Christian Unity

Introduction: As we begin today, I want to share a story with you. Yes, it is a little bit embarrassing, and yes, it is fairly comical. If, however, it had ended differently, we may not be laughing about it today.

A few years ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Johannesburg, South Africa to work with Door of Hope. Door of Hope is a mission, started by the Berea Baptist Mission Church in the city. The goal of the ministry is to rescue babies that have been abandoned and eventually assist in the adoption process. Unfortunately, adoption numbers have decreased over the last few years, and as they grow, children are unable to remain in the baby houses that Door of Hope owns and operates. As a result, Door of Hope began work on Hope Village several years back. Hope Village will be a place where children who do not get adopted will move and have a family, access to education, and a loving community to surround them.

When we traveled, there was still a large amount of land to be cleared for the cottages that would eventually be built. So, one of our primary tasks while in Johannesburg was to clear a section of land so that construction on a home for six children and their house parents could begin. It was hot and dry. We’d been working for a few days and had collected a significant amount of brush and debris in a pile toward the corner of the property. As I was speaking to the manager of the property, I asked him how long it had been since they had a good rain. He answered with certainty, “about three years.” As he was giving his answer, his assistant was busy at the top of the hill at the trash pile – lighting a match. I think you can guess what happened from there, but I will tell you to be sure.

As the fire ignited and quickly spread, our team began running around the property trying to find water sources to extinguish the fire with and had little success but for a small trickle from a large hose pipe. Some found shovels and were beating the fire down as it spread. Some found rakes and tried to pull away brush that was not yet burning. Some turned the throwing of water into a competition and bragged about how well they could throw, with no extinguished fire to evidence their “talent.” The fire quickly spread across an electric fence onto another property. Someone grabbed a ladder, handed it to me as the tallest member of the team, and instructed me to pass it across the fence. In his effort to assist, another member of the team, who happened to be about a foot shorter than me, came and grabbed ahold of the back of the ladder. So, I was not longer just lifting the ladder, but lifting the ladder and a human. I put my arms down, felt the jolt of the electric fence, and wondered if I was about to enter the twilight zone or something similar.

Yes, eventually we got the fire put out. No, we did not end up in a South African prison, and no, we were not on the news. Our problem was that no one was on the same page. Sure, we thought we had the same goal in mind – putting the fire out – but we all fell victim to acting in the ways we thought would work best, and not with a unified mind and goal. Even after the fire was out, two other team members that had been working in the garden came up, and immediately asked, “did something happen here?” It just looked an absolute mess, and it really could have been an absolute mess.

I wonder, though, if our churches don’t look the same way sometimes. Why does the insanity of that moment remind me of the disunity of our local congregations? Why would I rather have to put out a giant brush fire again than sit through some local church meetings and discussions?

Why do we, as the body of Christ, find ourselves experiencing such disunity? (FCF)

In today’s passage, we will find that it could be due to a lack of true Christian humility. Our takeaway from this message is that we are all to live in Christ-like humility, which will lead us to be unified and strong as the body of Christ (MIM).

If you would, open your copy of God’s Word to the book of Philippians. We are going to focus today on Philippians 2:1-11. Again, that is Philippians 2:1-11. Philippians follows Ephesians and comes directly before Colossians.

As you you’re turning there, let’s get a little background on this passage and on the book of Philippians.

Background: Philippians is one of Paul’s epistles. You may be aware that Paul wrote many letters to congregations and individuals, of Philippians is one. The city of Philippi was located in northeastern Greece. Philippi was originally called Krenides but was later taken by King Philip II of Macedon. Once he took the city, he renamed it for himself. Philippi was well located near multiple major trade routes, and it served not as the capital city of Macedonia, but as the chief city, meaning it was the first town one encountered when entering Macedonia from the east.

Philippi is known to be the place where Octavin (Caesar Augustus) defeated Brutus, which, along with the great benefits of the location of the city, would help solidify it as a Roman colony. As such, the citizens of Philippi were treated as Roman citizens with the same rights and protections given to someone who lived in Rome. After all, they were on Roman Empire soil. Of course there was a great patriotism among Roman citizens, but there was also a fear, because Rome was known as well for brutally punishing even some of its own.

Philippi was also an ethnically and socioeconomically diverse city. There were people from all walks of life, and the church at Philippi likely had a similar diversity, although most of its members at this time were Gentiles. Similar to an American culture, the idea of getting ahead and bettering oneself was common among residents, and probably spilled over into the church to some extent.

Meanwhile, Paul is writing this letter from prison. Paul was probably toward the end of his imprisonment, and it is often believed that he was imprisoned in Rome during this time. Paul has already encouraged this church to live in a manner worthy of the gospel in the first chapter of this letter. Paul also has experienced great suffering for the sake of the gospel, and the understands that the church and Philippi is experiencing some stress from Pagan religious followers who may be pressing in on them.

Paul had a special relationship with the church at Philippi, as they were faithful supporters of his ministry. They had previously sent gifts, including one right before this letter was written, to support Paul in his missionary journeys and ministry. Paul has a deep affection for the Philippians church, and he writes with the purpose of encouraging them to live in a manner worthy of the gospel and to rejoice in Jesus, even during their difficulties. Paul is writing to an audience that is likely feeling some fear and uncertainty, experiencing some disunity, and trying to live in their Roman culture while keeping their focus on the gospel. That may sound familiar to you. That is why this book so often resonates with us as the Church and with our local congregations.

Now that I’ve given you sufficient time to get there, let’s take a look at Philippians 2:1-11. I will be reading from a Christian Standard Bible. Let’s read it together:

1If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. 4 Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

5 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. 7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross. 9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

“The grass withers, the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” Let us pray.

Prayer: Almighty God, open our eyes to the truth of your Word. We thank you for this living Word that teaches us, encourages us, and rebukes us. Lord, would you grant us open minds and open hearts this day, so that we may live with a posture of open hands? Thank you for loving us, for pursing us, and for drawing us to yourself. We thank you for the gift of Jesus, and it is in his precious and powerful name we pray. Amen.

Point 1: Focus on your commonality - Christ Jesus. (vv.1-2)

Explanation: In the first two verses of this text, Paul begins by appealing to the members of the church at Philippi with some “if” statements, but he is not speaking hypothetically here. It isn’t as if Paul expects a recipient to say, “well, there’s not, so this one doesn’t apply to me.” No. Paul knows good and well that those who are in Christ have experienced consolation of love, fellowship with the Spirit, affection, and mercy.

So, his “if” really comes a, “because you have experienced.”

Paul then instructs the church at Philippi to make his joy complete. Paul is letting them know that he wants them to experience life in Christ to its fullest, and until they do that his joy will not be complete. So how can they complete his joy in this text?

By thinking the same way, having the same love, being united in spirit, and intent on one purpose. As we discussed earlier, the Philippian church is likely diverse in many ways, and there are probably a wide variety of viewpoints, convictions, and ways of doing things across the group.

Sure, those differences may have seemed large to some members of the church, but Paul is calling them to set those things aside and focus on what matters most.

Does Paul mean here that the church must be totally homogenous when it comes to preference or opinion? No. Paul isn’t asking for a group of Philippian robots.

Paul is asking for a oneness of purpose and a oneness of calling to the work of the gospel and of the church. He asks for them to be united in Christ and be focused on a common purpose. That purpose is pursuing Jesus and spreading the life-changing message of the gospel to others.

Illustration: Unfortunately, you do not have to go far to find examples of churches that exist in discord because of differences of opinion or methodology. No one seems to be united under the banner of Christ. Instead, people are either united under their banners of personal preference and tradition, or they are on board with some idea of who Jesus is supposed to be to them. Maybe that hits close to home for you. Maybe you’ve experienced that or are experiencing it right now. I certainly have. It is discouraging. It is tiring. And it makes us ineffective as a church. Some of you might be thinking that it would be easy for us to be of one mind if everyone would just get on board with you, because you’re just that sure that you know best. Well, it doesn’t quite work that way.

Argumentation: Paul writes about unity in other letters, too. In Romans 12:16, Paul instructs his recipients to live in harmony with one another. In 1 Corinthians 1:10, Paul appeals to his readers not to allow any divisions among them and that they be united in the same mind. In 2 Corinthians 13:11, Paul instructs the congregation to agree with one another and live in peace. He writes of harmony in Romans 15, as well.

Application: So, what does that mean for us? Well, it means primarily that it is time, if we truly care about the task that has been set before us, the Great Commission, that we put aside disagreements and differences, especially since many of them are petty, and fix our eyes on Jesus. In Hebrews 12:1-2, the writer uses the illustration of a race, and instructs the reader to fix his eyes on Jesus, who is the author and perfecter of our faith. If we are all born-again believers, we are running the same race. Sure, we have different backgrounds and different obstacles, but when it comes down to it, our finish line is the same. Our prize is eternity with our Creator God, our Savior Jesus Christ.

I fully believe that even in situations of disunity, many people believe they are running the race the best they can. The issue in our churches and among the body of Christ is that too many of us are fixing our eyes on everything but the prize. We have our minds on everything but Jesus.

We are fixated on maintaining an earthly tradition or advancing ourselves to some perceived status. We are stumbling all over the place, and a lost world watches and wonders why they’d want any part of it.

It has to stop. For the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ, it has to end. We, the Church and our local congregations, must reevaluate our focus and decide collectively that what matters most is our Great Commission task. We have to shift our focus to our common purpose, which is just that – the command of our Lord to make disciples.

We must put ourselves aside, which leads us to our next point.

Point 2: Examine your motives. (vv. 3-4)

Explanation: In these verses, Paul is speaking to the idea of humility. When compared to the first and second verse, we begin to see a cause-and-effect relationship forming between humility and unity. Paul instructs members to do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit. In other words, Paul is teaching that nothing should be done with a “what is best for me,” attitude. Paul then writes that everyone should look out for the interests of others, not just for is own. Notice, too, that Paul writes this to “everyone.” That means no one is exempt from putting themselves below others. It does not matter how rich or poor, how educated or uneducated, how popular or unpopular someone is. No person is exempt from this instruction.

This is an instruction that would fly directly in the face of the “advance yourself” attitude of Roman culture, too. Recall that there was a “get ahead” kind of mentality in Roman culture that would have caused people to do just the opposite. In his instructions above, Paul offers instructions on three habits that lead to disunity. Humanity is inclined, by our sin nature, to look out our own interests, to be ambitious about advancing ourselves, and to seek accolades to puff our own egos. Humanity at this point in history exhibited the same tendencies, no doubt. So, Paul is combatting that tendency with these instructions. Such humility will result in a unity of the body of Christ. Recalling the last portion of Scripture, many of the reasons that the church might not be of the same mind or focused on the same goal is that there is a unwillingness present to place oneself and one’s needs and preferences below those of others. In short, there is a lack of humility. The motive for action must be care for one another and the glory of God.

Illustration: Just as that teaching seems contrary to Roman culture, it seems incredibly contrary to our own. How many times have you heard the phrase, “you just have to do what’s best for you?” How often has someone counseled you to look out for yourself, even if it means that someone else suffers? That attitude is pervasive in our culture, and it permeates the systems that children learn in, too, so that it ends up a sinful thought process instilled from childhood. It becomes incredibly hard to overcome.

Before I was in ministry full-time, I taught high school math. You can hold your boos and tomatoes. I taught all minds of math students, but there was one school context that impacted me greatly. There were students that struggled, especially in math, and their classmates could tell that they did. There were also students that did not struggle as much but were in constant competition with others over who might earn the best grade or graduate at the top. In either case, I saw students become less concerned with their own free time or their own accolades and spend time helping their peers, even those that rivaled them, get ahead. It was a perfect example of this very idea.

Argumentation: Paul also writes a lot in support of these verses, too. In Galatians 5:26, Paul encourages the reader not to become conceited or envy others. James may even offer a stronger support of this idea in James 3:16, where he writes that anywhere selfish ambition and jealousy exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. I think that leaves it fairly clear for us.

Application: Paying attention only to our own needs and acting with will lead to our demise, which is incredibly interesting since the primary goal of selfishness is to preserve and advance the self. It is one of many sins that seems attractive on the surface, but ultimately has dire consequences. If we are to be humble Christians, we must be willing to lower ourselves and place others’ needs above our own. That can be a tough tendency to overcome. Thankfully, Jesus has already overcome everything. We must rely on him and rely on the Spirit to bring about that change as we practice it. That leads us to our final point.

Point 3: Be like Christ. (vv. 5-11)

Explanation: Paul moves ahead to point to Jesus Christ as the ultimate example of humility. In this section, you may notice that the words are arranged a little differently in some of your Bibles. It likely looks more poetic. That is because this section has some rhythmic nature to it. It is often referred to as the “Christ Hymn.” We don’t know that it was actually sung, but it could be used as a confession of sorts in early church worship.

Paul instructs the church to adopt the same attitude as Jesus Christ. That is not to say that the church is to act in a manner akin to that of Jesus. Paul is clear when he uses the word “same.” These church members are to adopt the same attitude; they are to mirror Jesus in their humility. That means that they are to be humble to the point of sacrifice. What they’re looking at is this instruction to die to themselves and their own personal needs and preferences, just as Jesus literally became obedient to death. Paul furthers that point by adding the clarification that Jesus didn’t just become obedient to death, but he became obedient to a defamatory and embarrassing method of death – the cross.

Paul sets up Jesus’ status, too, almost as if to say that if anyone would have had any right to exploit his role, it would have been Jesus. I was God himself in his very nature. He was the Most High, but in his humility and submission for the rescue of humanity, he became the lowest. Jesus emptied himself of any of his rights as God and became a servant. That is the kind of humility Paul is asking for here. There were likely people in the church that had some earthly status, at least more than some others in the church. The idea, though, is that if Jesus did not place himself on a pedestal, neither should any person.

Paul writes of Jesus’ exaltation, too. In 2:9-11, we find that Jesus is above all and that everything and every being will bow to him, even those under the earth. All people will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God. That is not to say that being humble will lead anyone to a higher position. Instead, Paul is setting Jesus as the authority, and the reason for humility becomes less about Paul’s asking and more about the Lordship of Jesus Christ himself.

Illustration and Argumentation: We can look at the life and ministry of Jesus as the perfect illustration of his humility. In John 13, Jesus washes the feet of his disciples. In Matthew 8:20, we hear that the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. He is God, but he took the form of a poor servant. Jesus teaches, too, in Mark 10 that whoever wants to be the greatest must first become the servant of all. Again, that doesn’t imply that there is some earthly reward for humility, but our treasures are in heaven. We can look at the gospel accounts of the crucifixion or the suffering servant passage in Isaiah 53 and learn just how humble Jesus made himself. The mocking, the pain, and the humiliation are prevalent and clear. We are reminded, as well, that Jesus took on all of those things but didn’t deserve a single one of them.

Application: That’s humility. That is Christian humility. It involves sacrifice and discomfort. It involves giving up what we have come to believe that we are so entitled to. It involves serving others, even when they’ve wronged you. It means getting rid of our need to always be right, and it abolishes our need to make sure others know we are right when we are. This humility is sacrificial and hard, but it is the way that the Church will fulfill its mission as assigned by Jesus Christ our Lord.

This means that we must work as a whole, not just a few of us, to develop a common spirit of humility among us. The instruction is not for a few people to be humble so that others don’t have to be. No. Instead it is a call for every one of us to become sacrificially humble so that we may all be fully united.

Conclusion:

So, why do we as the church continue to experience disunity? It is because we are lacking the humility of our savior. In our sinfulness, we believe that we have somehow earned the right to have our way or be in charge, but that isn’t true, and it is the opposite of how our Savior lived and served. We are all to live with a Christ-like humility, which will lead us to becoming a unified and effective body for the cause of Christ, our King. Support one another, and pray for one another. Be honest about your struggles with this, and lift one another up in humility, so that we may experience unity to its fullest. The gospel is too important to live in any other way.