WEEK THREE
Day Four
DAILY SCRIPTURE
Philippians 2:17
LEADER GUIDE QUESTIONS
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Know: Read Philippians 2:14-18
Note: Read slowly, carefully marking keywords.
Complaining, disputing, blameless, harmless, children of God, shine as lights in the world, I may rejoice in the day of Christ.
Observation:
Why must the church not complain or argue?
How was Paul the master engineer?
What: In what way have you taken up the responsibility Paul hoped for the church?
Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Yes, and if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. For the same reason you also be glad and rejoice with me. Philippians 14-18
As I stood in the center of the National Mall, I couldn’t help but feel the awe of the genius of its engineer, Pierre L’Enfant. Commissioned by our first president, George Washington, the infancy of his vision took a greater plan throughout the past 200 years to become a grand representation of America. It was not exactly what he envisioned, however. Some say it became too gaudy and crowded, but his original Romanesque buildings are beautiful and awe-inspiring. Our first president’s home, Mt. Vernon, also evokes an awe of his leadership genius. He would be very pleased today to see how his vision for his farm, estate, and country has continued to inspire us today.
In this passage in Philippians, Paul is the engineer; he is looking forward to the day of Christ when God will bring the whole cosmos to justice and peace through the return of Jesus as Lord. He doesn’t know whether he will live to see that day, but he engineered a plan that, if the people follow his design the way he’d showed them, will stand out as the one thing of beauty in a dark and spiritually ugly world—a sign of what God will one day do when He returns.
They were to shine as lights to the world.
The first time Jesus used the phrase, “I am the light of the world (John 8:12),” came on the heels of letting a woman caught in the act of adultery know that he did not condemn her. The power of her “go and sin no more” was the “therefore, I do not condemn you.” Jesus then tells his disciples that they are the light of the world, a city on a hill that cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14-16). The power of our light is “therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” In Christ, all condemnation has been removed, and we live by the Spirit of life.
In the previous passages, Paul emphasized that the church is hidden in Christ; it is Jesus’ power working in and through them and that He is the fountainhead of our salvation. Therefore, live in light of this great salvation. In doing so, demonstrating His love through them will draw the world to that light.
Daniel 12:3 says, “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” Later in his book, Daniel prophecied that God would raise the dead and that the people of God would, by thier skill of applying God’s word, shine on the world. Paul connected Daniels' Prophecy and Jesus’ fulfillment with the assignment that the church was not only to be light and shine beauty to the world but also be a sign of life in a world that only knows death.
You would understand Paul’s admonition if you were a parent or teacher. For the teacher, you invest your life into training a roomful of kids with the hope that your life’s work will not fail. What will they do with what they were taught? You love, train, and discipline as a parent, hoping to see your investment take root. Your goal is for your ceiling to become their floor. Nothing is more disappointing than having what seems to be an obedient classroom, walking away, and all of them losing their minds. Lip service is disappointing.
Paul longingly desired that the church's design, inspired by the Holy Spirit, would last centuries after his death. His goal for the church was that they would take on the responsibility of building the kingdom more in his absence than in his presence.
In light of this, they were to do it without grumbling or complaining, referencing the Israelites in the wilderness. The Israelites could not see the provision of God. They could not see His goodness or love; all they could see is what they lacked. Thier grumbling led to a longer exile. Paul saw the church as a people of a new Exodus brought out of the bondage of sin and death through the Passover Lamb. They were in a new promised land; don’t follow the example the Israelites led by not living in light of thier great salvation.
In our culture today, we see very little persecution in the Western world. What we face are apathy, distraction, and religion. It isn’t until something goes wrong that our focus turns to God, but with the idea that the bad things are God’s way of punishing us to return to Him. This idea of God is based on a mythological version. This is not our God. Our God draws us by his kindness, not His punishment. Punishment has to do with fear. There is no fear in love. God draws us by His mercy and kindness to give us the benefits of sonship. He desires that we see His love and kindness, and we will continue in that love. When we see how loved we are, we will, in turn, love as we have been.