians.
   
2. Suffering: Only our hope of exultation/resurrection enables us to suffer loss for Christ.
   
3. Sanctification: We grow as Christians (sanctification) through the gospel, not self-effort.

I. Sacrifice of Christ (Phil 2:6-8)

Do you understand the extent of the sacrifice of Jesus? Can we even begin to comprehend his selfless sacrifice, service and servanthood? If the cross and sacrifice of Jesus is not well or deeply understood, our foundation as a Christian will be weak. It will not result in or produce grace in us, which is the most lovely aspect of being a Christian. Grace results in me only when I know the depth of my depravity/sin, which resulted in and required the infinite cost of the sacrifice of God's sinless Son.

II. Suffering of Christians (Phil 2:9-11)

Am I willing to suffer for Christ as a Christian? Why should I? How can I? Our culture has perhaps created an aversion toward any kind of suffering. The health, wealth, prosperity gospel certainly does not help us have a positive view toward suffering. Teaching that our obedient Christian actions brings God's blessing upon our temporal lives also does not help. Such teachings are inward/self focused that makes Christianity primarily about getting personal benefits and blessings from God. Then even when we serve God and others, our hope is to gain God's favor and blessings. We do not serve God/others because we have already been blessed beyond belief by the gospel. Rather, we serve because we want some "extra" blessings beyond the gospel, such as a growing ministry, a happy marriage, our kids doing well, etc.

Being a Christian involves suffering. Jesus said that to follow him we are to deny ourselves and take up our cross (Mt 16:24; Mk 8:34; Lk 9:23). Paul just said that we Christians have been given the gift of suffering (Phil 1:29). The Risen Christ encourages Christians to be faithful even to the point of death (Rev 2:10). Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple" (Lk 14:26). Can we/are we willing to suffer as a Christian according to what Paul and Jesus say in the Bible? How can we?

Ultimately, the only way we can find joy in our suffering and loss is if we truly believe in our reward as Christians. Jesus suffered beyond belief, beyond our human comprehension. He could because of the joy set before him (Heb 12:2). Do we Christians truly believe in our ultimate joy and reward? The martyrdom of countless saints through out history was because of their firm unwavering conviction of joy in their reward. What is the reward that we presently seek? The kingdom of God? Or a "better" kingdom for ourselves and for our kids here and now?

III. Sanctification (Phil 1:27; 2:12-13)

Sanctification is crucial to joy as a Christian. A growing Christian is a happy Christian. An unhappy Christian is one who is not growing. A young Christian who is growing is happy, even as they "sin a lot." A long standing Christian who is not growing is not happy, even though they "sin less." This is the mystery of sanctification.

Paul gives 2 imperatives in Phil 1:27; 2:12, "conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ," and "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling." This would be how every true Christian lives: he lives a life worthy of the gospel, and he works out his Christian life with fear and trembling. This is how every Christian grows/matures/becomes more and more Christ like as a Christian. What does this mean practically?

There seems to be an implicit idea among Christians that you need the gospel for your salvation. But after that you need additional spiritual disciplines to grow as a Christian--an esoteric doctrine, a mystical experience, a therapeutic technique, a discipleship course. This will invariably end up relativizing and marginalizing the Gospel, stripping it of its power while it directs the attention of people away from the Gospel and toward something less helpful. This has sadly happened to many a church.

Paul teaches us that we are always just a generation or 2 from losing the gospel (2 Tim 2:2). The 1st generation knows the gospel. The 2nd generation assumes the gospel. The 3rd generation confuses the gospel. The 4th generation denies the gospel. As a 50 year old church, might we be somewhere between the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation? Are we proclaiming and heralding the gospel? Or are we emphasizing and modeling some discipleship methodology to the next generation of Christians?

How do we grow and mature as Christians? How are we sanctified? Paul gives us the gospel by clearly and concisely explaining to us who Jesus is and what he did for us in the Christ hymn. How can I apply the gospel in my life as a Christian?

1. Read the Bible. If Bible reading/studying is driven by the gospel, this is a delight, and not just a dry duty.
2. Preach the Gospel to yourself. Do you hear/see the gospel in your Bible? Or do you just feel burdened by the things that are commanded in the Bible?
3. Be communal, not tribal. Live for the welfare and benefit of others, not yourself. This is never possible without the gospel.

Pray that we never loose sight of the gospel. Paul regarded that his singular purpose of life is to testify to "the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24, ESV). All of the Bible is about the gospel--good news, not good advice. (The Bible is not primarily Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth!) The Bible is a Him book. Jesus says that the Bible is about him (Jn 5:39; Lk 24:27,44). When we are grounded in the gospel, sanctification is the way we grow in closeness to Jesus. Outside of the gospel, sanctification may feel like pulling impacted teeth. May the gospel bear fruit and grow in us and through us throughout the world (Col 1:6). Day by day, may we grow in the grace and knowledge of the gospel (2 Pet 3:18). In 2012, may God sanctify us by the gospel.

For Discussion: Regarding what the mind of Jesus is (Phil 2:5), discuss the following elements in the humiliation and exaltation of Christ (as phrased by Ligon Duncan):

The Humiliation of Christ

1. His divinity. He is "in very nature God" (Phil 1:6a; Rom 9:5).
   
2. His abnegation. Jesus "did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage" (Phil 1:6b; 2 Cor 8:9).
   
3. His self-abasement. "He made himself nothing" (Phil 2:7a).
4. His voluntary servitude. He took "the very nature of a servant" (Phil 2:7b) or "bond-slave."
   
5. His incarnation. He was "made in human likeness" (Phil 2:7c; Jn 1:14).
   
6. His ultimate humiliation. "And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross" (Phil 2:8; Jn 10:17-18; Ps 31:5; Lk 23:46; 1 Pet 3:18; Heb 12:2; Gal 3:13; Isa 66:2).
   

The Exaltation of Christ

1. His hyper-exaltation. "God exalted him to the highest" (Phil 2:9a).
2. His final coronation. God "gave him the name that is above every name" (Phil 9:2b).
   
3. His global adoration. "...that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth" (Phil 2:10; Isa 45:21-23).
   
4. His universal confession. "...every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord" (Phil 2:11a).
   
5. His paternal glorification. "...to the glory of God the Father" (Phil 2:11b).

Reference: Gospel-Driven Sanctification, Jerry Bridges, 2003, Modern Reformation Magazine (May / June Issue, Vol. 12.3).