Philippians 2:1-11 Having Unity through Humility

August 2nd 2012

Philippians 2:1-11 

Living as Heavenly Citizens 

by

Having Unity through Humility 

     About 7 years ago right around this time I was working third shift in a factory.  This was a college summer job.  Along with me was my two younger brothers, Jeremy and Casey, and my cousin Josh.  All four us were working from 10:30pm to 7:30am.  Josh and I in one factory and Jeremy and Casey in another just down the street.  We all road together to work.  On the way to work was normally somber and sad, and then on the way home it was a time of celebration (really)!  Well on one particular morning Casey and I got into an argument.  I do not really remember what we were arguing about but it got pretty serious.  On that ride home we were going to stop at Wal-Mart.  By the time we got to Wal-Mart Casey and I’s argument was in full swing.  When we got out of the car Casey and I were ready to “throw it down” or punch each other out.  By God’s blessing Jeremy (the peacemaker of the family) was there to brake up the fight.  

     This story is an example of the exact opposite of what Paul is calling the church in Philippi to do.  Now I do not remember exactly what we were arguing about, but I know the reason it escalated.  It escalated because we were not living as heavenly citizens, and were not being unified through humility.  I was trying to get my point a crossed and make Casey see my point of view and Casey was trying to do the same.  If we just could have lived out Philippians 2:1-11 this whole ordeal could have and would have been avoided.*

     In Philippians 2:1-11 Paul puts together a very Paul like argument.  It goes something like  this.  “If you have this (blessings from being a Christian), then do this (be unified), by being this, (humble), in the power of and example of this (Jesus Christ).”  Paul puts together very liner way for us to see that if we are to “Live as Citizens of Heaven” we need to “Have Unity by Humility”.

     In Verse one Paul makes the statement, “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,”**.  Paul here starts this passage out with the word “if”, “if there is any...” Paul wants the church of Philippi to look back over their lives and see if they have any of the blessings of a Christian.  Have you ever been encouraged by the fact that Jesus is in your life, or that you do not have to fear what is happing in the world around you because your hope is in Christ?  Have you ever had comfort from the love of Christ?  At times in your life when you have been in the dumps has another Christian come along and loved on you?  Helped you get back to your identity in Christ?  Have you ever felt the Holy Spirit working in your soul?  Being convicted of sin as you pray?  While singing songs of worship the Holy Spirit is doing something in your heart?  These are the things that Paul is talking about.  Blessings that we have because we are followers of Jesus Christ.  Paul is showing us that we have had blessings already here on this earth.  Paul then goes on to say “complete my joy” finish what you have started in Christ.  Takes these blessings and make them all the more.  And what is that “more”? 

     Paul says in verse two “complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.”  Paul is calling the Philippine church to be of the same mind, on the same mission with the same outlook.  Having the same love, the love of Jesus Christ that binds us together.  Being of one accord, feeling the same way moves us in the same direction.  Being of one mind, having one goal.  A great example of this is a football team.  Right now they are reporting to training camp.  They all have the same love, the love of football and competition.  They are all of one accord, playing on the same team.  And they are all of one mind winning, the Super Bowl.  If at anytime these change you get drama.  One player wants the ball more to get his stats up, another player wants more money, the team is no longer unified and more then likely going to start losing.  Paul is calling on the church to be unified.  If they/we have the blessings of a believer then we need to take the next step and be of the same mind, moving in one direction, toward Jesus. 

     So if have the blessings of being a Christian, then we need to be of the same mind or live in unity as a church.  We do this by living humble lives.  Verses three and four say “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” That’s crazy!  Do NOTHING from selfish ambition.  Our first action and reaction is always about self.  Just think about the decisions you make every day.  What should I eat?  What should I wear? What should I do for pleasure?  What time should I go to bed?  Most of what we do subconsciously is all about self.  But Paul is calling us to do nothing out of selfish ambition.  He then says “in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”  This is how we counter our selfish ambition, by living in humility and counting others more significant then yourself.  This is how we train ourselves to over come our selfish ambition.  This is also so counter cultural  there is no way this will go unnoticed.  If an entire group of people (a church) start living this way people’s minds would be blown.  If people would really listen to each other and not just wait  till they can express their opinions again.  Or if people were always looking to serve each other before they served themselves, that would be and can be an awesome picture.  The last part of these verses Paul is talking about interests.  He says to “not only look after”  your own interests “but also the interests of others.”  Here Paul is not condemning people for looking out for his/her own interest, but to also look out for the interests in the people around him/her.  A great example of this idea of putting others ahead of your self is Samwise Gamgee from “Lord of the Rings”.  Sam goes throughout the movie serving and taking care of Frodo, always putting Frodo ahead of himself.  He still takes care of himself but is always looking out for Frodo.  

     Just take a minute and think about what a church would look like if everyone treated each other this way.  First off there would be a lot more unity and moving in one direction, but then there would also be a lot more support for one another.  This would be an amazing community to be apart of (might look a little like the church in Acts 2).  We as believers would benefit from this.  But something else would happen too, people from outside the church would see what was going on and would want that.  God has created us for community and the world is not doing a great job at providing meaningful community, making this one of the church’s greatest weapons to reach the world.  

     In closing and application Paul leaves us with how we get the power to do this and our example of this, JESUS CHRIST!  Paul says “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself,.”  Jesus was in the very form of God (because he is God, God the Son) put himself under God.  Are we putting others higher then ourselves just as Jesus did?  In our conversations are we really listening to the other person or are we just waiting till we can bring the conversation back to our favorite topic, self?  Can we give up our right to be right?  How many arguments could be ended if someone just gave up their “right” to be right.  Jesus emptied himself, gave up his right, his godness to become a man.  We need empty ourselves for the sake of others.  Paul goes on “but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”  Jesus took on the form of a servant, are we doing that?  When we walk into the church is it to serve and be a servant or are we looking to be served?  When we hang out with our friends are we looking to serve them or just have fun (serving ourselves)?  Are we actively looking for people who need the love and help of Jesus Christ and his church? Jesus gave up his godness to become a human servant and then humbled himself to the point of death for our sake!  Thats nuts, and thats our example!       

     “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  Paul ends this passage by showing how God exalted Jesus after he humbled himself.  This gives us hope in a few ways.  This is our hope for the future, we know what is going to happen, Jesus will be glorified and worshiped as God, He has won already.  We know this, which is why we live as heavenly citizens.  It also takes our hope off this life and this world and puts it on the next.  When we do that it is easier to give up the “pleasers” of this world and become a servant.  We also know just as Jesus was resurrected and given a new glorified body, and we will be resurrected and given a glorified body too (Phil. 2:20-21). 

     God has blessed his people and out of those blessings  he has called his church to be unified and on one mission, we do that buy living humbly, through the power of Jesus Christ, by the example of Jesus Christ.  I wish that day 7 years ago Casey and I would have had this in mind, it would have kept us from sining and made it a lot easier on our brother Jeremy.      

*Casey and I are no longer mad at one another (most likely we were fine 2 hours later) and Casey is one of my best friends and a great brother in Christ (and blood brother).  I love him like only true brothers in Christ can. This goes for both of my brothers, Jeremy (the peacemaker in the story) and Casey (my rival at the time).  

**All italics are passages in the bible from the ESV translation.