Well, good morning, everyone.
Would you turn to Philippians chapter 1?
Please pray with me.
Our Father in heaven, we ask that you would show us the greatness of your Son.
And we ask that you would give us grace to make him our deepest treasure.
In Jesus' name we ask. Amen.
Why does he always leave his dishes at the sink?
If Mum knew how bad these vegetables tasted, she would not be forcing them down my throat.
I really want that last slice of pizza.
Oh, no, no, no, you have it, I'm full.
If only she knew how great I am, then she would go out with me.
Dad just wants the money for himself.
That's why he's not buying me that phone.
Can't she see how good it would be to own that car?
Why on earth did she spend money on flowers again?
She uses the heater way more than me.
It's not fair that we split the bill 50-50.
Why can't she just try and sleep when I put her to bed?
Why on earth would the coach let Dave start on the field and I have to sit on the bench?
Why do they always mow the lawns on Saturday morning?
Can't he see that I'm hurt?
Why is he pretending like he's the one hurt?
How can they believe that the Bible allows evolution to be possible?
I've got great ideas for how the church can do evangelism better, but no one asks me.
Isn't it obvious that those type of songs don't worship God?
Wouldn't life be so much better if people just agreed with the way we were thinking?
Wouldn't it be better?
Imagine it.
You would have the house and the finances set up the best way.
Your sporting team would have the best chance of winning.
You would be able to have the stuff you need.
Your work would always be satisfying, not too stressful.
Your kids would always do what you say.
Your parents would always do what you say.
You'd get on wonderfully with your neighbours, never having to speak to them.
Bible studies would be 10 minutes, not an hour.
You'd always resolve disagreements within seconds.
You would have the best strategies for ministries and evangelism as a church.
Life would be so much better if you would just think the way I think.
In fact, God says we need to be united.
I reckon we would be way more united if you just thought the way I think.
This morning, do you know what God's going to say to us through our passage in Philippians?
Here's what you're not expecting.
God is saying that we ought to think the same way.
But not how we might expect.
Something way better.
The reputation of Jesus himself.
The reputation of the gospel is at stake.
We heard last week,
if Christ himself is our deepest treasure of our hearts,
then we will count death as gain.
And we'll count living for him as what it means to truly live.
So how do we live for Christ?
What does that even look like?
Here we come to verse 27.
Paul gives the Philippians and he gives us one single instruction.
Only.
For everyone who God has saved by his grace, he makes this call on your life.
Only.
Let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.
You believe the message that you deserve God's just punishment for your sinful attitude to God and your sinful behavior.
But you also believe that Jesus took that punishment for you.
All of it.
He took it for you.
And he gave you his eternal life with God.
The gospel is great, isn't it?
Hearing it and believing it has saved your life.
Now, how do we respond?
And remember at this point, God is at work in us to produce this response.
Conduct every aspect of your life, every aspect of your life to show the greatness of Christ.
Here, Paul uses a word for live.
Usually he uses a word that means something more like walk.
But here he uses a different word, something more like live as citizens of a country.
The Philippians, they would have been proud Roman citizens.
And they would feel tremendous pressure to live worthy of being called Roman.
But now that Christ has saved them, now that Christ has saved us,
we need to think of ourselves under a different citizenship, a citizenship in heaven.
You are living under the law of the gospel of grace.
So act according to grace.
From watching TV, to choosing bananas, to having sex, to playing footy, to crying, to feeling anxious.
Let your thinking and values and choices be governed by God's grace to you in Jesus.
It's a big call, isn't it?
God is at work in us to produce this.
And our passage is going to help us do this.
Live in a way that makes Christ and his gospel look as great as he is.
But what makes Christ look great?
What shows that he is our treasure?
What shows the people around us the priceless value of the gospel message?
Well, the rest of the letter and the rest of the Bible addresses lots of areas that we need to hear.
And that's why we need to saturate in God's word all the time.
But the first thing that Paul addresses appears to be the primary way to live to make Christ look great.
It is what he spends the majority of the letter talking about.
And it's what he devotes the most beautiful poem of the New Testament to help us do.
This is what it is.
Live in a way that shows the greatness of Christ by remaining united.
Not united around superficial things.
Not even things like evangelism.
We make Christ look great in our unity when we share in Jesus' humble way of thinking.
So for the rest of this morning, we'll hear four aspects of how to live to show the greatness of Christ.
The first one, when we remain united while under attack,
this is a clear sign of the truth of the gospel.
The second aspect is that it's not external opposition that really threatens us.
What really has the potential to divide us is our own self-seeking thinking.
Thirdly, we remain united by sharing Jesus' humble way of thinking.
And lastly, we believe that Christ is great because of his humility.
When we believe that he is great because of his humility,
we will share in his thinking.
So let's get into it.
Look at verse 28.
Verse 28.
So first, remain united while under external attack.
The Philippians had been getting the gospel out into their city
and no doubt they were already living in ways that showed that their primary loyalty
was not to Rome but to Christ.
What do you think that caused?
Jesus said,
if you were of the world,
the world would love you as its own.
But because you were not of the world,
but I chose you out of the world,
therefore the world hates you.
We are citizens of heaven.
If they persecuted me,
says Jesus,
they will also persecute you.
Opposition to Jesus is par for the course.
The gospel is good news.
It is good news,
but people will either love it or hate it.
When you live in line with the gospel,
people will be attracted to it
or they'll despise it.
Now, one thing to make clear,
if we ourselves are offensive in our manner
and people are hostile towards us because we are offensive,
don't call that persecution.
You're just offensive.
So there's a few guys on Beaumont Street.
They just approach people and say,
do you know you're going to heaven?
Okay, confronting, maybe it's loving.
And then even when Christians go,
yes, I believe in Jesus, I'm going to heaven.
They're like, are you sure?
And then they just walk away.
Now, they're offensive.
Don't call that persecution.
But even if you are gentle and considerate
and truthful to the gospel,
it will bring about opposition
because people will either submit to Christ
or they will oppose him.
For the Philippians,
the opponents are either people coming into the church
trying to teach them to,
they have to submit to the law of Moses,
or maybe the opponents are just the surrounding society,
the surrounding authorities.
I think that's more likely because in verse 30,
Paul compares their conflict to his current imprisonment
and also his original imprisonment in Philippi.
But it could just be any opponent's.
The important thing is that the church holds rank.
Their chief officer, Paul, is absent.
But that doesn't matter.
For the sake of showing that Christ is great
and his gospel is worth believing and sharing,
they are to stand firm in one spirit,
with one mind, striving side by side
for the faith of the gospel.
It's military language.
Roman soldiers would hold their ground
by having half their shield covering themselves
and half their shield covering the man beside them.
They would move and defend as one unit,
as one man.
The Philippians are to have the same spirit,
the same goal motivating them.
They have the same mind controlling their every movement.
Move as one.
Whatever the opponents threw at them,
don't feel scared.
Feel pity for the opponents
and feel assured of your own salvation.
Now that's opposite to the way we think.
How do we think this way?
How can we be sure that God approves of us
when people are opposing us?
Sure doesn't feel like God is approving of us in that moment.
Verse 29, have a look.
We're to know and remember that God has not only given you faith in Jesus,
but he gives you opportunities to witness to the value of Jesus
by giving you sufferings simply for your faith in Jesus.
When we remain united,
committed to the gospel together,
even when under attack,
this shows that we really believe.
This shows that we belong to Christ
and it shows that our opponents are really opposing Christ.
They will be judged on the last day.
Let's feel pity for them.
Let's pray for them.
When we remain united,
we are reassured that we really do belong to Christ.
We will be saved.
We will be vindicated on the last day.
Unity,
even while being opposed,
being willing to suffer,
shows the great value and truth of the gospel.
But notice that chapter 2 verse 1 starts with,
so, or therefore.
Paul is going to show
that there's an even bigger threat to our unity.
What actually has the potential to divide us
is our own self-seeking way of thinking.
Verse 3.
Do nothing
from selfish ambition
or conceit.
Conceit
means to be full of yourself.
And if you're full of yourself,
you don't even realise it
because you already have
an inflated
view of yourself.
Now,
Australians.
Australians don't put up with arrogance.
We don't like anyone who's arrogant.
And so,
I think we're in danger of thinking
this verse isn't about me.
I'm not arrogant.
But,
as Australians,
just because we don't put up with arrogance
doesn't mean that we value humility.
Have you noticed the ads
for people signing up
to the Australian Defence Force?
They surprise me.
I just,
I can barely understand them.
I went to the ADF website,
and this is one of the main links
on the website.
Explore all the financial,
career,
and lifestyle benefits
of working for the ADF.
If any job
is about serving others,
surely
laying down your life
for your country is.
But no,
they're selling it
by saying,
what financial
and career
and lifestyle benefits
do I get out of it?
As Australians,
we are a self-seeking country
on an individual basis.
What about you and me?
I hope how I started
this sermon
showed that the way we think
is often,
often
about our own
self-seeking desires.
And could it be
that our opinions
and strongly held convictions
can sometimes be
the fruit of assuming
that we are so clever,
that we are so experienced
or talented,
or we just assume
our way of seeing the world
is the right way.
I'm not saying
don't hold convictions.
I'm saying,
have a look.
What's behind those?
So notice two things
in our text.
First,
Paul is speaking
to the whole church.
It's not just a few
arrogant people
in the congregation.
He's speaking to all of us.
We can all be proud
and self-seeking.
Second,
look at what the opposite
of being driven
by self is.
I think
we can often think
that the opposite
of self-seeking
is just doing
what you need.
You just go off
the base of what you need,
not what you want.
That's not the opposite
of self-seeking.
The opposite
of self-seeking
is in humility.
Count others
more significant
than yourselves.
Wow.
Do you find that hard?
I do.
This doesn't mean
that you think
of yourself
less valuable.
It's not saying
have a poor self-esteem.
Otherwise,
Jesus could not
have been humble.
He was the most valuable
and still is
the most valuable person
in the universe.
It's not about
having a low self-esteem.
That's not what
this is saying.
To be humble
is not to think
less of yourself.
It's to think
of yourself
less.
It's to
intentionally
choose
to place
at the center
of your thinking
and decision-making
others,
not self.
It's to pay
close attention
to what others need.
Humility
is an active
and intentional
choice
to consider others.
When you meet
a humble person,
you won't go away
thinking,
wow,
they were humble.
You will go away
thinking,
wow,
they were interested
in me.
They really cared
about me.
That's evidence
that you just met
a humble person.
this kind of thinking
is completely
opposite to the way
the world works
and it doesn't
come naturally
to us.
We need
external help
and that's exactly
what we've got.
Look at verse 1.
If there is any
encouragement
in Christ,
that if statement
is really saying
since you have,
since you have
comfort
and encouragement
of being saved
in Christ,
since you've got it,
since we share it,
since you experience
the consolation
of Christ's love
during hard times
and sufferings,
since you participate
in the Holy Spirit,
since you receive
God's tender mercies
and compassion
for you,
we share in this
together.
What's going to bring
joy to Paul
because it'll be
the Philippians
living in a way
that worthy of Christ?
This is what it is
to be united.
If the local church
is deeply united
by sharing
the same thinking,
have the same
intentional love,
have deep agreement
by operating
on the same thinking.
So what is this thinking
that unites us?
Humbling ourselves
by counting others
more significant,
paying close attention
to their needs.
Imagine if we were
all doing that.
Humbling ourselves
by counting others
more significant,
paying close attention
to their needs.
How do we have
this thinking among us,
within us?
How do we do it?
Do we just really
work hard at not
thinking about ourselves?
Isn't that just
thinking about yourself?
Don't do that.
Please don't do that.
This is how we do it.
We focus
on the greatness
and the beauty
of Christ.
So let's have a look
at the beauty
of Christ.
Verse 5.
Have this mind
among yourselves,
which is yours
in Christ Jesus.
Jesus.
What is Jesus'
way of thinking?
Here we come
to a poem
about Christ
that for good reason
some see
as the centrepiece
of the crown jewel
of the New Testament.
If you're still
exploring Christianity,
can I urge you
to pay attention?
This poem,
it's going
to give you
a glimpse
not only
to what we believe
as Christians,
but it's going
to give you
a glimpse,
a window
into Jesus'
thinking.
Let's have a look.
Verse 6.
Christ Jesus,
who,
though he was
in the form
of God,
before being born
as a baby,
Jesus existed.
I'm hoping
our head
is blown
at each point.
It should be.
Before he was born,
he existed.
Not merely
existing as one
of the first
of God's creation,
no,
he was in the form
of God.
And that phrase
in the form of
might give the false
impression that he
was just an imitation
of God.
That's not what it
means.
It means
that he existed
as God.
If it looks
like a duck,
if it thinks
like a duck
and acts
like a duck,
it's a duck.
As the Son
of God,
Jesus shared
all God's
nature,
not just in a
similar way,
in the same way,
the same essence.
God's eternality,
his knowledge,
his power,
his wisdom,
his unchangeableness,
his love,
his mercy,
his justice,
and so on.
Jesus,
was the one
who put the
southern cross
in the sky.
He's the one
upholding the
law of gravity
right now.
He is God
in every respect.
He deserves
obedience
and thanks
and worship
from everything
that exists.
Verse 6,
though he was
in the form
of God,
he did not
count equality
with God
a thing
to be grasped.
God
that's the
very opposite
of Adam
in the garden.
Equality,
equal rights,
equal status,
equal pay,
equal opportunities,
equal portions,
equal credit.
We're obsessed
with equality.
We grasp at it.
We think it is
worth grasping at.
We think it's worth
taking possession of
and defending
no matter what
the cost.
but notice
here that
Jesus was
equal with
God.
He was
God.
He was
equal with
God
but he
didn't count.
He didn't
consider.
He didn't
think
being equal
with God
was something
to be
protected.
Wow.
What did
he do?
Verse 7,
he emptied
himself.
First,
let me clarify
what this
doesn't mean.
It doesn't
mean that
he gave
up
his
godness.
He didn't
give up
any
characteristic
of being
God.
Before
he came
to earth,
he was
fully
God.
While
he was
on earth,
he was
fully
God.
Ever
since
and
forevermore,
he is
fully
God.
He is
always
God.
So what
does it
mean that
he emptied
himself?
The poem
tells us
he emptied
himself by
taking the
form of
a servant.
Here we
have that
same idea
again,
taking the
form.
Jesus
actually
became a
servant,
a slave.
Could you
imagine the
queen putting
on gloves
and cleaning
the public
toilets in
London?
The one
who by
nature is
the ruler
of everything
that exists.
The one
to whom
everything that
exists owes
its breath.
The one
to whom
everything that
exists should
look to him
and say,
what would
you have
me do?
He's the
one who
became a
slave.
he chose
himself.
It wasn't
forced on
him.
He took
the nature
of a slave
upon himself.
What is
this servant
form?
Verse 7
and 8.
Becoming in
the likeness
of men and
being found
in appearance
as a man,
as a human
being.
The creator
became a
creature.
The creator
of the
God.
More than
that,
the Holy
One could
not be
distinguished
by outward
looks alone
from sinful
humanity.
If you had
a picture
of a random
selection of
people of
Nazareth in
the time of
Jesus,
you could
not be
sure which
one was
Jesus,
despite all
the pictures
you've seen.
You could
not be
sure.
He looked
exactly like
us.
The Holy
One looked
like us.
Proud,
God-ignoring,
promise-breaking
people.
He became
like us in
every respect
except sin.
He was
sinless.
He designed
the human
body,
and yet
He is the
one who
experienced
hunger and
thirst and
cried.
He was
dependent on
sleep.
He really
and actually
became a
man.
He emptied
Himself.
He became
a servant.
And
incredibly,
there's even
more to the
way Jesus
thought.
Verse 8,
He humbled
Himself
by becoming
obedient to
the point of
death,
even
death on
a cross.
No one
forced this
humiliation
on Him.
He humbled
Himself.
Again,
humility is
not about
counting
yourself as
less valuable.
Jesus
didn't
pretend
He wasn't
God.
He didn't
pretend He
wasn't
valuable.
He wasn't
insecure.
How did
Jesus show
true humility?
He became
obedient.
Obedient to
other people?
No,
obedient to
God the
Father.
We see this
clearly in the
Gospels.
He never
insisted on
His personal
autonomy.
Quite the
opposite.
He delighted
in speaking
the words
God gave
Him,
the Father
gave Him
to speak.
He delighted
in doing
the works
God gave
Him to
do.
In the
midst of
insult,
in the
midst of
every attempt
by men
to undo
Him and
even kill
Him,
He remained
obedient to
the Father.
Even when
He was
tempted by
Satan to
have rule
over everything
without having
to suffer,
He remained
obedient to
the Father.
Him
humbled
Himself by
delighting
in doing
what God
the Father
wanted Him
to do.
Even to
the point
of death.
Even to
the point
of public
shame.
People
looked at
Him and
saw Him
as weak
and powerless,
saw Him as
an enemy
of God.
His disciples
deserted
Him.
people
looked at
Him and
thought He's
a criminal.
He is
cursed by
God.
He deserves
to die.
He was
even obedient
to the point
of the
Father forsaking
Him.
He never
said enough.
I deserve
better.
I'm
stopping.
I'm
stopping.
though
equal with
God,
He chose
to become
a slave.
Becoming
in every
way
like sinful
men,
except without
sin.
And He
chose to
humble
Himself to
the direction
of His
Father,
serving
you,
serving me
by dying
so that I
don't have
to.
Him.
This is
Jesus' way
of thinking.
Isn't
He amazing?
God the
Father certainly
thought so.
Look at
verse 9.
One very
key word.
Therefore,
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.
It's for
the very
reason that
Jesus chose
to lower
Himself that
God has
lifted Him
up.
God
exalts
the humble.
He looks
at His
Son and
says He
is the
greatest
person and
He is to
be worshipped
by everything
that exists
because He
humbled
Himself.
He is
truly
great.
He was a
slave in
service of
all, so
God exalted
Him to
rule over
all.
And Jesus
knew this.
He trusted
this.
He said
whoever wants
to be great
must be the
servant of
all.
He not
only chose
to lower
himself in
obedience to
God but
He trusted
in His
Father's
lifting Him
up out of
the grave to
the highest
place.
Selfish
ambition and
conceit,
they are
empty and
shallow.
Do you
want to be
great?
Do you
want to be
great?
Follow the
greatest
one.
humble
yourself.
God is
unifying
everything
under
Christ.
Everything
that exists
will one
day acknowledge
His
greatness.
He is
Lord and
He's great
because He
chose to
lower
Himself.
This is
the mind
of the
Son of
God.
Isn't
He
beautiful?
This is
why we
worship Him,
isn't it?
How do we
live worthy
of the
gospel of
Christ?
When we
are unified
in common
worship of
Jesus,
He is
great.
When we
worship Him
for the way
He humbled
Himself in
obedience even
to the
point of
death.
And when
we adore
Him and
cherish Him
for this and
count Him as
the greatest
because of
this, we
too will
choose to
be humble.
We won't
only have the
same goal of
wanting to
show the
greatness of
Jesus, we
will have the
same humble
way of
thinking.
thinking, we
will be
united with
the one
way of
thinking.
We will
even share
in the
Son of
God's way
of thinking.
We are
called to
live all of
our life
worthy of
this gospel
of Christ.
Christ.
How beautiful
our families,
how beautiful
our church
will be,
how strong
we will
stand against
all opposition,
how we will
live worthy
of the gospel
if we count
Jesus as
great, if we
think like
our humble
Christ.
let me
pray.
Please pray.
Lord Jesus,
you are
amazing.
Help us
treasure you.
help us
more and
more see
your
greatness
that you
chose to
serve us.
Please help
us love
you as you
deserve to
be loved.
Father, make
us like
you.
You are
amazing.
In Jesus'
name,
Amen.
Jesus is
great.
Amen.