The Idols We Turn To: Status

The World

Tradition

This week I want to place our focus on status. For the purposes of this sermon, I want to define status as relative social or professional standing. Because it is relative, it means that there is always going to be comparison to others. This appears in so many different areas of life whether it be at work, among friends, or even within the church. This morning, rather than just pointing out how idolizing status is sinful, I want to also look at how best to avoid this idol. We will first look at the biblical rationale for avoiding the pursuit of status. First,

The Balance of Interests

One of the interesting things about status is what a person uses this status for. Verse 4 points to the face that we tend, as humans, to only look to our own interests. That isn’t to say we shouldn’t preserve our own safety and other things like that. But our interests should not get in the way of things like “love your neighbor as yourself” or “outdoing one another in showing honor”.

When status becomes an idol, we forsake the Christian responsibility that we have to those that are around us. I’m afraid one of the biggest dangers that comes with the pursuit of status is the ways that we convince ourselves that it is okay. I’ll give you a very extreme and fictional example. There is a famous television show where a husband and father realizes he may not have long to live and so he begins to sell drugs to provide for his family. At the end of the show, he admits to his wife that he hadn’t gotten caught up in all of this crime and continued to do it for his family but because he enjoyed it.

When it comes to so many aspects of status, we might start off with good intentions but end up loving the rush of having an important title or the money that comes with advancement that we end up forsaking our families or responsibilities at church for something that won’t end up satisfying who we are meant to be in Christ.

Verse 4 of Philippians 2 points out to the followers of Jesus that we ought to weigh our own interests, so long as they align with the will of God, as well as the interests of others, as long as they align with the will of God.

So, how do we take on this attitude of having the interest of others and avoiding the idol of status? First,

Take on the Mindset of Christ

It is important that we take on the mind of Christ in many other areas of life but Paul points out in verse five that this mind is ours in Christ Jesus. He will go on in lower verses to explain what exactly this mind is. For now, I want to focus on the fact that you and I are able to take on this humility because it is Christ that dwells within us. It is only because of the sanctifying power made possible because of the cross that we are able to even desire the things that Christ would have for us to do.

We are able to avoid the mindset that status is everything when we obtain the attitude of Christ. He was not here on this earth to exalt Himself or attract massive crowds. Instead, His desire was to do the will of the Father.

Listen to the first verse of the hymn, “May the Mind of Christ, My Savior”: May the mind of Christ my Savior live in me from day to day, by His love and power controlling all I do and say.

This ought to be the prayer that we utter each day before getting out of bed. We should desire so strongly to take on this mindset because it translates to every aspect of our lives. Yet, in the same way, making status an idol has the same effect where everything begins to revolve around that desire.

But now we have to ask the question, what is the mindset of Jesus. After taking that mindset, avoid the phrase,

What I Deserve

Jesus had every right to strut around earth and act as if He is God because He is indeed God. But we are told that His mindset as he walked this earth was the opposite of considering what He deserved. He didn’t even consider that as an option.

Let’s think for a moment about what Jesus did deserve. He deserved a beautiful home with all of the servants. He deserved a place of leadership. He deserved people hanging on His every word. He deserved the finest transportation. And He deserved respect and justice.

But we are told he didn’t even have a place to rest His head. And rather than men and women serving Him hand and foot, He washed the feet of His disciples. Instead of a place of leadership, the words of Jesus were questioned and picked apart. Instead of a horse, He rode in on a donkey. Instead of respect, He was crucified on a cross for a crime He didn’t commit.

So, when we think about what we deserve, maybe we should consider the fact that we don’t deserve any of this. In fact, if it is justice that we are seeking, we deserve hell. Yet, in His mercy, God sent His Son to bear the weight of our disobedience.

There are so many times when we might think that we deserve something and then desire to have the recognition for it but this is not the mindset that Jesus has. Along these same lanes, we should avoid

Comparison

One of the traps that comes with status is looking at those who are in the places that we desire and thinking, “They don’t deserve that. I’m just as smart or have just as many years of experience or work way harder.” We are told that Jesus did not count equality to God a thing to grasp, though He is God. It is in this that we should avoid comparison, though we live in a world that wants us to compare ourselves.

Let me give an example to you in the world that I work in and live in. Most often when I talk to other pastors, the first question about the church that I get asked is how many people are attending on Sunday mornings. It is so easy for me to use such a metric to compare the work that God has called me to do here with other brothers who are also doing good work. The thought of comparison is from Satan.

Take a break from social media so you don’t have to see the highlight reels of other people and compare your own life to it. Avoid comparison even when it might be valid.

Now that we’ve looked at two things to avoid, let’s look at what we should do.

Be a Servant

We are told in verse 7 that Jesus emptied Himself of any sort of privilege He had as God and became a servant. A servant mentality will place Christ at the forefront of our priorities. We will desire to serve Him first rather than seek our own interests. But this servant mentality extends not just to serving God but also having the mindset of a servant in all aspects of life. We should seek to serve those who are in our household. We should serve those who we work with and rub shoulders with on a day to day basis. And finally, we will desire to serve one another as members of the church. To serve is to be like Christ.

In being proactive about service, we will do all that we can to avoid the idol of status. Rather than looking for the next opportunity for advancement, we will be looking for ways that we can lift those that are around us up.

Finally, this morning,

Be Humble By Way of Obedience

The way of Jesus was humble. In coming to this earth in the form of a human He emptied Himself of any status but the most important thing here was that His obedience was what made Him humble.

This is how we avoid serving the idol of status. We obey God and seek His will in everything.

Is status an idol of yours?