Philippians 2:1-11- Christ working in us.

“The ancient Temple of Apollo at Delphi, situated on Mount Parnassus in Greece, was considered the center of the world. Inscribed on a column of the pronaos or portico were three maxims: Know thyself. Nothing in excess. Surety brings ruin. This grand temple, built in the 6th century BC, was dedicated to the accumulated wisdom of the Greeks. These three sayings, along with 144 other proverbs, were known as the Delphic Canon, the summation of an ethical life. Here are several more: Respect the gods. Control your temper. Pursue honor. Praise the good. Be grateful. Pursue harmony. There’s a lot of good advice on the list; some not so good, from our perspective today. But there’s one theme, one word that you won’t find in the list: the word humility.

The Greeks, and later the Romans — because they borrowed (or stole) much from Greek culture, religion, and thought — didn’t consider humility a virtue, but something shameful. Tapeinos in Greek, humilitas in Latin, meant something like “crushed” or debased.” Humility was embarrassing. Honor, philotimia, on the other hand, was prized and valued above all else. Honor was celebrated and praised; humility was despised. Aristotle (385–382 BCE) believed that we should regularly reflect upon the importance of “honor,” and fantasize about our “reputation,” these notions should fill our thoughts and shape our steps. It was a society built upon praise. The more you achieve the more you should be praised.”

- Dr. Kenneth Kovacs from his article on Humility

Scripture Reading

Philippians 2:1-11

In the previous weeks, we read in Philippians 1, that this letter was written to saints, holy ones saved by the work of Jesus. We learned that God, was the one that began the work of salvation in our life, and is the one who will complete that work. We also learned that all things work together for the good for those who love God. Even in suffering, God is working all things out in order to sanctify us and conform us to the image of His son, Jesus. This will produce suffering in our life, but pales in comparison to the glory of knowing God.

The Reality of our Situation in Christ

Today, we read in this passage a rhetorical question, that is rooted in the promises of the first chapter, “If then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy” - the answer is a resounding “yes”!

Yes, there is encouragement in Christ! In Christ, we have the redemption of our sins, we have forgiveness, and we have one who died, rose and is interceding for us. In Jesus, we are saved, and through his sacrifice, we have full access to the holy place, to the place where we get to know God. Through Jesus, we are revealed as to what God is like. He is lowly, he is humble, he is kind, he is just.

Yes, there is consolation of love. When we know we are loved, there is peace. Knowing that God loves us is infinitely consoling. To approach God from this knowledge is freeing. We are loved! In John 3:16 we read that God so loved the world. This is why Jesus came, out of the love that God had for us.

Yes, there is fellowship with the Spirit. In the Holy Spirit, we experience the fellowship with God we so long for. In the quiet place, we approach the throne of Grace, through the work of Jesus, by the work of the Spirit. In this, we have fellowship and union with God, which pours out to the way we interact with others.

Yes, there is affection and mercy. When we grasp with just a fragment of the magnitude of what God has done for us in Jesus, we are given new affections. A love and desire for God, and we begin to feel his affection for us. We also experience first-hand the mercy that God has displayed in Christ.

How should we then live?

Since those things are true, God desires in us to live in a certain way.

When I opened this sermon, I read a quote from Dr Kenneth Kovacs about the Greco-Roman world. At the time, the Greco-Roman world did not think humility was good, so what we read in verses 2-11 is very strange to the original readers, and is still upside down today.

As Saints in Christ, we are to live with a sameness of love, spirit and purpose. We are to do nothing our of selfish ambition, but in place of that, have a heart of lifting others up.

We may think that these are valued attributes in our world today, but it is quite the opposite.

Today, if you apply to a job, you must emphasize what you’ve accomplished, and speak of others involvement only in a way that would make yourself “look humble”, but in reality boost your chances of a promotion or hire. Our president prides himself in boasting of his own accomplishments, and is not alone, but is in fact the way of our culture.

But God desires something entirely different from us.

We are called to adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus. What attitude is that?

Well, he is the Word, the Son of God.

John 1:1–4 CSB

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and that life was the light of men."

Jesus was in the form of God, we read in Philippians 2:6, which means the exact essence, He was God! The almighty Son.

He could have lived a life of ease, of pleasure, in fact Satan gave him the ability to take over all the kingdoms of the world, but instead, he emptied himself. He assumed the form of a servant. He became a servant. He became man. He was born in a stable. He lived under his parents authority, he healed the sick, he gave sight to the blind.

The culmination of the humility, or crushing, the Jesus undertook was his obedience to the point of death, even death on a cross. In the Roman world, death on a cross was of utter humiliation. Jesus did that, in obedience to God the Father, for us.

Therefore, because of the humility and obedience of Christ, God has highly exalted him, and gave him the name that is above every name. That at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth, and even under the earth, those who have died. And we will all confess that Jesus is Lord, and glorify God the Father.

In this we see that as Jesus, our humility is not in vain. The suffering of Jesus produced glory to God, and in that, produced the exaltation of the name of Jesus.

As Saints in Christ, we are to take on the same mind as Jesus. Like him, we are to lay down our lives for each other. We are to give up the way of our flesh, that seeks to lift ourselves up, and look good in the eyes of others, but instead focus our attention to lifting others up.

Our life should be one of humility. We should look to ways that God is working in our brothers and sisters, and mention it to them. Our goal should be to lift others up.

We should actively look for good in others. We should serve others as Jesus served. He went to the poor. He went to the outcasts. He did not choose his place of service based on what the people could give him, but where he could serve them. He came to seek and serve the lost.

We do this all because we are loved by God. We must start from a place of rest, knowing that God is enough for us.

As Jesus, we will experience suffering, but one day, and eternal weight of glory. Being found in God, delighting in him for eternity.