SPEAKER_00: For those of you who don't know me, my name is Rob.
SPEAKER_00: I am the discipleship pastor here at Parkside.
SPEAKER_00: If you are a guest, I hope you feel welcomed here.
SPEAKER_00: And at the end of the service, if you would like to uh come meet one of the pastors, I'm one of them.
SPEAKER_00: Uh Nate was one of our other pastors.
SPEAKER_00: We would love to get a chance to connect with you.
SPEAKER_00: Um before we do that though, I would like to take you back in time to the year 2009.
SPEAKER_00: And this time I'm a student at Bible College, and it's the middle of one of our semi-annual days of prayer.
SPEAKER_00: Uh every year we would have two days of prayer, one in the fall semester and one in the spring semester, where we, as a student body, would be led through different prayer exercises.
SPEAKER_00: Uh, quite similar, actually, to our monthly prayer gatherings we had, just like this morning, that many of you were here at.
SPEAKER_00: In the afternoon of this particular day of prayer, the student body was brought into the gymnasium, much like we're in today.
SPEAKER_00: And some of us were sitting on the stands, the rest of us were sitting around the basketball court, and our student body president was standing right in the middle.
SPEAKER_00: And from there, he said to the student body, he said, I want everyone to stand up, to take your Bible, and to lay it down at center court, and then return to your seat.
SPEAKER_00: And so all of us did that.
SPEAKER_00: And at the middle of the gymnasium at center court was this huge pile of Bibles.
SPEAKER_00: There were like 600 students in the college.
SPEAKER_00: And so our student body president was standing there with a whiteboard in this pile of Bibles, and he turns to us and he says, Okay, class, what does the Bible say?
SPEAKER_00: And he goes to the whiteboard.
SPEAKER_00: And he waits.
SPEAKER_00: He says, Come on, what's the Bible say?
SPEAKER_00: And someone says, Uh, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
SPEAKER_00: So he writes it down.
SPEAKER_00: Go on, he says.
SPEAKER_00: He says, uh, and the earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep.
SPEAKER_00: And so he he writes that down.
SPEAKER_00: Come on! He keeps getting his heat going, and he says, uh, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the deep.
SPEAKER_00: We did this for a few minutes as a student body when all of a sudden the verses that we were reciting weren't quite word for word out of scripture.
SPEAKER_00: They became this like mixed bag of parts of actual verses and then just summaries of verses.
SPEAKER_00: Things were being quoted out of order and out of repetition.
SPEAKER_00: See, we had a basic understanding of the text, but not the like wrote word memory down pat.
SPEAKER_00: We quickly left Genesis and were invited to go to any other parts of Scripture that we could recall.
SPEAKER_00: There was a bunch of verses from the Psalms, a few verses from some of the prophets, lots of verses from the Gospels and from the epistles.
SPEAKER_00: But when the activity was said and done, we were far from a book of Eli accounting of what the Bible says.
SPEAKER_00: What was interesting to note was for how many of us in the student body were there similar passages that were being that were coming to mind again and again.
SPEAKER_00: Passages such as Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
SPEAKER_00: Isaiah 61, the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to uh to preach good news to the poor.
SPEAKER_00: Or John 1:1.
SPEAKER_00: In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.
SPEAKER_00: Or John 3, 16.
SPEAKER_00: Now, for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son.
SPEAKER_00: We're thinking of Matthew 28, 19 and 20, toward the end of the Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus sends out his disciples and he says, Go therefore, make disciples of all nations, teaching people to, or baptizing people in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all I've commanded.
SPEAKER_00: Or Philippians 2, verses 1 to 11.
SPEAKER_00: So, if there's any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, then complete my joy.
SPEAKER_00: Each of these passages were anchor passages in the lives of these different students at my Bible college for one reason or another.
SPEAKER_00: Passages that had dug their way into our hearts and minds and held our faith fast during the storms of life.
SPEAKER_00: When Pastor Justin first mentioned to me that we were going to be doing a series called Anchors this summer, and he also alluded to the fact that it was going to be during the remodel of our church auditorium, he also said that there's a potential idea that we might be having to do church outside.
SPEAKER_00: And that perhaps for this I for this uh sermon series we might do it from a floating dock in the retention pond.
SPEAKER_00: Well, I'm thankful that I'm not on a floating dock in a retention pond, though this platform is about the size of what I'd imagine a floating dock would be.
SPEAKER_00: And thankfully, you're not sitting outside getting soaked right now.
SPEAKER_00: But hopefully that picture still rings true.
SPEAKER_00: Of this anchor that holds the ship or the floating dock fast in place when the storms come, when the winds rage, when the waves try to push it off course, the anchor holds it still.
SPEAKER_00: The harder the winds push, the deeper that anchor digs into the ground.
SPEAKER_00: And over this last month, we've been taking this image and I've been applying it to passages that have acted as anchors in the lives of some of our pastors here.
SPEAKER_00: And since Pastor Nate went and took the story of Mephibosheth, I had to choose my second most favorite anchor passage.
SPEAKER_00: As I was reflecting on this theme, I was brought back to that exercise while I was in Bible college in the gymnasium.
SPEAKER_00: My mind started to recite Philippians 2, verses 1 to 11.
SPEAKER_00: And as it did so, it was actually in the NIV, because for the last 12 years or so, the NIV has been the translation that the churches that I've been pastoring at or attending have been using.
SPEAKER_00: And so now that it's in the ESB, I've got these two translations like battling it out in my mind from my memory.
SPEAKER_00: But if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded.
SPEAKER_00: My mind wandered here largely because this was one of the very first passages of scripture that I memorized.
SPEAKER_00: In my freshman year at Bible College, I was in a class in that first semester called Spiritual Formation, and one of the assignments was to memorize a handful of passages of verses, and Philippians chapter 2, verses 1 to 11 was one of them.
SPEAKER_00: As a young Christian, this was a very new exercise for me, but this passage has continued to live in my heart and my mind since then.
SPEAKER_00: A few years later, I worked at a summer camp, and during the staff orientation and training week, the chapel sessions were focused on the letter to Philippians.
SPEAKER_00: I remember being impacted by the themes of this letter, and that Paul wrote this letter while he was in prison.
SPEAKER_00: He talks about the joy that he has, that his love for the believers in Philippi.
SPEAKER_00: And that summer, that the surrounding context of the letter to the Philippians began to impact how I saw chapter 2, verses 1 to 11 in a more complete way.
SPEAKER_00: As I continued to reflect on this passage over the years, I eventually met a young lady named Katie and became quite fond of her.
SPEAKER_00: And as we began to plan our wedding day, we talked with our pastor and we said to him, We would love it if at our wedding ceremony, would you please be bold in preaching the gospel?
SPEAKER_00: And would you please use Philippians 2, 1 to 11 as a passage that you ground that message in?
SPEAKER_00: Philippians 2, 1 to 11 has been an anchor passage in our marriage for the last 12 years.
SPEAKER_00: And now, as we get into the content of the sermon, before we dive into chapter 2, verse 1, I want to give us just a really quick overview of the letter to the church in Philippi so that we can understand who Paul's writing to.
SPEAKER_00: I mentioned it earlier that Paul is writing this letter from in prison in Rome.
SPEAKER_00: In the beginning of the letter, in chapter 1, verse 13, Paul makes mention that the entire imperial guard knows that he is in chains for Christ.
SPEAKER_00: And at the end of the letter, he adds this line as he signs off.
SPEAKER_00: He says, All of the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household.
SPEAKER_00: So he's writing this letter from in prison in Rome.
SPEAKER_00: And the main reason why he wrote to the church in Philippi was to say thank you for sending Epaphroditus to check on him in prison and also to encourage them in their faith based on the report that he heard from Epaphroditus.
SPEAKER_00: Paul had a deep love for the church in Philippi.
SPEAKER_00: And he would have remembered, when he was talking with Ephroditus, he would have remembered that this was the first church that he helped to establish in Europe.
SPEAKER_00: He would have recalled the conversations that he had with Lydia and the other women by the riverbank that led to the first conversions in Philippi.
SPEAKER_00: He would have recalled the subsequent imprisonment and beating that he received in Philippi that resulted in an earthquake where the Lord would break their chains and set them free, but Paul and Silas would remain in the prison, which led to a conversation with the jailer, and the jailer's whole family coming to faith and being baptized.
SPEAKER_00: And all of this took place over the course of just a few short days before he was chased out of town.
SPEAKER_00: This intense season of ministry over the course of a few days clearly caused a significant bond to be formed between Paul and the Philippian church.
SPEAKER_00: And this letter gives us a glimpse into their friendship.
SPEAKER_00: And so now, as we spend the next 30 minutes or so, I want us to focus on this specific passage of scripture.
SPEAKER_00: I want to be drawing our attention to three specific themes, three specific sections.
SPEAKER_00: The first one's going to be the expectation.
SPEAKER_00: The second is the example, and the third is the end result.
SPEAKER_00: The expectation, the example, and the end result.
SPEAKER_00: The expectation is that out of the overflow of what God has already done in you, you will live a life of humble service for others.
SPEAKER_00: I'll say it again.
SPEAKER_00: The expectation is that out of the overflow of what God has already done for you, you will live a life of humble service for others.
SPEAKER_00: Let's turn our attention to verse 1 of chapter 2.
SPEAKER_00: And the first thing I want to draw our attention to is that verse 1 begins with the word so.
SPEAKER_00: Or some other translations might use the word therefore, which ought to be a signal in our mind of, oh, what is this therefore referring to?
SPEAKER_00: One of the things that we learn about Paul as we return to his letters again and again is just how often he seems to get sidetracked as he's writing.
SPEAKER_00: Like he'll be writing along, and then he gets a thought that comes to his mind, and he gets sidetracked, and then he'll say a therefore, and you're like, Paul, what are you talking about?
SPEAKER_00: Where's this connected?
SPEAKER_00: When we look back at the beginning of the letter, Paul has his standard greeting that he gives in all of his letters, followed by a quick prayer of thanksgiving for the church.
SPEAKER_00: In this prayer, he emphasizes their partnership in the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: He says in chapter 1, verse 7, that they're partakers of grace along with him.
SPEAKER_00: And he prays that their love would abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.
SPEAKER_00: Paul begins this letter by identifying that their stance before God is the same one that he shares, that they have been saved by grace, and that they may be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00: In verse 12 of chapter 1, he changes gears because he wants to let the Philippian church know that he is alright, even in the midst of his prison sentence, and that the kingdom of God continues to march on.
SPEAKER_00: Verse 12 says, I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: Paul is letting them know that while, yes, he is in jail, and jail is bad, the kingdom is still being proclaimed and the gospel message is going out, which makes it all worth it.
SPEAKER_00: Paul mentions that some people have even been emboldened to preach the word without fear because he's in prison.
SPEAKER_00: And in verse 15 he says, Some indeed preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others from goodwill.
SPEAKER_00: The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for defense of the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.
SPEAKER_00: What then?
SPEAKER_00: Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in this I rejoice.
SPEAKER_00: What Paul is telling the church is that there are multiple ways to spread the gospel, uh, from envy and rivalry or through goodwill.
SPEAKER_00: And he's urging them to pursue the latter.
SPEAKER_00: He says that the former do it out of selfish ambition, seeking to afflict Paul in his imprisonment.
SPEAKER_00: And rather than focus on those who go the route of selfish ambition, Paul chooses to rejoice in those who go the route of preaching the gospel, even as it leads to their persecution.
SPEAKER_00: Paul tells him in verse chapter 129, for it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him, but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had, and now here I still have.
SPEAKER_00: So what does the so or the therefore point us back to?
SPEAKER_00: It points us back to the faith that the Philippian church has, the faith that the church was established in, and a call for them to continue in their participation and proclaiming the gospel.
SPEAKER_00: He's saying, therefore, focus on what God has done for you and not on what the things that are happening around you or are happening to you.
SPEAKER_00: Paul is helping the church to focus on the love that they have in Christ rather than on the division that people in their community are trying to stir up.
SPEAKER_00: He doesn't say to them, so go out and debate those who are preaching a false gospel or who are preaching on false pretenses.
SPEAKER_00: He doesn't tell them to find ways to imprison those who are defaming Paul's name and trying to smear his reputation.
SPEAKER_00: No, instead, we get to chapter 2, verse 1, says, so if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy.
SPEAKER_00: See, rather than focus on the wrongs that are that people are uh doing around them, opposing the gospel, Paul tells them to focus on and remember who they belong to.
SPEAKER_00: And so, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, even if it costs you socially, physically, financially, and so if you have any comfort from the love that God has shown you in Christ, and so if you have any participation in the spirit, you see, Paul doesn't focus on envy and rivalry, nor is he questioning their commitment to Christ.
SPEAKER_00: He's asking a rhetorical question with an obvious answer that the church in Philippi is encouraged in Christ, does have comfort from his love, is participating in the spirit, as the gospel is sounding out in the midst of persecution.
SPEAKER_00: This is all great.
SPEAKER_00: And Paul wants them to focus on these things.
SPEAKER_00: And he continues by saying to them, complete my joy.
SPEAKER_00: What we see here is that there's still a temptation for the Philippian church to be distracted by what's happening around them.
SPEAKER_00: And Paul is helping them to remain focused.
SPEAKER_00: He isn't doubting their faith, but rather he's helping this young church to focus on the main thing.
SPEAKER_00: He says, Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
SPEAKER_00: Paul cares deeply about unity in the church, and not only for the church in Philippi, but for all churches.
SPEAKER_00: This is the second time in this letter that Paul urges the church to have this singular mind and this singular love for one another.
SPEAKER_00: Back in chapter 21, or back in chapter 1, verses 27, 28, it says, Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come to you and see you, or I'm absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind, striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened by anything by your opponents.
SPEAKER_00: Paul isn't telling them that they should turn a blind eye to injustice, nor is he trying to diminish the suffering that some of them are experiencing.
SPEAKER_00: Rather than focus on the negative things surrounding them, he's telling this church that their main priority should be the unity that they have within the church and to allow that unity to be the thing that guides them through their different and difficult circumstances.
SPEAKER_00: So pause for a minute right now and think about your life circumstances.
SPEAKER_00: Specifically how it impacts your relationships within the church body here.
SPEAKER_00: Through your own self-evaluation, are you able to say that you're living with your church family in a oneness of mind and love and in spirit?
SPEAKER_00: Paul says that it is through those things that his joy is made complete.
SPEAKER_00: As he hears testimony of just how deeply the church loves one another.
SPEAKER_00: His joy doesn't come from hearing about the new building campaign or the attendance records from this last quarter.
SPEAKER_00: His joy comes from hearing about their mutual love.
SPEAKER_00: Paul continues in verse 3, and he says, Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
SPEAKER_00: Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
SPEAKER_00: This is the expectation.
SPEAKER_00: This is what Paul wants the church to focus on.
SPEAKER_00: If we've received encouragement from Christ, if we have any comfort from his love, if we have any participation in the Spirit, if we have any affection and sympathy.
SPEAKER_00: See, all of these statements begin with an if.
SPEAKER_00: And in our mind, they should be followed up with a then.
SPEAKER_00: If, then.
SPEAKER_00: Paul is saying that if this is true of you, then this is how you ought to live.
SPEAKER_00: If I could paraphrase Paul, it might say something like this.
SPEAKER_00: If you are a Christian, you had better not be arrogant.
SPEAKER_00: If you claim to belong to Christ, it better be evident by the way that your life is lived in service of other Christians.
SPEAKER_00: This call to unity and service within the church is a drum that is beat through the New Testament again and again.
SPEAKER_00: We could turn to Hebrews chapter 10, verse 24, that says, And let us consider how to stir one another up in love and good works.
SPEAKER_00: Or Galatians chapter 5, Paul writes again, and he says, For you were called to freedom, brothers, only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
SPEAKER_00: And later on in that same chapter, he says, Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
SPEAKER_00: Same language he used here in Philippians 2.
SPEAKER_00: We could turn to James, another writer in the New Testament, who says, Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.
SPEAKER_00: And in Romans, Paul writes and he says, So then, let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.
SPEAKER_00: The expectation that Paul is reminding the church about, even in the midst of terrible persecution, is to humbly serve one another in love.
SPEAKER_00: Now, one of the concerns I have is that there may be a chance that someone gets the order of operations mixed up here.
SPEAKER_00: I can envision someone who isn't a Christian.
SPEAKER_00: That they actually have greater love than some of the Christians that they know.
SPEAKER_00: I've heard this charge made against churches in the past that, as a matter of fact, sometimes churches can be unloving places.
SPEAKER_00: And I think that in some ways, this is actually an evidence of common grace that God shows to all people, our ability to love.
SPEAKER_00: I'm not arguing that only Christians are able to be loving, but I do believe that there's a difference in the love that Paul is describing here.
SPEAKER_00: Paul isn't saying that the people need to join UNICEF or the Red Cross to humbly love people.
SPEAKER_00: He's specifically talking about loving relationships within the church family.
SPEAKER_00: And these loving relationships are lived out of the overflow of the saving grace that God gives to his people.
SPEAKER_00: Paul isn't saying that it's humility that gets you into heaven.
SPEAKER_00: He isn't saying that your selflessness earns your salvation.
SPEAKER_00: Remember, all of this conversation about serving others began from the foundation of acceptance of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00: We talked about it briefly at the beginning of the sermon that the Philippine Christians are partakers of grace alongside Paul.
SPEAKER_00: Through Paul's ministry while in Philippi for those three short days, he would have explained to the people their need for salvation, to be saved from sin.
SPEAKER_00: He would have walked them through the life and death and resurrection of Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: He would have told them that their only hope in salvation is through faith in Jesus Christ as the perfect sacrifice to take away their sin.
SPEAKER_00: As the people placed their faith in Jesus, they became a church.
SPEAKER_00: The gathered people of God.
SPEAKER_00: All of that precedes Paul's call to selflessness.
SPEAKER_00: The expectation is that out of the overflow of what God has done for you, you will in turn live a life of humble service of others.
SPEAKER_00: Our service doesn't save us, it shows others that we have already been saved.
SPEAKER_00: So, what does this practically mean for us today?
SPEAKER_00: When Paul tells the church to avoid selfish ambition and pursue humility that counts others as more significant than yourself, what are you and I to do about this?
SPEAKER_00: One of the first things that we ought to regularly be doing is asking God to reveal in us if our heart has become selfish and conceited?
SPEAKER_00: Have I allowed myself to return what was my heart's natural inward bent?
SPEAKER_00: When I hear of a need in the church family, do I sit back and hope that someone else would meet that need before I do?
SPEAKER_00: Kind of waiting to raise my hand to say, sure, I can fill in there?
SPEAKER_00: Or if I have a different preference than someone else in the church, do I allow that preference to negatively impact our relationship?
SPEAKER_00: Here's an example.
SPEAKER_00: Imagine that I don't like music.
SPEAKER_00: Not only that I'm fully aware that I have a horrible singing voice, but that I just don't like music either.
SPEAKER_00: Now, the church is gonna have a worship night.
SPEAKER_00: As this person in the church who doesn't like the sound of music, I have a choice to make here.
SPEAKER_00: Am I going to humble myself and attend an event on behalf of the church to support and encourage the church and to sing, even if it's not the thing that I most want to do?
SPEAKER_00: Or will I stay home?
SPEAKER_00: Will I say, that's not for me?
SPEAKER_00: Or if I hear about this emphasis that we've placed on one-to-one Bible reading or one-to-one discipleship, but Pastor, I'm introverted.
SPEAKER_00: Surely that's not for me.
SPEAKER_00: Or if the discipleship pastor tells you that he hopes to multiply our Sunday schools and community groups this year, do we sit back and say that's for someone else?
SPEAKER_00: Or as a church, do we humble ourselves and look to the interests of others?
SPEAKER_00: Paul is telling the Philippian church and us that if we belong to Christ, then we belong to each other.
SPEAKER_00: And the expectation is that in humility we do what we can to humbly serve each other in the church.
SPEAKER_00: And Paul doesn't only give us the expectation to pursue, but he also shows us the perfect example of what humble, self-giving love can look like.
SPEAKER_00: And this is the second point, the example that we're shown.
SPEAKER_00: Starting in verse 5, Paul says, Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Again, this expectation is only possible in Christ.
SPEAKER_00: This isn't a try harder solution to sin.
SPEAKER_00: This isn't a checklist of how to please God.
SPEAKER_00: This is a reminder of what you have already been saved from and saved to.
SPEAKER_00: Saved from sin and saved to humbly love.
SPEAKER_00: He 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 by taking the form of a servant, being born in likeness of men, and being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross.
SPEAKER_00: Here's the example.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Paul tells us that we're supposed to have the same mind that Jesus did when he came to earth as a baby.
SPEAKER_00: You want to talk about humility?
SPEAKER_00: Paul isn't talking about humbling yourself when your opinion over the style of music isn't selected.
SPEAKER_00: He's not talking about humbling yourself when the church potluck is Mediterranean themed instead of Mexican.
SPEAKER_00: He's talking about the creator and sustainer of the universe choosing to humble himself and come as a newborn baby.
SPEAKER_00: Look back at verse 6.
SPEAKER_00: It says, though he was in the form of God, he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.
SPEAKER_00: The only thing that can be in the form of God is God.
SPEAKER_00: The word form here could be translated to mean the true and exact nature of something.
SPEAKER_00: It reminds me of Colossians chapter 1, verse 15, that says, Jesus is the image of the invisible God.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus Christ, God the Son, left the Father's side to come to earth on a rescue mission to save sinners.
SPEAKER_00: Have you ever seen the show Undercover Boss?
SPEAKER_00: Me either, but I've seen the shorts on YouTube.
SPEAKER_00: I was expecting that reaction.
SPEAKER_00: In this show, what basically happens is a CEO of a company will go undercover in the company as like an intern or like an entry-level position.
SPEAKER_00: And they'll be, they'll wear a disguise and they'll try to show up and do the job.
SPEAKER_00: And in this show, what oftentimes happens is that the CEO will get to meet someone in their corporation who's maybe been handed a tough, been dealt a tough hand in life.
SPEAKER_00: And then by the end of the show, the CEO does something generous to this deserving individual.
SPEAKER_00: Well, Jesus didn't come as an undercover boss.
SPEAKER_00: He came as the Son of God to a world full of people who didn't deserve anything.
SPEAKER_00: In the TV show, there's always this sense of a writing of something wrong taking place.
SPEAKER_00: But in the gospel, we see undeserved favor being shown to a people who only had justice to expect.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus chose to empty himself, to humble himself completely for my sake and for your sake.
SPEAKER_00: In the TV show, the boss is still the boss, even when they're undercover.
SPEAKER_00: Their choice to live subordinate for the duration of the TV show doesn't mean that they aren't still the real boss.
SPEAKER_00: And in a similar way, Jesus did not cease to be God when he chose to empty himself.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus had all the privileges as the king of the universe, but in humility, he chose to set them aside and come as an ordinary human.
SPEAKER_00: In emptying himself, as it says in verse 7, Jesus didn't cease to be God, just as the undercover boss doesn't cease to be the boss.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus did not cease to be God, but chose to humble himself for our sake.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus came to the earth, not born into a palace, but born into a family in the midst of a marital scandal.
SPEAKER_00: He took the form of a servant here on earth.
SPEAKER_00: You and I, we oftentimes wrestle with the question whether or not we will vocalize it or not, of how low do I really have to humble myself?
SPEAKER_00: We may look to our left and our right and ask the question, well, what about them?
SPEAKER_00: Surely I'm more humble than they are.
SPEAKER_00: I don't know about you, but when I read a passage like this, and when I think about the way that Christ humbled himself for me, it pretty quickly starts to break me down, to knock me down a few pegs.
SPEAKER_00: But not only did Jesus come to the earth in a humble, nobody family, he also lived a perfect life that led him to die on the cross.
SPEAKER_00: For Jesus knew that if we were ever to have hope of being reconciled to God the Father, it would only be through his blood shed for us.
SPEAKER_00: It brings my mind back to the night when Jesus was betrayed and his prayer where he says, Remove this cup from me.
SPEAKER_00: Yet not what I will, but what you will.
SPEAKER_00: As Jesus considered the agony of the cross, he chose the path of humility because he knew that it was the Father's will that he would endure it.
SPEAKER_00: Friends, this is the example to follow.
SPEAKER_00: And I'd be foolish if I didn't tell you that you and I will not be able to perfectly live it out this side of eternity.
SPEAKER_00: I don't share this passage to heap on you the weight of self-sacrifice, but to invite you to consider what the Bible shows us as the better way.
SPEAKER_00: Over the years I've had a chance to walk with a few young couples as they approach marriage, and I always bring them back to this passage.
SPEAKER_00: I always ask them what will bring them the most harmony in their marriage.
SPEAKER_00: And as we talk through this theme, they come to see this call to selfless love.
SPEAKER_00: Husbands and wives.
SPEAKER_00: Don't act out in selfish ambition.
SPEAKER_00: Don't only look to your own interests, but also to those of your spouse.
SPEAKER_00: I believe that the best path to a healthy marriage is one of mutual selflessness.
SPEAKER_00: And I believe that the way of envy and rivalry is undone by the way of sacrifice and self-giving.
SPEAKER_00: In the life and death of Jesus, we see this lived out to the extreme end.
SPEAKER_00: And Paul is writing here, and he's telling the church that we can experience that as well as we seek to humbly serve one another in love.
SPEAKER_00: So, what's the end result of this pursuit of humility?
SPEAKER_00: That's our third point this morning.
SPEAKER_00: And I can think of two components to this end result.
SPEAKER_00: The first one that I see is that people will come to salvation.
SPEAKER_00: As the world sees the love of the church, the way that we love and sacrificially serve one another, they're going to want to know why.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus told his disciples that the way the world will know that we are his people is by our love for one another.
SPEAKER_00: From John 13.
SPEAKER_00: The head of the church, the master of the universe, the God of all creation, has commanded us in Scripture to love one another.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus says, just as I have loved you, and we just talked about Jesus has loved us, just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.
SPEAKER_00: By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
SPEAKER_00: Do you want to continue to see the world come to faith in the Lord Jesus that they may be saved?
SPEAKER_00: Then think about what the outside world sees when they see the church.
SPEAKER_00: Do they see a diverse people who are growing through relationships grounded in a selfless love for one another?
SPEAKER_00: Is the hallmark of a healthy and vibrant church their robust theology or the depth of their love?
SPEAKER_00: Both are necessary.
SPEAKER_00: But the truth spoken without love just sounds like a clanging gong.
SPEAKER_00: That's the first end result that comes to mind.
SPEAKER_00: That people will see the humble love in the church and they will come to Jesus and be saved.
SPEAKER_00: And the second result is further developed in the last three verses of this passage.
SPEAKER_00: Paul writes and he says, Therefore, another therefore, pointing back to the life that Jesus lived.
SPEAKER_00: 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 confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.
SPEAKER_00: To put it bluntly, everyone is going to be humbled in the end.
SPEAKER_00: These final verses are pointing to the end of all time when Jesus will be revealed to all creation as the King of the universe.
SPEAKER_00: And as he's revealed, every knee will bow, some in worship, others in submission.
SPEAKER_00: Elsewhere in the Bible, we're told that those who do not place their faith in Jesus to be saved will be destroyed.
SPEAKER_00: Even earlier in Philippians, back in chapter 1, Paul alludes to the fact that those who are opposing the gospel in Philippi are demonstrating, as Paul says in Philippians chapter 1, verse 28, a clear sign to them of their destruction.
SPEAKER_00: It also reminds me of a parable that Jesus told that also points to the end of all time and the consummation of his kingdom here on earth, back in Matthew chapter 25.
SPEAKER_00: In this parable, Jesus talks about those who will enter into his eternal kingdom and those who will be cast out of it.
SPEAKER_00: In Matthew 25, starting at verse 41, Jesus says, Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
SPEAKER_00: The Bible is clear that there are those who will inherit eternal life, and those who will inherit eternal destruction.
SPEAKER_00: And what we're seeing in Philippians 2, verses 9 and 11 is a picture of what's going to take place when Jesus is finally revealed in his second coming.
SPEAKER_00: He's going to return, and when he does, every single knee will bow.
SPEAKER_00: There are none missing from this list.
SPEAKER_00: In heaven, on the earth, and under the earth.
SPEAKER_00: Which means that my knee and your knee is going to bow.
SPEAKER_00: I know that my knee will be bowing in worship.
SPEAKER_00: What about yours?
SPEAKER_00: Will your knee bow in worship to the God you love or in fearful submission to the one that you ignored?
SPEAKER_00: If you're here today and you aren't a follower and believer in Jesus, I beg you to consider these options and to come and talk with me or one of our pastors following our gathering.
SPEAKER_00: We're so thankful that you're here, and we would love to talk with you more about the faith that we have and answer any questions that you might also have.
SPEAKER_00: I also want to share a word with the Christian in this room.
SPEAKER_00: This final scene in verses 9 to 11, it paints a picture of God's people bowed down in worship to our God.
SPEAKER_00: Do a self-survey, another one, of your life, and ask whether or not you live your life with this in mind.
SPEAKER_00: Because the Apostle Paul has said that our posture should actually look like this all the time, not only on this final day.
SPEAKER_00: Not only when we pray.
SPEAKER_00: Not only when there's a service project that needs a carpenter, not only when my community group or Sunday school are hosting a specific event.
SPEAKER_00: But throughout my whole life, I want to be choosing to live this way of humbly serving my brothers and sisters in the church.
SPEAKER_00: I want to say another thing to the Christian in this room as well.
SPEAKER_00: Are we seeking out opportunities to help those people in our life choose to follow Jesus before it's forced to on that final day?
SPEAKER_00: Each of us are gonna have people in our life that we know that are far from God.
SPEAKER_00: And this passage should light a fire in us to want to help these people in our life to draw closer to God.
SPEAKER_00: Are you praying for them?
SPEAKER_00: Do you have people, like names of people in your mind that you're regularly praying for that would come to faith in Jesus?
SPEAKER_00: Are you taking advantage and having gospel conversations with people when the opportunity is presented to you?
SPEAKER_00: It's God who draws people to repentance, but it is also through the church being obedient to proclaim the faith that we have and the gospel of the God that we love that people are saved.
SPEAKER_00: Brother, sister, allow God to ignite your zeal for the lost.
SPEAKER_00: Ask God to help you make the most of every opportunity and to make every opportunity one for His kingdom's sake.
SPEAKER_00: You see, the reason why this passage has been such an anchor in my life is because I'm actually really prone to self-serving.
SPEAKER_00: To looking out for me first.
SPEAKER_00: I'm so quick to ask the question well, I mean, what about me?
SPEAKER_00: When am I gonna get mine?
SPEAKER_00: And what this passage does is it instantly humbles me when I think about just how much God loves me and came to save me.
SPEAKER_00: This passage humbles me and shows me that my life is not my own and that my purpose goes beyond the number of beats in my heart.
SPEAKER_00: Church, I am yours.
SPEAKER_00: I am yours, and you are mine.
SPEAKER_00: All of us have been saved with the hope of future glory where we will spend eternity with our God who loves us, and he's calling us to get to work at loving us and loving each other right now.
SPEAKER_00: In a room this size, I know that there are people here who aren't fully convinced that what I just said is true.
SPEAKER_00: If that's you, like I said before, I thank you for being here.
SPEAKER_00: It's not always easy to be in a setting like this.
SPEAKER_00: And if that is you, I hope that you've been able to experience a glimpse of this humble love that the Bible calls us to live out.
SPEAKER_00: But more than that, I hope that the knowledge of the fact that Jesus Christ came to earth to save you from your sin.
SPEAKER_00: And I pray that that truth would penetrate deep into your heart.
SPEAKER_00: And as that fact burrows into you, I want to encourage you and invite you to receive the gift of salvation today.
SPEAKER_00: The Bible tells us that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
SPEAKER_00: Salvation can be yours today.
SPEAKER_00: And if it is, I'd love to have a chance to connect with you and talk with you about some of the questions you might have and some of your next steps as you join this gathering of misfits who are learning how to humbly love one another.
SPEAKER_00: As I've prepared for the sermon, I've been reflecting on the love that Paul had for the church in Philippi.
SPEAKER_00: The church that he had an opportunity to shepherd from afar.
SPEAKER_00: And as your pastor, I want you to know just how much I've been praying for you this week.
SPEAKER_00: That God would use each and every one of you for his kingdom.
SPEAKER_00: And so if you'd allow me the opportunity to personalize Paul's words for us today, Park side.
SPEAKER_00: If you have any encouragement from belonging to Jesus, any comfort from his love for you, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by humbly loving one another.
SPEAKER_00: Let's pray.
SPEAKER_00: Our God, we are so thankful and humbled that you chose to love us, that you did not abandon us, you did not forsake us, that you emptied yourself, becoming obedient to the point of death.
SPEAKER_00: God, that is so humbling.
SPEAKER_00: And I pray that you would remind us about this through our days and weeks, Lord, that you would protect us from becoming conceited and self-serving and selfish, Lord.
SPEAKER_00: I pray that that would not exist in our households, in our marriages, in our parenting, in our workplace, in our community, but most of all, Lord, in our church.
SPEAKER_00: Would our humble, self giving love for one another here ring out through the community?
SPEAKER_00: And would people ask the question where does that love come from?
SPEAKER_00: So that we might point them to you, Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: And we pray this all in your name.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.