Give Up

Tim Allen was in a parody movie called Galaxy Quest, where his character is a former TV star of a show that is similar to Star Trek. Aliens abduct him and his crew because they need him to save their galaxy from destruction. They do this because they think they TV show is a documentary not for entertainment One of Tim Allens famous lines from his old TV show is “Never give up, never surrender”. It is this line that somehow convinces him to go along wiith the idea that he and his fellow TV actors should go with these aliens and try to save their galaxy. It is also this line that the aliens shove into Tim Allen’s face when he and the rest try to leave when they realize the bad guys are not playing around, they really do mean to destroy the galaxy. So Tim Allen gives up in the face of his struggle.

It is struggle and enemies that Paul encourages the church at Philippi to face as well. He does this just before our scripture today. It’s important to know that he is saying that they will face enemies and struggles so that we can better understand the encouragement he gives the people at Philippi through this poetic-like hymn. In fact, that’s the phrase we begin with today…therefore if there is any encouragement. Paul wants to encourage them no matter what they face in this life. But what might have been hard for the Philippians to hear, and for us to hear as well is the way that we should understand this encouragement and the way that we should endure these struggles and enemies. Paul doesn’t outright say it, but he tells us…give up. If you want to endure then you must give up.

I believe one of the reasons that the phrase from Tim Allen’s movie has always stuck with me is because it is a phrase that we hear so often in our lives. If you want to succeed in life then you can’t give up. If you want to get better at a sport or an instrument, then you can’t give up. If you want to beat what you are facing then you can’t surrender to it. And while these phrases and words are meant to bring about a sense of encouragement and determination, they can also be harmful. Maybe your child hates that sport or activity and you tell them they can’t quit because they have to see it through. While some of that is good, it could also cause the child to resent what they are doing and no longer enjoy it. People are encouraged to stay in unhealthy and abusive situations because they were told that they must stick to the commitment they made, they have to stay in that relationship because they said, “I do”. There are so many examples where a phrase like ‘never give up, never surrender’ or ones similar actually do more harm than good.

Which is why it is important to hear in today’s scripture that Christ gave up. In fact this entire hymn that we read and that is such a famous passage from the Bible is almost entirely about Christ giving up. Let’s look at these giving up phrases together: Though Christ was in the form of God he did not use that as something to be exploited. He gave up his ability to say “well yeah, but I’m God, I can do what I want”. He didn’t exploit his privilege and status. In fact, Christ emptied himself and gave up his Godly status by becoming a human. Not only did Christ not use his status and privilege, but he in fact emptied himself of all that and probably so much more in order to become a human like us. It wasn’t enough though that he gave that all up and became a human but through that emptying he became a slave to both himself and the world.And in that servitude, he humbled himself and became obedient to God even to the point that he was willing to give up his own life for the sake of the world. He gave up his life not for his own sake, not for the glory and honor, but for our sake. And he did it on a cross no less.

After Tim Allen gives up and wants to walk away from the mess that he is in, and in a way created, he then does something. He decides not to give up, not to surrender. But the way that I see it, is that he actually does give up and surrender, this time though, for the right reasons. He gives up focusing on himself and realizes that he needs to be there for these aliens. He surrenders to what is best for him and focuses on others, and their needs. They can’t do this on their own, they need Tim and his crew.

This is the kind of giving up that Paul wants us to do in our lives also. He wants us to give up our privilege, he wants us to give up our status, our pride, our sense of self worth. All those things that make us think that we can do this on our own and that we are on our own. All those voices in our lives that tell us that we must be self-reliant and do our best to get ahead of everyone else. We must, in Paul’s words, “adopt the attitude that was in Christ Jesus”. Or in other words, Christ Jesus is the one that we should look to when we ask ourselves who we should be like. What example did Jesus give? What things did he do in these situations? How did he treat people when he encountered them? What kind of love and forgiveness did he offer to those he encountered?

When Christ did all these things, when he lived the life that he lived, not as something to exploit the world with, but to serve the world with, he received the name that is above every name. Though he sought no honor for himself, but was obedient at every moment, God lifted him up and exalted him for the life that he lived and the example he set for each of us. That is why we praise and give thanks to Jesus. It is what he did for the world, for each of us, that proves that God is love, and that God will stop at nothing to share God’s love, grace, and forgiveness with the world. And that while the world tells us to do things one way, Jesus has shown us there is another, more excellent way.

And while you might be thinking to yourself that these sound good and great, but there is no way that I can be like Christ, know two things. You are not called to be Christ, but to be Christ-like, to do our best to be imitators of Christ, in the best sense of the word. Also, pay close attention to the verse last verse of our Scripture today. Paul reminds us that it is God who empowers us to want to be Christ-like, but who also helps us to be Christ-like through the life that we live and the actions we do in our life. So know that as you strive to live your life as best you can for the gospel, know that you are not alone, you have a great community with you, but you also have God working good in you as you do the good work of the gospel. And know that while the world may tell you to never give up and never surrender, that doing just that to the God who created you and gave us Christ Jesus, will open up a greater life than trying to navigate this life on your own. May we be blessed in all the ways we surrender to the God of life. Amen.