Mark Hodges (SC.com) During the days when Mohammed Ali was a great boxer, he would go around in his arrogance and say, "I am the greatest." Humility was never his strong suit. One day, back in his prime, he was on an airplane and the plane was ready to take off and the flight attendant had repeatedly told him to put on his seat belt. He finally told her, "I’m superman and superman don’t need no seatbelt." The flight attendant didn’t hesitate a minute but shot back with, "Superman don’t need no airplane either, now buckle up."
(Illustrations Unlimited, SC.com) A pastor finally got an opportunity to speak at a large community association gathering. He felt rather proud that he was asked, so he refused the check, saying that he felt special enough just by being chosen and that the check should go to a better cause.
Reluctantly, the person giving the check said there was a special fund that this money could be used for. When the pastor asked about the special fund, the person said, "It’s so that we can get a better speaker next year."
It’s time for a humility check. I was hoping there would be a much greater crowd to preach to today, but I guess we could all use some humility.
Review Phil. Turn to Phil. 2:1-4.
Last week, we looked at suffering for Christ due to opposition outside the church.
Paul now shifts his focus to potential dissension/opposition within the church.
We’ve already seen Paul’s love for the Philippians and their love and concern for him.
Paul now takes advantage of that concern and challenges them to use that on each other.
Prayer
I’d like to set this passage up by way of an illustration.
My lifelong dream when I was growing up was to become a paramedic.
•Becoming a paramedic wasn’t that simple.
•There were certain prerequisites/qualifications that needed to be met before I could even enroll in a Training Class.
•I had to be an EMT, I had to have 6 mon. experience, I had to fill out an extensive application, I had to be recommended by my local rescue squad.
•Having met the qualifications, I still wasn’t a paramedic. I needed to take the training.
•My goal, remember, was to become a paramedic.
•How did I achieve that? By lots of study and lots of practice.
In our passage today, Paul challenges the Philippians with a goal.
•But before they could begin to reach that goal, they had to meet 4 qualifications/conditions.
•Then, as they pursued this goal, he shows them what to study/practice.
WHAT IS PAUL’S GOAL? Make Him Happy.
On the surface, Paul’s goal is complete joy. We’ll look later at what his/God’s real goal is.
I. WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS?
How can we make Paul and God happy?
A. Encouragement (from being united with Christ)
2:1IF therefore YOU HAVE ANY ENCOURAGEMENT/comfort FROM BEING UNITED WITH CHRIST,
ENCOURAGEMENT – “coming to one’s side/aid”
Here’s one qualification the Philippians have already met.
Paul has already written that they have received comfort from their unity in Christ.
Last week, we saw Paul encourage them toward deeper unity in Christ.
How many times have we been encouraged because we are united with Christ?
B. Comfort (of love)
IF ANY COMFORT FROM (HIS) LOVE,
This is better translated, “if any consolation of love”, not just Christ’s love.
“If you have been consoled/refreshed/comforted from the love of Christ and others…”
Again, it’s obvious from Ch. 1 that they had met this qualification.
C. Fellowship (in the Spirit)
IF ANY FELLOWSHIP WITH/in THE SPIRIT,
Again, throughout Ch. 1, Paul has encouraged them in their fellowship/partnership.
1:5 – their partnership in the Gospel; v. 7 their sharing in God’s grace.
Again, they have already met this condition.
Notice here, their fellowship is in the Spirit, not necessarily fellowship with each other.
D. Mercy
IF ANY TENDERNESS AND COMPASSION/mercy,
TENDERNESS – “bowels/inward parts”, affections, seat of emotion
Illus. Tin man in Wizard of Oz. “If I only had a heart.”
Did the Philippians demonstrate tenderness and compassion toward Paul? Absolutely!
Paul uses a rhetorical statement to challenge them in their goal.
“If you have any encouragement or comfort or fellowship or mercy, which is clear that you have all of them, then take that a step further.”
How can they do that? That’s what Paul’s/God’s real goal is.
II. WHAT IS THE REAL GOAL? (What is God’s Goal?) Unity
2THEN MAKE MY JOY COMPLETE. Fulfill my joy. Make me (and God) happy.
Paul knows they’re concerned for him. He knows they want to encourage him.
So he says, “you want to really make me happy, here’s what you need to do.”
•You need to have unity.
Apparently, in all of Paul’s praises for the Philippians, he also realizes a real concern.
•They loved him and were united with him, but their love for and unity with each other was lacking. They needed real unity.
I can’t preach enough on how important it is for a church to be united.
Apparently, neither could Paul. That’s why he emphasizes it again and again.
He gives here a threefold goal of unity that every one of should have as well.
A. Unity of thought
BY continuing to be LIKE-MINDED,
Having the same understanding, mind, purpose – “think the same thing.”
Dream together, think together, agree together.
B. Unity of love
HAVING THE SAME LOVE that you have for me and for Christ
It’s been said that we can only love God as much as we love each other.
Paul says, “You love me – then love each other the same way”.
C. Unity of spirit
BEING ONE IN SPIRIT AND PURPOSE.
One in soul – soul mates.
(WP) Souls that beat together, in tune with Christ and each other.
PURPOSE - Same word as “mind” above. “Thinking the one thing”
Illus. Couples who have been married a long time tend to finish each other’s sentences.
•They know what each other is thinking. That’s real unity.
Literally, what Paul says is, “Fulfill my joy in order that you think the same thing, having the same love, united in soul, thinking one thing”.
“If you really love me and are concerned for me, practice that on each other as well.”
How do we practice unity/oneness of heart/soul/mind?
•Remember, that’s the goal they/we still need to pursue, providing we’ve met the qualifications.
III. HOW DO WE ACHIEVE THAT GOAL? Humility
We achieve real heart/soul/mind unity by practicing humility.
Paul helps to explain this concept in both negative and positive terms.
A. Don’t Be Greedy.
3DO NOTHING OUT OF SELFISH AMBITION
SELFISH AMBITION was a prominent motive of world leaders (Alexander the Great, Hitler).
One of their key goals in life was to control everything and have it all.
•We do it today in our pursuit of the American Dream.
“Robert J. Ringer wrote a book, Looking Out for Number One. It was the best-selling book in America for 46 weeks. I wonder how well a book called Looking Out for Number Two would do?” (Rick Duncan, SC.com)
“Peggy Rosenthal, in her work Words and Values, says that few words in our vocabulary are used any more than self and its combinations, like self-fulfillment, self-expression, self-actualization. We now have a magazine called Self. We are living in a narcissistic society: a culture in which we are preoccupied with ourselves. And the world has squeezed us into its mold. It’s time to break out of that mold!” (Rick Duncan, SC.com)
Trinity Wesleyan Church Sign. The one who is wrapped up in himself is a small package.
It’s not about me anymore.
•If we’re going to make God happy, self needs to take a back seat.
Don’t pursue selfish ambitions and don’t pursue self promotions.
B. Don’t Be Proud.
3DO NOTHING OUT OF SELFISH AMBITION OR VAIN/empty CONCEIT,
We all want our 15 minutes of fame. We want to be somebody and be recognized for it.
Illus. This reminds me of a certain wide receiver who is so stuck on himself and his great skill that he devastated his team, got suspended/ultimately dismissed and sent to another team that couldn’t deserve him more.
•I’m not sure he’s learned his lesson yet.
And what does conceit/pride get us? Nothing, vanity, emptiness.
Paul says 3DO NOTHING OUT OF SELFISH AMBITION OR VAIN CONCEIT. On the contrary…
C. Be Considerate.
BUT IN HUMILITY/lowliness of mind CONSIDER OTHERS BETTER THAN YOURSELVES.
Here’s a great definition of humility – considering others better than yourself.
“continuing to consider one another surpassing you, being superior to you.”
Zingers – “Everyone you meet is your superior in something.”
Leonard Bernstein, the late conductor of the New York Philharmonic orchestra, was once asked to name the most difficult instrument to play. Without hesitation, he replied, "The second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find someone who can play the second fiddle with enthusiasm – that’s a problem. And if we have no second fiddle, we have no harmony." (Rick Duncan, SC.com)
(Wiersbe) - “Humility is not thinking meanly of ourselves; it is just not thinking of ourselves at all.”
Paul doesn’t let this point pass with just a quick command. He expands on it.
D. Be Others Centered. Look to others’ interests first.
4EACH OF YOU SHOULD LOOK NOT ONLY TO YOUR OWN INTERESTS, BUT ALSO TO THE INTERESTS OF OTHERS.
It doesn’t say to ignore your own interests, it says look at others interests before your own.
Mk. 12:29-31 “THE MOST IMPORTANT COMMADMENT IS THIS…: 30LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ 31THE SECOND IS THIS: ‘LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ THERE IS NO COMMANDMENT GREATER THAN THESE.”
Rick Duncan (SC.com) Rule #1 - Love God. He’s #1!
•Rule #2 - Love others. They’re #2!
•Rule #3 (and following) See Rules #1 and #2!
JOY – Jesus, Others, You
Zingers – “Knowing God makes us humble. Knowing ourselves keeps us humble.”
Humility means we’re not focused solely/primarily on ourselves, but on others.
•It means we’re not threatened when others are favored.
•It means we rejoice at others’ blessings.
•It means we listen more than we speak.
•It means we look for ways to encourage others and build them up, not ourselves.
*How many families, friendships, marriages, and churches would be saved if we all practiced humility?
Zingers – “The smaller we are, the more room God has for us.”
Our goal, then, as believers in Christ, is real emotional/spiritual/mental unity.
•But we can’t even begin to reach our goal until we have encouragement from being united in Christ, comfort in love, fellowship with His Spirit, and mercy/compassion.
•Then, after having met those qualifications, we pursue unity by practicing humility.
(Frank Thielman) God both holds us responsible for the unity He commands and refuses to give us any credit for achieving it (p. 102).
A.W. Tozer, in his book, The Pursuit of God, says, "Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers [meeting] together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become “unity” conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship." (Rick Duncan, SC.com)
So where are you at in your pursuit of unity? Your pursuit of making God happy?
•Have you met the 4 qualifications?
•Are we reaching for the goal of unity?
•Are we practicing real humility, focusing on Christ first, others second, us last?
We will never reach our ultimate goal of making God happy if we don’t have unity, which is achieved primarily thru humility.
The Bottom Line: Unity requires humility.
Prayer/Reflection
I Commit To practice humility
Hymn Make Me A Servant
Sermon Outline and Power Point are available by emailing the author.
