The Change We Need - 7/26/26

Philippians 2:1-11

A friend of mine sent me an intriguing book that draws parallels between the Christian life and military service. The author reflected on the differences between today's world and that of World War II. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, people felt privileged and called to volunteer and fight for our country. So much so that some of those who were disqualified from service committed suicide because they could not serve. We saw a little of this after 9/11, too. But much of that eagerness to serve has dissipated.

The author, Michael Ledee, wrote,

 The emphasis of today's culture on self-gratification, entertainment, and vanity is a hindrance to people accepting the call of God. When things are going well, who wants to sacrifice their comfortable lives? For this reason, you typically find lukewarm churches in developed countries and churches that are on fire in third-world nations.  (Soldiers of Christ, 28-29)

That quote sums up the theme of this morning's message. How do we change this trend? How do we live in a way that opens the door for God to work in great ways? How do we turn the tide away from the violence, the self-centeredness, and the division of our society? How do we return to the same kind of willingness to sacrifice that used to give strength to our country and inspired the world? How do we get to the place where we are willing to sacrifice to reach lost people here and around the world?

A good starting point is in Philippians 2. Most people believe the section about Jesus (6-11) was one of the earliest hymns of the church. It is a great passage on the nature and character of our Savior. However, that was not really the focus of Paul's message. These rich truths illustrate the command from the Holy Spirit delivered through Paul in the first four verses. Starting in verse 2 we read:

2make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

6 Though he was God,

he did not think of equality with God

as something to cling to.

7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;

he took the humble position of a slave

and was born as a human being.

When he appeared in human form,

8 he humbled himself in obedience to God

and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

9 Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor

and gave him the name above all other names,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Immediately following this passage, Paul tells us that we are to be like stars in the night. We do this by embracing and applying these directives. These few verses are more important than we realize.

The Standard is Jesus

Let's start with the illustration first.  We are to have the same attitude as our Lord Jesus.  He did not cling to His position as God but took the humble position of a human being. He went even further giving Himself as a payment for sin. Listen to how Peter says it in 1 Peter 2:22-24

He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone.

23 He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered.

He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.

24 He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross

so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right.

By his wounds you are healed.

If Jesus had not adopted this selfless attitude, we would have never been saved. We would never know about the opportunity to be forgiven and reborn. If He was only concerned about His comfort and pleasure, the incarnation (or the birth of Jesus) would have never happened.

Be careful here! Many people have gotten lost in asking the question "How?" They ponder what it must have been like for Jesus. How did the Son leave the Father? How can God be both in Heaven and as a humble baby on earth? How can the Son take on judgment from the Father? And many others. This is not the point Paul is making. He tells us this so that we have a model for our own behavior.

In 1896, a book was published that had a huge impact on the Christian faith. Still does. The author was Charles Sheldon. His book has been translated and revised many times. It is the book IN HIS STEPS. The book tells the story of a fictional church that decided to make every decision for one year based on one question: "What would Jesus do?" As that church implemented this strategy, things began to change radically. The church and its members began to shine brightly as lights in the community. In essence, this is what the Holy Spirit (through Paul) is telling us to do: to live like Jesus.

Don't Be Selfish

Let's look at each specific command. Try not to elbow the person next to you, listen for your own growth. The first is: Don't be selfish. This command runs against everything our society seems to teach us. We are told to "do our own thing," and to "not let anyone tell you what to do" and "assert our rights." These are the very things Jesus did NOT do.

Selfishness is more common than you think

· We trumpet our good deeds so the world will applaud us.

· We gravitate to those who will be "good for our reputation."

· We monopolize a conversation so people will see our great wisdom and keep the spotlight on us. We find it tough to listen.

· We assume those people who do not agree with our politics (or anything else) are "idiots."

Do you see the focus? Me. Me. Me. We are the standard, we are the exception to the commands, we are the judge, the jury, the only thing that really matters. Our needs are far more important than anyone else.

1 Peter 1 says: "So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy."

Here is a common example: when people are going through marital issues they say: "He/she is not meeting my needs." No one ever came into my office saying, "Can you help me to better serve my spouse?"

People leave churches saying, "I'm not getting anything out of the service." It is a sad truth that we often look at our worship in terms of how it makes US feel rather than focusing on what we bring to the Lord.  We should ask, "What can I contributeto worship?" Maybe you need to spend a few moments in prayer before you enter the sanctuary, or a heartfelt prayer that the Lord would speak to you through the teaching of God's Word. Or perhaps pray for the pastor and teachers. Or, you could deliberately look for people to encourage rather than looking for faults. The point is to focus on what He wants, and what brings him glory, rather than on what we "need."

The Protestant church in America is becoming more and more introverted. They see other churches as competitors rather than as brothers and sisters in Christ. One of the benefits of having concerts over the years was that it tore down those walls. They brought the body of Christ together. We met people from different churches and celebrated what we had in Christ rather than measuring each other to determine whether or not it was acceptable to be together.

This principle of living unselfishly can be applied to your job, your friendships, your hobbies, how you spend your money, and even how you view yourself. We tend to see all our faults. We see the extra pounds, the hairs that are out of place, and all the lack we perceive. This turns us inward. If we see ourselves as God sees us: as loved children of God, we will start seeing others the same way; turning us outward.

We can view our money as the way to find security. But God is the one who is to be our security! Stuff cannot make us "happy" (at least not for very long), it merely distracts us. Soon, we will need more. God wants us to view our resources as tools for Him to use to magnify and glorify His name and trust Him for our security.

Unselfishness, sadly, is so rare that it stands out in the world. The unselfish person finds people much more open to talk about faith and caring.

The text continues, "Be humble, think of others as better than yourselves."

BE HUMBLE

C.S. Lewis had I believe, one of the best and helpful definitions of humility,

                  Humility is not thinking less of yourself

                  It is thinking of yourself less.

The humble person isn't drawing attention to themself. They are attentive to the needs of others. They listen instead of lecture, they give rather than grab, they are grateful rather than grumpy.

Humility is anchored to good theology. When we understand our sinful nature and the fact that we deserve God's wrath, that does a great deal to deflate our sense of superiority. When we add to this the reality that God sent His son to die in our place and for our sin, even though we were rebelling against Him. We realize that the only thing we should boast about is the incredible and gracious love of God.

He has spared us even though He knows the truth about us. An arrogant person does not truly understand the gospel.

Our challenge is to serve others, love others, forgive others, and to affirm others. We are not "better than" anyone! There is a wonderful woman who works in the woodshop where I live. She makes no apology for her disdain for God. Rather than turn away from her, I am trying to be friends with her. The other day I told her that I did not see her as a "project"; I just saw her as my friend." It's the truth and I think it is what Jesus would do.I will trust God to use that friendship in ways that only He can do.

Think about how "considering others as better than ourselves" would change EVERY relationship we have.

· We would stop being so judgmental, and our tone would change. We would help each other to get back on our feet when we fall, knowing someday the person needing help could be us.

· We would stop focusing on what others are NOT doing for us and look for what they could do for others.

· We would stop trying to show people how smart WE are and listen to others, knowing we can learn something from everyone. Including children and old people.

· We would stop focusing on getting people to save a prayer (by pushing and nagging others) and instead plant gospel seeds, trusting the Spirit of God to work.

· We would stop trumpeting our Christian successes and quietly work to befriend others.

· We would be much more approachable and therefore way more effective in representing our Lord.

Look Out for Others Rather Than Yourself

The excuse is often given, "I don't have time for you," but what we are really saying is that I have things on my schedule more important than spending time with you." Things like watching sports, or going out for dinner, or staying in to read a book or watch a movie. These are morally neutral things unless they keep us from helping and caring for others.

I remember living on much less so I could put money toward my kids' tuition and housing at school. It was a sacrifice, but I was willing to make it because they are my children, and I believe it was best for them. Why can't we do this or others? If we can take our eyes off ourselves for a little and recognize the needs of others, we will stand out in the world. If all believers would do this, it would change the character of our world.

I was visiting one day with one of the older men at the woodshop. He had a reputation as one grumpy guy. Most people tried to stay clear of him. This man did an enormous amount of work at the shop and designed things that would have cost tens of thousands of dollars if he had not done them himself. He kept all the tools working like new. I asked this man one day if he felt appreciated. Without hesitation, he gruffly said, "No!"

I went home and worked on a one-page free verse tribute to him. The next time I came into the shop, he was there before everyone else. I handed him this simple tribute, an expression of appreciation, and he fell apart! He couldn't even read it. I wasn't sure whether he was happy or sad, but I watched him while I was in the shop. When one of his friends would stop to visit, he pushed the sheet over to them. The woman who calls herself an atheist read the piece and came up and gave me a hug. It was a shocking response and a real eye-opener to me. It didn't seem like that big of a deal, but this man's entire countenance and attitude have changed. The grumpy man became a rather happy man. And it was all because he felt appreciated. This is not always the way I respond, but I am trying to work on it.

We are so worried about the attention WE are given that we don't even consider others' needs. We are so defensive in the workplace that we don't dare affirm someone else. We are so concerned about our needs in our home that we don't see our children or spouse crying out for our attention and love.

The way to change these things is to hear and do what Paul is saying. These three commands are similar. Paul is driving it home! To do what God wants us to do is not that hard but it goes against our nature. However, let's admit that things aren't going so well in this world when our nature leads the way.

Conclusion

We don't have to ask, "What would Jesus do?" We can ask, "What has Jesus done?" How did He respond to us? We are to treat others in the way we have been treated. God could have dismissed us and created a different group of people. But He didn't. He left the perfection of Heaven and came into the muck of the world to save us. Our job is to do likewise. Instead of serving ourselves we serve Him, by serving others. (Matthew 25 Sheep and Goats)

We need to regularly ask ourselves some honest questions,

1. As I look at my checkbook, do I see a generous checkwriter or a selfish one?

2. Have I become so self-absorbed that I can't listen to someone who believes differently from me?

3. Can others see Jesus in the way I relate to them?

Perhaps I can say it this way: if you want to have a bigger impact on the people around you; if you want a more vibrant relationship with the Lord; if you want a stronger marriage and more well-balanced children; if you want to be more like the World War II generation, you and I will have to take these commands to heart. Then, and only then, will we be doing what Jesus would do. And then, and only then, will we begin to move the world in a godly direction. We will shine like stars in the night.