How to Maximize Your Joy?

Philippians 2:1–4 ESV

1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

1. We Maximize Our Joy When We Live in Unity

If - The call for a self-examination as to whether any of the following qualities are present in yours and my life.

*The Motivation of our Unity

Encouragement - Paul identifies the type of encouragement we are to have: encouragement that comes from Christ alone.

Giving someone confidence or boldness to move to action.

Christians are to be encouraged by their Church's leadership and fellow Christians.

This strengthening takes place within a person and concerns the attitudes with which we face life.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 ESV

11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Comfort - The kind of comfort Paul speaks of comes from Christian love for one another.

To ease the grief or trouble of someone; literally “give relief” or “help find release” for pent-up sorrow and emotion.

Our comfort comes from our love for Christ and His church. We know God’s love, and His love compels us to love others.

Participation - Paul gives a qualifier for what it looks like to walk in the spirit walking in the spirit.

The qualifier as to whether we are walking in the spirit is not as an observer of the Spirit but as one who is actively involved in the works of the spirit, which are evident through the fruit of the spirit.

Remember, at 1:30, Paul is speaking of those engaged in the same conflict that he finds himself engaged in. Participation is the action of taking part in something.

Participation Ribbons

Today, our culture habitually passes out ribbons to people who show up. They call these participation ribbons. Paul is not talking about just showing up, he is speaking of going all out for the sake of the gospel. There are no participation ribbons in the kingdom of God.

Affection and Sympathy - Many times these two refer to an emotional response to someone.

This affection flows from our unity with Christ. God's sympathy and Affection for us are also expressed in scripture as His great mercy towards us.

1 Peter 1:3–5 ESV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

We share a common experience of being the objects of God’s compassion. This tender care should cause us to look out for the interests of others (Phil2:4).

Technically, the one imperative in verses 1–4 is found here at the beginning of verse 2. The imperative is to “fulfill my joy.” Paul wanted the church to be like-minded to complete his joy.

Complete

When looking back at Philippians1:6 we learn that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ return.

We also think of completion as a part of our sanctification,being set apart, being made Holy.

Paul describes our complete joy here on earth in relation to having a unifying attitude towards the people in three ways.Paul is speaking of finishing the race. Paul concludes that those who begin the race will finish the race and will win the ultimate prize, which is Christ Jesus, He will not fail to bring us across the finish line.

What does it Take to Complete the Mission?

Same Mind

In Romans 12:2, Paul reminds us that we are no longer to conform to the patterns of this world but to be transformed by renewing our minds. We must be unified with other believers in thinking about other people and the world around us. 

Mind: Man’s intellectual processes in a narrow sense or, more broadly, the total of a man’s mental and moral state.

In the Hebrew way of thinking, there is no distinctive terminology for the concept of the mind. To the Greek world, the mind plays a vital role in understanding man. 

In English translations, words such as soul, spirit, and heart are given as the context dictates.

This means that there is no clear distinction made between the mind as the seat of thinking and the heart as the seat of feeling in the OT.

The concept of the soul relates to the person or personality. The mind is made distinct from matter and always dictates more than the reasoning faculty, it includes feelings, interest, and the will. Concerning the spirit the mind gains much more of an emotional connotation.  

Same Love

The foundation of the greatest commandment, which unifies love throughout scripture, quantifies how we are to love God and People. We show our unified love by loving God with our whole hearts, souls, and minds. The second commandment is like it. However, it refers to the kind of love we have for one another. We are called to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. 

Brotherly Love

Individuals share a deep affection and sense of solidarity, akin to the bond between siblings: “Love your fellow Christians.” More than any other term, these terms set forth the distinctive character of the Christian relationship. The term “love” (Gk. agápē) can be used to describe the attitude of believers toward one another (Jn. 15:12) and society in general. 

Philadelphía is restricted to the love of the brotherhood of believers (adelphótēs). This is especially apparent when the two terms occur in the same context.

The insistence that all men are children of God simply by virtue of creation tends to depreciate or even obliterate the distinctiveness of philadelphía. All are indeed the offspring of God (Acts 17:28) and can, therefore, be regarded as potential children of God, but the new birth is necessary for this to become a reality (Jn 1:12f).

Being in Full Accord - Paul affirms what being in full accord looks like as by adding and of one mind.

All were with one mind united together. “ Together” or “one accord” (“with one mind,” NASB) in the Greek is homothumadon, “with one purpose,” being united in one accord with one purpose is surely still an important key to getting God's work done.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 “A three strand cord is not easily broken.” We are better together than apart.

(1) “With One Mouth” - The phrase is always used to describe unanimous participation in a particular action.

(2) “From My Heart” -  a phrase that indicates that a specific action was performed voluntarily or upon one’s authority.

(3) “In Agreement With” - translate quite a variety of OT and NT terms. All three expressions carry the meaning of “in agreement with,” “in conformity with,” or “in proportion to.”

2. We Maximize our Joy by Living in Humility

Do Nothing - Strong language Paul uses to confer what it takes to have the kind of mindset that Paul is urging for those in Philippi. Paul identifies two unity killers in the church.

Selfish Ambition: Selfish ambition is the pursuit of one's own desires without regard for others.

Characteristics of Selfish Ambition

Focus on Self: Selfish ambition is about what you can get, not what you can give.

Personal Agenda: Selfish ambition is about your own success, not the success of others.

Self-seeking: Selfish ambition is about looking out for your own interests above the interests of others.

Self-glorification or Gratification: Selfish ambition is about desiring something for your own self-glory and satisfaction.

 It is a self-above-others approach. The Greek term here carries with it a connotation of contentiousness. In fact, the King James Bible translates the word as “strife.”

Ambition: 

A powerful personal drive towards achieving goals regarded as necessary to the individual. Ambition is viewed negatively when these goals are selfish or evil and positively when directed towards building up the church or furthering the kingdom of God.

By way of contrast, the GK. eritheía denotes a harmful ambition motivated by a selfish spirit bent on immediate personal gain at any cost.

Romans 2:8 ESV

8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.

James 3:14 ESV

14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.

Conceit

Vain conceit means “excessive pride” or “self-esteem that has no foundation in reality”; vain conceit is an elevated or inflated sense of self. Therefore, doing nothing from selfish ambition or conceit means not letting our actions be motivated by selfishness, pride, or one-upmanship.

Pride arises from overestimating one’s ability, possessions, or importance. Translates more literally, “wise in his own eyes.” Romans 11:25

Romans 11:25 ESV

25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

Romans 12:16 ESV

16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

Other words that follow conceit are puffed up, swollen with conceit, vain personal glory, and estimation in one's own eyes.

But, in Humility

The contrasting act of humility is the remedy for avoiding selfish ambition and conceit.

True humility is being modest or respectful in one’s self-assessment and behavior.

It involves recognizing and accepting one’s limitations, valuing others’ contributions, and maintaining a sense of perspective.

Paul gives us two ways to maintain a healthy, humble spirit as a believer. 

Absence of pride or arrogance.

Isaiah 5:15 ESV

15 Man is humbled, and each one is brought low, and the eyes of the haughty are brought low.

Consider David’s Humbling Experience

Psalm 69:10 ESV

10 When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach.

Reproach is a consequence of sin and an opportunity for Redemption.

*Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less.

The Counter-Cultural Self-Love Infection

Can anything be more at odds with our current cultural paradigm, which tells us to put ourselves first and take care of number one? The notion has so infected our culture that it has begun to take root in the church. This notion that has so infected the church, in which Jesus declared that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves, is now construed to mean that we must first learn to love ourselves before we can love others. 

Paul’s formula for joy stands out in Philippians. It is:

J (Jesus), O (Others), and Y (Yourself)

So, we often try to have Paul’s joy while we reverse his formula. It cannot be done. We can’t spell joy by putting the Y first, and we can’t find joy by putting ourselves first.

The Other’s First Principle

This is the attitude or mindset we must have when considering others' needs and desires above our own. This is a countercultural statement in 2025. We live in a society and culture that rarely thinks of anyone else other than number themselves. 

Humility is not thinking that others are godly or kinder than you, likable or intelligent, gifted or talented than you. They may be, they may not be. Humility is when you consider other people’s interests before your own, thinking about what is best for the other person and acting on that.

You may have a more excellent status than someone else. You may have authority over someone. You don’t pretend you don’t have authority over them, but you think of what will benefit the people under you. What do they need? What is best for them? It doesn’t mean you don’t look after yourself. When we don’t look after ourselves, we can’t help anyone else.

Humility is not something we can achieve. We might consider it quintessentially American to think we could. You can do it. Be proactive. Take the first step. Grab the bull by the horns and be humble.

But if we come to the Scriptures with such a mindset, we find ourselves in a different world. As with true faith, genuine humility is not self-help or a life hack but a response to divine initiative and help.

James 4:10 ESV

10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

1 Peter 5:6 ESV

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,

Humbling from the Inside

Both calls to self-humble come in response to trials. James is speaking of quarrels and fights within the church—conflict between those claiming to be followers of Christ. James reminds them that they are not only sinners but also double-minded. James charges the church to submit to God and resist the devil. 

Humbling from the Outside

Also, in 1 Peter, the church is under pressure. Society is mouthing its insults and maligning these early Christians. They are beginning to suffer socially and emotionally, if not yet physically. They are under threat and tempted to be anxious.

At this humbling moment, Peter turns to Proverbs 3:34 and exhorts them, “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another” (1 Peter 5:5).

We tend to ask the question, what’s in it for me? Most people expect a return on their investment. Most people will not invest in others if they do not get anything in return. However, the bigger picture of this principle or paradigm is living for others as concerning living for Christ. Christ loved us first, Christ gave Himself up for us first, and Christ showed how to consider the interests of others first. 

vs. 4 seems to flow effortlessly into vs. 5, which tells us to have the mind of Christ, which is every believer's mind who is in Christ Jesus. 

What Does it Look Like to Put Others Interests Above Your Own?

"Putting others' interests before your own" means actively prioritizing the needs, desires, and well-being of others over your own, even when it requires making sacrifices or inconveniencing yourself. It is essentially acting selflessly and considering others' perspectives first in decision-making. 

Here, Paul shows what life looks like for citizens of heaven (Phil 1:27): those who live in the hope that God will complete his work of salvation (Phil 1:6), those who have righteousness—that is, Jesus himself—purely as a gift from God (Phil 3:9). Ultimately, the life Paul desires for the Philippians, and for us, is a life that reflects Christ who, rather than using his person and power for himself, became a servant who gave his life for us (Phil 2:6–8). 

Living for others is living the mind of Christ - hardly just another item on a list.

Philippians 2:5–11 ESV

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

3. We maximize our Joy by Living in the Exemplar of Christ

Exemplar: a person or thing to be copied or imitated; model.

Philippians 2:5-11 presents Jesus Christ as the exemplar of the common mindset that Paul exhorts the Philippians to embrace. As Bockmuehl summarizes, ‘The whole purpose, in keeping with 1:27–30 and 2:1–4, is to commend to the Philippians the Lord’s example as the ultimate paradigm for their own steadfastness in adversity and harmonious unity amongst each other.

Notice that Paul uses the same language as in both sections:

(1) to think: “have this mind” vs. 5; “being of the same mind” vs. 2.

(2) to regard: “count others more significant” vs. 3; “did not count equality with God” vs. 6.

(3) to empty: “but emptied himself” vs. 7; “but in humility” vs. 3.

2:6-8 “Describes what Christ did.”

The description is centered on 3 main verbs with Christ as the subject.

He did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.

He made himself nothing, emptied himself.

He humbled himself

2:7-11 “Describes what God did.”

He highly exalted Christ and gave Him a name that is above every other name. The reason for doing these two things is so that:

Every knee would bow before Jesus Christ.

Every tongue would confess that He is Lord.

The ultimate result of all this is that God the Father would be Glorified.

John Piper: “The Chief End of man is to Glorify God and Enjoy Him Forever”

*You Cannot Accept the Benefits of His Sacrifice and Refuse to Follow His Example

Having completed the work of redemption on the cross and having risen from the dead, the Lord Jesus ascended to the Father in heaven (Acts 1:1–11), where he now reigns in exaltation. The Father has given him ‘the name which is above every name’ (v. 9).

Debate swirls around this name, but this is beyond debate: every knee is going to bow in submission before the exalted Christ and every tongue is going to confess that he is Lord of all.

Philippians 2:5-11 is perhaps one of the most amazing passages in the Bible.

We are on holy ground here. It appears to be an early hymn or poetic creed, perhaps used liturgically in ancient worship. It seems to have a unified structure, starting with God in eternity and ending in the same way, but hinging on verse 9.

The Divine Nature of Christ

Church history is littered with debates over the nature of Jesus. We read about the famous council at Nicea in AD 325. Today, we still confess the magnificent creed adopted in the historical debate, the Nicene Creed. 

[We believe] in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

Every generation must contend for the Biblical view of the person and work of Jesus Christ.

We still hear things today like “He was a prophet,” He was a good man,” “He was a fine example,” and “The idea that Jesus is what matters.” We must boldly defend the glory of Christ. We must teach these things to our children, who are growing up in a world that is fine with a phantom Christ, Christ as a mere man, or Christ as a funny sage. In the spirit of Deuteronomy 6, as you sit down, walk, and lie down, when you walk by the way, teach your kids about the person and work of Jesus Christ. 

“He did not consider equality with God as something to be used to His own advantage” (v. 6b).

This phrase highlights the astonishing nature of Jesus. He did not see God as a ground for getting but forgiving. 

“The Messiah did not choose to please Himself,” as Paul says in Romans 15:3

Romans 15:3 ESV

3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”

“A thing to be Grasped”

Jesus could have grasped onto or held tight to His rights as the King of Glory. But He constantly lived open-handedly, showing us what true benevolence and generosity looked like as He selflessly served those around Him.

Do You have a hard time letting go of your possessions?

Do You find it hard to relinquish your right to be mad at someone?

Imagine our lives if we apply Jesus’ mindset to marriage and other relationships. Here, Jesus shows us the way to live.

Our Fallen nature wants to snatch and hold onto, not offer. Stop and think about the difference between Adam and Christ:

Adam Jesus

was made in God’s image. was and is the very essence of God.

wanted to be like God. took on the likeness of man.

wanted to exalt himself. emptied Himself.

was discontent being God’s servant. assumed the form of a slave.

arrogantly rejected God’s word in sinful disobedience. humbly submitted to God’s word in perfect obedience.

succumbed to temptation. overcame temptation; crushed the tempter.

brought the curse on the world. took the curse for the world.

was condemned and disgraced. was exalted by the Father.

*Live Life Open Handed Before God.

Most people live life with a closed fist, they want to hold onto what is their’s and not offer our lives as a living Sacrifice to God.

“Instead He Emptied Himself”

Some text render this as “he made himself nothing.” Christ refused to hold onto His divine rights and prerogatives. He veiled His deity for a time, but He did not void His deity.

“By taking the form of a Servant” (Slave)

The slave in the Greco-Roman world was deprived of most basic rights. Jesus gave up His sovereign rights and became a slave. The sovereign Creator made Himself nothing. He identified Himself with the lowest of society.

While the disciples jockeyed for positions in the coming kingdom, the one with all authority got on His hands and knees and washed their dirty, cracked, smelly feet.

You can imagine what the disciples would have said if asked to do this task (which was reserved for slaves). “I’m not washing Peter’s feet. Look at those feet!” “I’m not washing John’s feet; he never washed my feet.” “I’m not washing any of their feet; whenever we buy the fish sandwiches, I always pay for them. I’ll let someone else wash feet.” “I’m not washing Philip’s feet. I’m so sick of Philip and all his dumb questions.” But Jesus, in the very nature of God, begins to wash the feet that He made, with the water that He made. He humbled Himself, taking the form of a slave. Let this attitude be in you!

“Being born in the likeness of man and being found in human form.”

7c-8a

The simple point here is that when people saw Jesus they saw a man. People recognized him as a human. He didn’t have some silly halo hanging above his head or a glow about him.

“He Humbled Himself becoming Obedient to the point of death.”

Jesus humbled himself voluntarily to die. No one took Jesus life from him. Neither Harod, nor Pilate, nor the Romans humbled Him; no one can humble Jesus. Jesus humbles us. We must humble ourselves now before him.

C.S. Lewis writes in his book Miracles that the central miracle asserted by Christians is the incarnation. He explains the descent and ascent of Christ. Christ descends to re-ascend.

CONCLUSION

The Exaltation of Christ

“His Exalted Position”

Christ died only to be exalted again. Whoever Humbles himself will be exalted.

The exaltation of Jesus Christ, first on the cross and then in his resurrection, provides a model of how God exalts the humble and obedient. God also humbles those who exalt themselves. 

What name did Jesus Receive after the Resurrection.

Peter writes in Acts 2:36 that God has made him both Lord and Christ...

“We read that He will be given a new name.” Not that he was not Messiah and Lord before the crucifixion but he had not fulfilled the mission of Messiah yet. Therefore, the name that is above every other name is Lord - the Lord victorious over all his enemies.

“Everyone’s Adoration and Confession”

In response to Jesus universal Lordship, everyone will bow down and confess Him as Lord. Everyone includes those in Heaven and Earth.

Some will confess Him as Lord with great joy and humility. Others will confess Him as Lord with despair and anguish. Pilate, Caiaphas, Stalin, Hitler, and every other evil dictator will confess Him as Lord. Everyone from every age will do the same.

History is not like a treadmill, going nowhere; rather, it’s all moving toward that day. Sadly, it will be too late for some. If you don’t acknowledge and confess that Jesus is Lord in this life, it will be too late after death. So, bow now! Confess Him as Lord now!

Is Your mind on Him?

Is Your attitude like His?

Is Your Life Reflecting Him?