ROSS SMITH 24/06/2015
Philippians 2:14 DO ALL THINGS without grumbling and faultfinding and complaining (a) [against God] and questioning and doubting (b) [among yourselves], (This constitutes the double barrel PROCESS) THAT YOU MAY SHOW YOURSELVES to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish (faultless, unrebukable) in the midst of a crooked and wicked generation [spiritually perverted and perverse], among whom YOU ARE SEEN AS BRIGHT LIGHTS (stars or beacons shining out clearly) in the [dark] world, This constitutes the PROOF)
The first, and very confronting aspect of this scripture is the introduction, DO ALL THINGS.
Now let me firstly say that we should not confuse it with “EVERYTHING”. However, there is an INSTRUCTION followed by a CONDITION, and unless we fulfil the INSTRUCTION there poses a real threat to being able to fulfil the CONDITION, so be prepared to DO ALL THINGS.
What does this constitute? Does it relate to the work I am employed in, does it relate to my ministry, is it relevant to the demands of my family, well I find that scripture provides my safest answer.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 WHATEVER your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol (the place of the dead), where you are going.
We are offered a chance here and now to demonstrate to the Lord that there is nothing either too hard, too demanding, too demeaning, too illustrious, too way out, or whatever other spin we may want to apply, because if we don’t take the opportunity now, regardless of anything, then as sure as hell we won’t get to do it later.
Just so I eliminate any chance of us skipping out by thinking that “HAND FINDS TO DO” only refers to practical, work type matters. This term is intended to represent and be a symbol of our active nature, whether it be physical labour, academic pursuits, bible study, ministry etc. Saul came to this conclusion with quite a jolt as we see in:-
Acts 9:6 Trembling and astonished he (Saul) asked, Lord, what do You desire me to do? The Lord said to him, But arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.
The duties that lie nearest will commonly be the most urgent, or as we have learned, “DO FIRST WHAT YOU FIRST KNOW TO DO”, but let me reinforce this, “DO IT WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT”. Again, let’s not distort the intention, some people MIGHT JUST DO IT or MIGHT THINK ABOUT IT, no, it is the manner Peter described in 2 Peter 1, “Apply every effort”.
So we have here both the PROCESS and the PROOF or the INSTRUCTION and the CONDITION. There are two parts to the PROCESS, firstly our communications with the Lord need to be refined so that when we come to Him we do so in accordance with the principles of scripture, and secondly how we communicate with each other. They are inseparable in their requirement and unbelievable in their result.
Psalm 100:4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name!
There is nothing in this verse that provides “wriggle room” for me to tell the Lord how unfair He has been to me this week, and it reflects a state of proper motive together with at least some comprehension of His “Inconceivable Greatness”.
The second part is a little more demanding, because we have been taught over generations to question everything and winge to get our own way, called “the squeaky wheel syndrome”. This component does not relate what we are called upon to do, BUT IS FOR US TO RECOGNISE THAT IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT IT IS WE HAVE TO DO, FATHER DESIGNED IT, DEFINED IT, CONSIGNED IT, and for us to say that we don’t have the where withal or the ability, or the talent, or the time, or the inclination ….. or are poorly equipped, or prone to failure, this is “grumbling and faultfinding and complaining [against God]
Did your Mum or Dad, when they asked you to do something and you questioned them as to why, responded with the old cliché? Well my parents often said “JUST DO IT” and now as I look at scripture I see that this was very wise approach, although at the time it was quite unpalatable. I was prone to “grumble and fault find and complain against Mum and Dad”, I always had a “why”, always needed them to give me a reason. Just to maintain the context of where we are going, did I act like this because I thought it was below my dignity, or not my job, or was being asked too much of, well that’s where “JUST DO IT ” comes into it, IT REQUIRES SUBMISSION, WHICH IS HUMLITY.
1 John 5:3 For the [true] love of God is this: that we do His commands [keep His ordinances and are MINDFUL of His precepts and teaching]. And these orders of His are not irksome (burdensome, oppressive, or grievous).
HUMILITY IS THE FERTILE SOIL OF RIGHTEOUS CHARACTER.
I recall recently that there was some study involving “BIRTH PANGS” and wondered at the time if these “PANGS” would come as a test to anyone, and provide a platform for us to complain to Father. You see whenever we find the Word of God speaking to us, it is not enough to agree with the principle, we then have to provide the evidence. A sermon is never finished, it has to be lived.
And that is the reason sometimes that people are inclined to “COMPLAIN AGAINST GOD”, simply because He gives us the opportunity to see if we have comprehended the revelation. You may recall that God will give us Wisdom if we ask, but in comes “By Costly Experience”. (Proverbs 5:1 AMP)
Now contrast the instruction from:-
Philippians 2:3-4 DO NOTHING (The complete opposite to verse 14 “DO ALL THINGS”) from factional motives [through contentiousness, strife, selfishness, or for unworthy ends] or prompted by conceit and empty arrogance. (Or in a manner lacking HUMILITY …. Comments mine) INSTEAD, in the TRUE SPIRIT OF HUMILITY (lowliness of mind) let each regard the others as better than and superior to himself [thinking more highly of one another than you do of yourselves]. Let each of you esteem and look upon and be concerned for not [merely] his own interests, but also each for the interests of others. (Balance comes to mind!!!)
Now we have the “DO NOTHING” as opposed to “DO ALL THINGS”. And again the first part of this verse describes the “PROCESS” and the second part the “PROOF”. The list of “no no’s” includes some very relevant terms.
What does it mean to be contentious, the very first term in the list, and I will leave you to develop the rest?
Likely to cause people to argue or disagree
Involving a lot of arguing
Likely or willing to argue
Exhibiting an often perverse and wearisome tendency to quarrels and disputes
My quirky mind developed the definition further, for if we break the word down it looks like this and clearly defines that we lack humility when this characteristic is demonstrated:-
(a) CONTENT
(b) IOUS
Let us explore (a) first, for again there are two parts. What is the CONTENT of the dispute, is it worth fighting about, does it have components that will benefit either party in the long run, is it edifying, does it glorify the Lord or is it just “Worthless Thoughts”?
Then if we go to the second aspect, if I am “CONTENT” then I have no need to be “CONTENTIOUS”. Remember what Apostle Paul said “I have LEARNED” to be content”. Sometimes I realise I am a slow learner!
But part (b) has some implications that are often found lurking either at the back of our mind, or buried amid our ambitions, or simply to make me feel better.
What are “IOU’S”? In the context of this word it is relevant, it really means “I will get you, or I owe you one”. It robs us of the ability to be “CONTENT”, it highlights, in retrospect, just how worthless the argument or dispute was about, because contentiousness rarely solves anything, it just metastasizes into a cancer that eats away at relationships, destroys confidence and isolates us from each other, IT DESTROYS THE BODY, both naturally and spiritually.
This sort of behaviour totally contradicts Philippians 2:4:- Let each of you esteem and look upon and be concerned for not [merely] his own interests, but also each for the interests of others. In other words the only IOU is that I owe you my total respect, despite any perceived short comings, because that is probably how I would like to “be concerned for my own interests”.
2 Peter 3:14 So, beloved, since you are expecting these things, (referring to the final outcome and the return of the Lord) be eager to be found by Him [at His coming] without spot or blemish and at peace [in serene confidence, free from fears and AGITATING PASSIONS (See the study on “Agitating Passions”) and moral conflicts].
HUMILITY suggests total freedom from threats, either real or perceived. Even Old Testament advice is appropriate here.
Job 22:23 If you return to the Almighty (this next part is the confronting part … comments mine) [and SUBMIT AND HUMBLE YOURSELF before Him], you will be built up; if you put away unrighteousness far from your tents,
So it suggests that a failure to embrace Philippians 2 results in “absenteeism”, as described above, because we have to “RETURN TO GOD” (Job 22:23) so that we can evidence HUMILITY AND SUBMISSION.
UNDERSTANDING COMES AFTER WE OBEY GOD, NOT BEFORE
1 Corinthians 10:10 Nor discontentedly complain as some of them did–and were put out of the way entirely by the destroyer (death).
This was the experience of the Israelites, although God had provided for them miraculously, with food, water, pillars of cloud and fire, indestructible shoes, etc., they still found occasion to complain against God, with the end result “were put out of the way entirely by the destroyer (death)
The list continues in Philippians 2 with “contentiousness, strife, selfishness, or for unworthy ends] or prompted by conceit and empty arrogance”. But we don’t need to go there except to say that when we engage like this, we are in fact doing exactly the opposite to what Philippians 2 said “DON’T COMPLAIN AND GRUMBLE AGAINST GOD”.
Now Philippians expands the issue a little further in verse 14, “questioning and doubting [among yourselves]” or as the BBE version says, “Do all things without PROTESTS AND ARGUMENTS;”
Oh how I long to get to this place, where I can absorb, or deflect, or ignore, or accommodate any and every exigency that arises with that serene and peaceful nature that I know lies buried in me somewhere THAT “SPIRIT OF HUMILITY”
This study so far is extracted from just 17 words in Philippians 2 as recorded in the Amplified Bible, and has related to our communication with Father, and how it spills over into our behaviour.
So why all the hoo-hah? Well the verse goes on to say: – “THAT YOU MAY SHOW YOURSELVES”. This is a similar thought to that of:-
Ephesians 5:11 Take no part in and have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds and enterprises of darkness, but instead [let your lives be so in contrast as to] expose and reprove and convict them.
Much of the behaviour of Christians today does little to identify and individualise them as being “DIFFERENT”. We argue the same way, we have dissention and disunity, we still evidence a lot of “I, Me My Mine , Want Wish Wallow”
Let me rephrase this now not as we saw previously, “I WILL GET YOU, OR CALL IN MY IOU, BUT I WILL SHOW YOU
This is the “PROOF” or the outcome of the “PROCESS” and now we have a lovely list of characteristics which just ooze “HUMILITY”.
• Blameless and
• Guileless,
• Innocent and
• Uncontaminated,
• Without blemish (faultless, unrebukable
• Bright lights (stars or beacons shining out clearly)
Do I need to go into any protracted explanation of these terms? We all know without a doubt that these things are areas that the Lord has been dealing with for years, trying every which way to get us to the place where we are “HUMBLE ENOUGH” so that He can finalise the transaction:-
1Peter 5:6 Therefore HUMBLE YOURSELVES [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, THAT IN DUE TIME HE MAY EXALT YOU,
Do I need to go into any protracted explanation of these terms? We all know without a doubt that these things are areas that the Lord has been dealing with for years, trying every which way to get us to the place where we are “HUMBLE ENOUGH” so that He can finalise the transaction:-
1Peter 5:6 Therefore HUMBLE YOURSELVES [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, THAT IN DUE TIME HE MAY EXALT YOU,
Ross Smith 