PHILIPPIANS AND STRESS: DITCHING iStress—Philippians 1:27-2:18
Have you ever thought about how much stress comes from our own self-centeredness?
At work, people are always asking: Am I successful, valued, getting ahead?
In marriage: Am I getting my way? Am I finding fulfillment? Am I getting my needs met?
As parents: Am I good parent? Are MY kids making ME look good?
In our busyness: Am I making an impact? Am I having fun? Am I doing everything people expect of me?
Even in relationships, it can be ALL ABOUT ME. When people feel ignored or mistreated, they cry out to be heard. When two people want their own way, they butt heads. When people are insecure, they try to manipulate others to take their side, pitting one group against another. There are power struggles, popularity contests, bullying, and unhealthy alliances.
This can happen at work or school, at home, or in the church. When it is all about ME, there is iStress.
James 4:1-3 puts it this way: “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
Philippians is a letter from Paul to the church in Philippi—a church which he started, and which he knew quite well. Paul was in prison when he wrote the letter, and in chapter 1, he talked about how he handled the personal stress he was facing. After that, he addresses turmoil in the Philippian church.
When we read the Bible, we must understand the words in their original context. In Paul’s letters, the context is often in the background, but we can figure it out by asking, “Why is Paul bringing this up?”
See if you can figure out what was going on in Philippi: Read Philippians 1:27, 2:1-4, 14.
There was relational stress in the church. The church was not unified, and people were complaining and arguing. The cause of the relational stress was self-centeredness, selfish ambition, and conceit. iStress!
I wonder whether you have been in similar situations!
“selfish ambition”: power struggles, self-promotion, wanting to be #1,
“vain conceit”: refusing correction, not listening to ideas, looking down on people who are different
People seeking “their own interests” instead of the interests of others
“complaining and arguing”
It is all about ME: I am most important, I need to build up my ego, I need to take care of ME. I need to be in charge, I need to make my pain heard, I need people to worship the ground I walk on.
iStress.
HOW DO WE FIX iSTRESS? Read Philippians 2:3-4.
Sure…but how do we do that? The roots of the “I problem” are deep within people. Self-centeredness and even conceit may be rooted in insecurity, or fear of not getting needs met, or plain old pride. Because the world cannot revolve around both you and me at the same time, there are power struggle and conflict. Without addressing the roots of the problem, nothing will change.
More than that, doing what Paul suggests carries some risk. If we don’t put ourselves first, maybe others will take advantage of us. If we consider the interests of others as much or more than our own, our needs might be ignored.
Honestly, what Paul is suggesting doesn’t make a lot of sense—UNLESS…unless God is in the picture.
When Paul addresses the iStress in the church, he begins with Jesus. Reread 2:1-4.
Then Paul reminds them of a poem, probably a praise song they liked to sing: Let’s read 2:5-11 in unison…
“Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing…”
The translation might be a little misleading: Jesus did not become nothing. He could not become nothing, as he was still the Son of God, beloved by his Father. In fact, Jesus had a strong sense of who he was, and what he was called to do.
A better translation might be that Jesus “emptied himself” of his rights as God. He emptied himself of the glory and worship of heaven. He emptied himself of seeking his own will, to live for others first.
The “I” doesn’t disappear when we give our life to God! The “I” is yielded to the will of the Father.
Jesus had a huge ego! He was not afraid to say “I am…,” making huge claims for himself, because he was the Messiah, the Christ! But Jesus’ life was not about seeking his own interests, but the interests of others. That’s what made his impact so powerful:
His ambition was huge, but he was not self-centered. His confidence was awe-inspiring, but he was not conceited. He sometimes caused conflict and stress, but it was because of injustice or sin. He served others, and willingly submitted to the most demeaning treatment, for the sake of others.
How does a man do that? (He was a man!) Jesus trusted his Father.
Jesus could take the risk of putting the interests of others above himself because he trusted his Father to take care of him. Read verses 9-11.
When Jesus was hanging helplessly on the cross, the mockers in the crowd summed up what it was all about: Matthew 27:43 says, “He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.'" the mockers did not understand; Jesus could only hang on the cross because he did trust God to raise him from the dead.
We will never fix our “I problem” until we are secure in our trust in God. We obey God because we trust his commands. We give our lives to serve because we believe that God will reward us.
That is why, before Paul tells the Philippians not to be selfish or conceited, he reminds them in verse 1 of who they are in Christ and how that affects them: If you are UNITED WITH CHRIST…if you get COMFORT FROM HIS LOVE…if you enjoy FELLOWSHIP WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT…
What is the answer to iStress? Are you…
…united with Christ? We talk about “accepting Christ” as our Savior from sin and guilt. But how does that affect us? The Lord who takes over our lives; our goals are his goals, and our actions are what he would do. Any setbacks that come to us are only temporary; we win in the end.
...taking comfort in Christ’s love? Insecurity is gone; God says we are OK. We have nothing to prove, because the God of universe loves us and cares for us.
…in fellowship with the Spirit? It is hard to describe that: God touches us at our deepest, most needy and self-centered points. God puts thoughts in our minds. God brings people into our lives, even today!
If you are a Christian, these things are true of you, at least to some degree. That’s why it’s so surprising that Paul goes on to say in verses 12-13, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
What is Paul saying? That we have to work to get into heaven? Remember the context! We are “united with Christ.” We are secure in the love of God. We have “fellowship with the Spirit”…We’re going to heaven! We are “saved.”
But salvation is not just getting into heaven. In the Old Testament especially, it is health and wholeness. When we get to heaven, life will be perfect. Until then, we are a work in progress.
Remember the context: Paul is talking about relationships in the church. In heaven, every relationship will be perfect. But they are not in heaven yet—obviously!
So Paul says, “Continue to work out your salvation…” Work out the implications of who you are in Christ, and the fellowship you have together in the Spirit of Christ.
How does it work? “…with fear and trembling…” Relationships matter! We can’t afford to allow broken relationships to continue. Jesus said in Matthew 5:23-24, “If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” It is that important.
But it is not all up to us: …“for it is God who works in you to will and to work.” God gives you the motivation, God gives you the strength, God gives you what you need to make things better. Trust him and do what you need to do!
Yes, it is hard, but when you do it, you are obeying God. You are doing it “in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
God is in this with you! He is committed to helping you overcome the stress of your relationships.
He is a loving, powerful Father, with a plan to save and exalt. He is a wonderful Savior, who laid aside his rights and privileges to fulfill the Father’s glorious plan of salvation. His Spirit is within you, and among us today, as the fruit of salvation works its way into our lives.
As we set our minds on God, we are set free from being so self-absorbed. The iStress goes away, and our relationships get better.
When that happens, we—all of us together—shine as lights in the world.
Read Philippians 2:14-18.
Praise God!
