The objective of this lesson: to emphasize the critical link between honoring God's holiness and demonstrating godly attitudes in our behavior as God's people.
Belonging to God primarily influences the way we treat people. It is only through the way we treat others that we can respond to God's love for us. Knowledge of the Holy God always has that influence. Consider some obvious illustrations. (1) The Ten Commandments. When God spoke the Ten Commandments to Israel from Mount Sinai, four of those commandments dealt with the way they treated God, and six dealt with the way they treated people (Exodus 20:1-17). If they understood Who God was, they would treat people differently. (2) Israel's insulting worship. Israel's worship was reduced to a meaningless offense against God through their unjust treatment of others (Isaiah 1:10-17). (3) Jesus' definition of neighbor in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). (4) James' statement on personal favoritism in James 2:1-9. (5) James' statement on cursing people in James 3:9-12.
God and His word has always stressed the link between "being God's people" and "treating other people with love and respect." The principle is simple: if we honor the Creator, we must respect people because people are made in God's image.
Consider Philippians 2:1-11: Therefore if 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 regard one another as more important than yourselves; 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. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Perhaps you can have people in the class read this text. You may have a skilled reader read the whole passage, or you may have those willing read a verse of the text (from person to person).
To Christians in every age, is there encouragement in Christ? It is enormous! To Christians in every age, is there consolation in God's love? Without God's love, we could not endure! To Christians in every age, is there fellowship with God through the Spirit? The Spirit actively blesses us and serves as evidence we belong to God! To the Christian in every age, is there affection and compassion to be discovered in what God does through Jesus for us? There would be neither salvation nor grace, neither mercy nor forgiveness, neither sanctification nor cleansing were it not for the love of a compassionate God and compassionate Savior! To those in Christ, each of the qualities listed by Paul are undeniable! The Christians at Philippi had no desire to deny any of them! They would affirm the existence of these qualities without hesitation! Paul knew they would!
Paul began by calling their attention to spiritual realities and values in Christ appreciated by all of them. Paul began with values all would affirm existed as cherished blessings.
Paul's challenge: "Since you would affirm these qualities without hesitation, in the same unhesitant spirit accept some specific responsibilities." What responsibilities? (1) A commitment to unity among yourselves in understanding and accepting Jesus' identify. (2) A commitment to love among yourselves [which would include loving and lovable behavior]. (3) A commitment to a uniting spirit in their Christian community. (4) A commitment to a common purpose in Jesus Christ.
Paul continued by asking this: "If I have inspired you to loyalty to the Christ who provides these blessings, allow me also to challenge you to accept the responsibilities of these blessings." The fact that Paul felt it necessary to stress these things indicates these responsibilities were either neglected or absent in that congregation. Note that all of the responsibilities would be addressed by allowing Christ to define unity and love within their Christian community at Philippi.
If living in Christ produced these four commitments, how would these commitments be expressed in their lives? (1) The motivations for their behavior would never arise from selfishness or conceit. (2) Their genuine humility honestly would place importance on others rather than self. (3) Their concerns would not be limited to personal interests [self-advancement] but genuinely would be widened to include concern for the interest of others.
Emphasize the commitments were to be expressed in behavior. When Christians are committed to the principle of unity, that commitment is expressed in the behavior of unity. When they are committed to the principle of love, that commitment is expressed in the behavior of love. To live and behave in defiance of unity and love is to declare we do not believe in the principles of unity and love. The evidence of belief (faith, trust) is declared in the individual's and congregation's behavior.
Who would be their example to mold them from the inside out? Jesus Christ! Why? In demanding circumstances, Jesus did (in incredible ways!) the things Paul requested of the Philippian Christians. In declaring his unity with the Father, in a love for us beyond comprehension, in the spirit that should obsess the Christian community, in total commitment to the divine purpose, he was unselfish in ways humans do not understand. Totally void of conceit, he was so concerned about human needs that he who helped create forsook his divine position to be a creature he helped make! As if that were not enough, he assumed a lowly position among those creatures--that of a servant! He totally emptied himself! As though it was not enough to be a serving creature, he went further. He surrendered to a painful, shameful death! Note that he did not exalt himself--God exalted him! God did more than resurrect him! God also conferred on him a position unequaled among humans! God enthroned him!
The example of faith in and behavior produced by the principles of unselfish unity and sacrificial love was and is the resurrected Lord himself! Christians at Philippi were not asked to behave consistently with the principles of unity and love as the first expression of those principles! Jesus Christ himself embodied those principles in coming to be our Savior and in dying for our sins. God validated those principles by exalting and enthroning Jesus Christ for humbling himself as the servant who fully surrendered to God's will. The Christians at Philippi were asked to do what the Lord who saved them did!
The moment and event will come when Jesus' position and authority are undeniably obvious to all. In the event of judgment, even Jesus' greatest critics and harshest enemies will be humbled by the position God conferred on him. Those who by faith "see" what God did in the event of Jesus' crucifixion and "see" what God continued to do as they existed as God's "new creatures" recognized Jesus Christ for who he is long before the judgment. With humble but triumphant joy they gladly bow before him--as they did prior to the judgment!
The humble Jesus who serves as today's Savior will occupy the role of the Judge who pronounces sentence in judgment. While some may reject him now as Savior, all will bow before him as Judge.
Remarkably, even his enemies and critics will bow themselves before him. This bowing will not be the result of a faith-filled response, but the product of the conquered bowing before the conqueror. All will bow! Some will bow as those who long understood who Jesus was. Some will bow as the conquered. All tongues will confess that he is Lord! Some will confess again what they long confessed. Some will confess for the first time. For some it will be a confession of joy, and for some it will be the conquered's confession.
This occasion will be one of great, respectful joy for some, and the realization that comes through defeat for others. Note the task of judging was not given to these Christians at Philippi. They were given the responsibility of reflecting the principles of unity and love in their behavior.
The end result will be the same. Whether it is a bowing and confession of joy or of defeat, God the Father will be glorified. Bowing before and confessing the identity of Jesus will honor the Holy God Who sent Jesus and raised him from the dead.
Whether bowing is the result of the joy of deliverance or the realization of defeat, the act of bowing [and confessing] will be the same. The difference will be in the motivation to bow--the joy of deliverance or the reality of defeat.
In judgment, God's holiness will be vindicated beyond challenge. Evil will be defeated and destroyed. The ultimate objective of Jesus' ministry, death, and resurrection will be achieved. The Holy God will be the All in All.
Focus students' awareness on the fact that the primary objective of judgment is reestablishing God's position over His rebellious creation. The salvation of those in Christ is a benefit resulting from God again being the All in All.
How can those in Christ right now declare the holiness of God? We will keep unity among ourselves. We will not allow selfishness and conceit to motivate our behavior. We will maintain love among ourselves. We will allow Jesus Christ to be our common purpose. Only in these ways can we verify the holiness of God.
Our commitment as Christians to God's principles of unity and love are essential if we are to declare the holiness of God. Those principles must govern our attitudes that determine our behavior--in the Christian community and out of the Christian community!
Thought Question:
When Christians promote discord, act on selfish motives, are unconcerned about others, and are unloving as a people, how do we obscure God's holiness? How did Jesus' life verify God's holiness?
The core of this discussion needs to center on the understanding that actions which deny unity, that selfishness among Christians, that disregard for other people, and that unloving attitudes and behavior hide God's holiness. If the impact of Christian behavior causes those who seek God to be unimpressed with God, Christians fail to reflect the Holy God in their emotions and behavior. Those who sought God saw in Jesus the character of the Holy God. Jesus not only declared the Holy God's values, purposes, and priorities in words--he lived and died by them!
Link to Student Guide
Lesson 10