Philippians 2:1-8
This message is part of our series on the transformation that God works in us. We began this series with Romans 12:2 — the passage that speaks of the renewing of the mind. Today we will move from the mind to the heart. We will talk about how Jesus transforms our relationships.
THE PROBLEM
To do this we will turn to the letter to the Philippians. This letter was written by the apostle Paul to a church family that was exceptionally close to his heart. He had founded this church, and it had grown to such a degree that it not only flourished but also supported the apostle Paul so that he could continue his work and serve on the mission field.
One of the remarkable things about this letter is that the apostle Paul writes it from prison. It could be called a thank-you letter, because in it the apostle thanks the Philippians for their care of him and highly values their attitude toward Christ and toward himself.
In Philippians 2 he quotes an ancient hymn written in honor of the Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:6-8):
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8)
This is one of the most Christological passages in the New Testament. But why does the apostle Paul quote this hymn to the Philippians? We find the answer to this question in the verses that precede it (Philippians 2:3-4).
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4)
Why does the apostle Paul say these words to the Philippians? What moves him to write on precisely this theme of selflessness? Perhaps the answer to this riddle lies in chapter 4, verse 2:
2 I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life. (Philippians 4:2-3)
Evidently there were two women in the church at Philippi who, though they were servants of the gospel, could not get along with one another or fellowship together. If, in the light of this additional information, we go back and look again at the apostle Paul’s appeal to humility and selflessness in Philippians 2:3-4, we might suppose that between them there were some conflicts, tension, pride, and rivalry among these godly people of God. Perhaps one of them wanted to be higher, more respected than the others, more recognized…
At the same time we see a paradox here — how believers who were so faithful and devoted to an international ministry, and so successful in their missionary work, could have such problems in their personal relationships at home, in their local service.
THE NEED FOR CHANGE
And I think it is important here to remind ourselves what we are talking about — last time we spoke about the importance of changing our thinking, of having transformed minds. We began with the mind, because everything starts there. Today we have moved to the heart — to our relationships, to the emotional side of our nature. Just think: wouldn’t it be wonderful if husband and wife stopped quarreling in the home, if teenagers had no conflicts with their parents. How beautiful it would be if the home became a place of love and light instead of a place of arguing and resentment. Or at work — if everyone worked together in harmony and there was no envy or strife between colleagues. But for all of this to happen, certain changes have to take place.
Tolstoy said: “Everyone thinks of changing humanity, but no one thinks of changing himself.” We want to change the world, but we do not want to change ourselves. Yet we cannot change the world if we do not first change ourselves. This is the key to change. If we want to change our families, our school, our workplace, our circle of friends, our society, we must begin by changing ourselves. Changing the world around us begins with a change in ourselves.
THE ATTITUDE OF CHRIST
What should this change be? What must we change? The answer is in verse 5 of our text:
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: (Philippians 2:5)
The church at Philippi had this problem, that some of its members simply could not stand one another, and the apostle Paul challenges them to change. The way to improve the atmosphere in our church is by changing our attitude, by changing what is inside us.
What does attitude mean? It means a feeling or a disposition or an emotion. The apostle Paul tells us that our attitude must be like that of Jesus. This means that our disposition, our way of thinking, our emotions must be like those of Jesus.
Our attitude is exceptionally important, because the way we treat others is in fact a reflection of our attitude toward ourselves. Or, to put it another way — our attitude toward others is a mirror in which we can see the attitude we hold toward ourselves.
So Paul says that our attitude must be like the attitude of Christ. Not some faint resemblance, but an exact copy of His attitude. Jesus was in the form of God, He sat on the throne of God, yet He did not consider that He should firmly hold on to His equality with God, but gave up everything. What is this attitude called? When you have a right to something, but you give it up? Humility. Selflessness. Jesus gave up His throne and started down the steps. He stripped Himself of the privileges He had, and instead of the form of God He took upon Himself the form of a slave. And this was not merely a facade, because after He was transformed into a slave, Jesus began to carry out the will of God. He became incarnate as a man and became obedient to the highest possible degree — an obedience that required Him to bear the highest possible humiliation — not merely death, but death on a cross. In other words, Jesus died in the most dishonorable and shameful way possible. Jesus was going down — step after step, after step, after step, until He reached the very bottom. And this action of His was a reflection of the attitude He held deep within Himself. If we want to act like Him, then we too must have the same attitude.
HOW CAN WE CHANGE OUR ATTITUDE?
THE CONVICTION THAT CHRIST IS OUR LIFE CHANGES OUR ATTITUDE
Let us look at the first two verses of the chapter and think very carefully about them.
1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. (Philippians 2:1-2)
The first thing the apostle Paul wants us to think about more deeply here is that God desires us all to think in the same way, to have the same love, and to be one in spirit and of one mind. Here the apostle Paul is not speaking about uniformity. Uniformity means to be dressed the same way, to speak the same way, to eat the same food, and to have no visible external differences among us. Uniformity is shallow. Here the apostle Paul is speaking about something much deeper, and that is the conviction that everything in our life must somehow be connected to Jesus.
- encouragement from being united with Christ
- comfort from his love
- common sharing in the Spirit
- tenderness and compassion
All these things are bound up with the spiritual life of the Christian — a life whose foundation is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. In other words, the life of Christ, the life with Christ, the life for Christ, the life in Christ — this must be our life. And we must all be convinced that this is exactly so. As it says in Colossians 3:1-4:
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)
Christ is our life. This conviction must be deep in our very being.
Today we have these television programs like “Music Idol,” “Big Brother,” and others. And thousands of people show up at castings in order to take part in them. Why? Because they want to become “number one” and to stand in the focus of public attention — to have all of Bulgaria watching only them. And it is not only them — all of us want in some way to be recognized, to be honored, to have people bow before us and applaud us. But we must fight against this desire. As Christians, we must be convinced that life is not about us, but about Jesus. It is not we who must be at the center of our life, but Jesus. Jesus must be at the center of our life — nothing else. As the apostle Paul says in Galatians 2:20:
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
And we must be convinced of this in the deepest place of our consciousness. Only when we acquire this conviction and keep it alive within us, only then will our attitude and our life change.
A HUMBLE VIEW OF OURSELVES CHANGES OUR ATTITUDE
The second thing the apostle Paul wants us to think about more deeply is in verse 3:
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, (Philippians 2:3)
To do nothing, absolutely nothing, motivated by rivalry or by personal ambition. Why? Because we value others above ourselves. What is at stake here? The way we view ourselves — our self-perception. How do we see ourselves? Do we always think of ourselves more favorably than of others? If we want to have the right attitude, then we must have a healthy view of ourselves. What is the main cause of conflicts in families? The fact that one, and perhaps most often both, consider themselves to be something more than the other. At work — if a person thinks himself to be something more than the rest, this keeps him from working as a team and creates tension and division in the group. So if we want a better life and a better attitude, we must daily reflect on the way we view ourselves and others and examine ourselves — whether there is pride or humility in us, selfishness or selflessness. How do I see myself in the light of the bigger picture, in the light of those around me? Do I consider them more important than myself, or do I consider myself more important than them? If I have a more humble view of myself, only then will I be able to have a changed attitude toward others and toward life, and I will become more and more like Jesus.
A family was celebrating their wedding anniversary — 35 years of married life. During the celebration a friend of the hostess, who knew them both, asked her: “How did you manage to last so long?” The hostess answered: “I think the reason was that through all these years both my husband and I were in love with the same person.”
We all struggle with pride. And remember this: pride is like a disease, and it makes every person who has it sick. The cure for pride is humility.
And so, if I want to have a changed attitude, first of all I must have the right conviction — that Christ be at the center of my life. Second, I must have the right view of myself. To consider others higher than myself.
THE POSITION OF SERVING CHANGES OUR ATTITUDE
Verse 4:
4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:4)
We must be interested in what others are occupied with — that is, we must take the position of servants of others, being concerned for them. If Christ came to serve, and not to be served (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45), then we too must be people who are here to serve others, not to be served by them.
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:28)
45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45)
In 2 Corinthians 8:9 we have a very powerful statement about the Lord Jesus Christ and His selflessness.
9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)
Think about it: Jesus became poor so that you and I could become rich and receive the gift of eternal life. In His glory Jesus was the owner of everything in this world. But when He became incarnate, He became a poor man. To such a degree that He even borrowed. When He was born, He borrowed a feeding trough for animals, which He used as a cradle and in which He slept. Later, during His ministry, He borrowed a boat, which He used as a pulpit. After that, when He was to enter Jerusalem as a king, He borrowed a little donkey to ride upon. Finally, even after the cross, He borrowed for three days a tomb in which He was buried until the day of His resurrection. Jesus placed Himself in the position of a servant so that we might be placed in the position of princes and princesses. The question is whether we too act like Christ. Whether we are ready to sacrifice, to give ourselves, to care for others.
Once Mother Teresa was walking down a street (in Detroit). Seeing her, a woman in the crowd exclaimed: “Her secret is that she is free to be nothing. That is why God can use her for everything.” This is true for us as well. We must free ourselves from our pride — then God can use us for His glory. So the key to changing our attitude is to place ourselves in the position of a servant. How can we do this? For example, if we are waiting in a line and everyone is pushing — smile and let the other person go ahead of you. It is not necessary that we always be first. Think about how you can place yourself in the position of a servant, and keep doing it until you stop doing it deliberately and it becomes your spontaneous reaction.
So we have spoken of three things the apostle Paul wants us to think about more deeply if we want to change our attitude. First, to reflect on our conviction — life is Christ, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. Second, our perception — to view ourselves as something smaller than others, to be small in our own eyes. And third, position — to place ourselves in a position in which we serve others, rather than waiting for them to serve us. If we do these three things, before long we will have changed relationships — changed relationships that will change our lives.