Transformed

Introduction

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

In the Greek, this passage is similar to the one we looked at in my last sermon. It is a single sentence. However, it is different in that it is a more complex sentence that contains much content. There is a difference in the subject matter as well. Where chapter 1, verses 27-30 dealt with external pressures, these verses focus on the internal attitudes necessary to meet those pressures.

This passage also acts as a bridge between the end of chapter 1 and the Christ hymn in chapter 2:5-11.

The passage starts off with “So, if...” sometimes translated as “Therefore, if...” The “if” is not there to indicate doubt or something that is conditional. It is rhetorical, more along the lines of “because …then make my joy complete” or “assuming…then make my joy complete.” In between the “if” and “make my joy complete” are four blessings that come from being “in Christ.”

Four Blessings

The first blessing we read is “encouragement in Christ.” When you read or hear that statement, what comes to mind? Yes, we have encouragement in the Christ who is the Son of God. Who came to Earth in human form. Who know all of our struggles, our pains, our deepest desires. Who “Was tempted and yet was without sin.”

As it says in the hymn, “There’s not a Friend Like the Lowly Jesus,”

Jesus knows all about our struggles; He will guide 'til the day is done: There's not a Friend like the lowly Jesus: No, not one! no, not one! source: https://www.lyricsondemand.com/miscellaneouslyrics/christianlyrics/theresnotafriendlikethelowlyjesuslyrics.html

We are encouraged because, even by ourselves, we are no longer alone. We are encouraged because we have the “mind of Christ.” We are encouraged because we have “…a friend that is closer than a brother.” We are encouraged because Jesus is faithful.

Everything we know about Jesus is true and precious. In our darkest moments we are encouraged because Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

The second blessing we read is “comfort from love.” When I first read that I thought, “Love as I find it in this world is not always comforting.” Then I realized that Paul is not talking about human love; he is talking about the love of God. In that love, we find the only comfort that matters.

Don’t you find that to be true in your own life? When you cannot find comfort in the things you posses, in your vocation, in your family, in your friends, in yourself you will find comfort in the love of Jesus. That love is like no other you will ever know. It is a love that seeks your best even though it knows your worst. It is a love that reaches into your heart where earthly love can never get. It is a love that says you might fall down but you can get back up, you may wander but I will come find you, you may fail but I forgive you and, Oh so wonderful, a love that says you not only don’t have to do it on your own; you can’t do it on your own; so let my love do its work in you. The only love that can fulfill the promise of 1 Corinthians 13

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. ”

Does that not bring comfort to your souls? Jesus’ love never ends.

Third, we read of “fellowship with the Spirit.” Again, this is something that, outside of Jesus death and resurrection and our justification, we cannot experience or enjoy. We cannot even understand the truth of God in the Bible without the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:14 “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

John 15:26 ““But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.”

John 16:13-15 “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

The Spirit is the one that reveals the truth of God to us. The Spirit is the one who pleads for us even when we don’t know how to pray, The Spirit is the one that unifies the Church - 1 Corinthians 12:13 “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.”

As believers, we all have fellowship with the Spirit and in the Spirit.

The fourth blessing we read is “tenderness and compassion.” Truly, that is a blessing. Lives that have been transformed by the encouragement and love of Christ, by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, are lives that ought to reflect our new heart. Ezekiel 11:19-20 “And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God.” Only with a heart of flesh can we truly be tenderhearted and compassionate.

Those without Christ can show these qualities but they are always from selfish motives. We can be looking for praise, for adoration, for some type of connection to power or money, but, in the end, we are not truly acting from a heart that expects no return.

Once we have a heart of flesh can we then begin to understand something of what Jesus did for us. Following his example we give, not for our own glory, but because we are filled with the Spirit and we want to glorify God. We stop thinking about how good we look and instead are looking to please our Father. We are no longer the Priest and the Levite, through God’s power we are the Samaritan.

None of these blessings are automatic. They are not something we are “due.” No, these blessings are only available to those whose lives have been transformed by the living Lord. These are blessings that come to those who Romans 10:9 “... confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead....” 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Romans 8:29-30 “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” These are the blessings of the redeemed and those that are redeemed are transformed.

Three Characteristics

The blessings we have just discussed are marvelous and wonderful. But God doesn’t call us to be blessing sponges and just soak them up without those blessings further transforming us. Paul gives us examples of three characteristics of those so blessed.

Characteristic 1 - Christians should be of one mind. This echoes Paul’s words in Philippians 1:27 “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,” Those who are transformed by the Gospel of Jesus understand that, at the center, all true Christians have faith in the one true God, through the death and resurrection of the one true Savior, and are indwelt by the one true Spirit. Whatever our differences in practice, ritual, music, etc… we are all still united. That unity is not just an external but should be an internal truth we acknowledge daily.

The Greek here carries the idea of “like-minded.” It is something that should show in our words, our actions, our thoughts, our attitudes, our very lives. We are not talking about lock-step conformity. We are talking about the unity of the Trinity. As the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are unified in purpose so also are we to be unified in the purposes of God.

Characteristic 2 - Christians are to be humble. Paul presents the case here both negatively and positively. The negatives are found in the phrase, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,...” Personally, I prefer the King James translation for this idea - “Let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory,...”

Selfish ambition and strife go hand in hand. Selfishness leads us to compare ourselves to others and to strive to outdo them or pull them down. It causes friction between people that is unnecessary and destructive. Between those who claim to be Christian it exposes a heart not yet fully transformed and a mind that still clings to the “old man.” This is the same term Paul used in chapter 1, verse 17 to describe those who were preaching the Gospel out of selfish ambition.

Conceit (vain-glory) comes from an attitude of pride. There are three Greek words used in the New Testament that can be translated as pride. Alazoneia is a form of boasting that make you appear as something you aren’t. Kauchesis is haughtiness or making yourself appear to be above others. The word used here is kenodoxia which means “empty pride.” In other words, you are boasting when you have absolutely nothing to boast about. That is why I like the KJV translation, “vain-glory.” Your vanity is causing you to glorify yourself without cause.

Pride is a most destructive sin. “Pride is the excessive love of one’s own excellence. It is ordinarily accounted one of the seven capital sins. St. Thomas, however, endorsing the appreciation of St. Gregory, considers it the queen of all vices, and puts vainglory in its place as one of the deadly sins.”

Joseph Delany, “Pride,” ed. Charles G. Herbermann et al., The Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church (New York: The Encyclopedia Press; The Universal Knowledge Foundation, 1907–1913).

It is the sin of Adam and Eve who wanted to “be like God.” It is the root and cause of many other sins and it is the hardest sin to root out of our lives. The Bible is full of stories of those who were prideful and boastful and suffered the wrath of God. It is, ultimately, the story of man. How true the words of Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

The opposite of pride is not self-abasement but humility. As C.S. Lewis stated, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking about yourself less.” Let that sink in. Isn’t that what Paul is calling for when he writes, “but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Romans 12:10 “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” Romans 12:16 “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.” 1 Corinthians 10:24 “Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.” Ephesians 4:2-3 “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” The ultimate example of humility is given in verses 5-11 which we will hear about in the next sermon but it is no surprise that the ultimate example of humility is Jesus Christ.

So, do we? Do we consider others more significant than ourselves or do we find ourselves bitter and resentful because we “have” to do for others? That is not humility. Truthfully, humility is something that others will see in us but we will never have to point out. As soon as you say, “I am humble.” you have blown it.

Having one mind in humility leads to the final characteristic - consideration for others. “ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” As we have discussed previously, self-interest comes to us naturally. You never have to teach a child the concept of “mine.” You have a real struggle on your hand teaching a child the concept of sharing or considering others.

This characteristic is one that is tough to learn and practice. If we are to truly look to the interests of others it means we need to know them well enough to know what is best for them. The only way we can do that is through relationship and reliance on the Holy Spirit. It is hard, exceedingly hard, work and it is not work that we are wont to undertake. Sure, I can convince myself I am of one mind with other Christians. Maybe I can occasionally practice humility without thinking about how humble I am. But to put others first and having their best interest at heart - that’s just too radical. Don’t I have to love myself first before I can love my neighbor?

But isn’t that what a transformed life means? God has transformed me from death to life. He continues to transform me into the likeness of Jesus. I am indwelt by the Holy Spirit. I don’t have to make up some type of self-love. I am loved by God and so I love myself because of His love. Thus, I can truly love my neighbor and put their interests before mine because God no only did that for me he gives me the means and opportunities to do the same.

Truly, transformed lives lead to transformed attitudes which lead to transform actions.

Conclusion

There is not a checklist available for developing these characteristics from the blessings we have been given. No twelve step program, no ten easy methods. The only way is to remain in Christ and to learn daily. I have found this prayer helpful in focusing my mind more on the things of God and others than on myself. It is titled the “Litany of humility” and it says:

O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.

From the desire of being esteemed,

Deliver me, Jesus. (repeat after each line)

From the desire of being loved,

From the desire of being extolled,

From the desire of being honored,

From the desire of being praised,

From the desire of being preferred to others,

From the desire of being consulted,

From the desire of being approved,

From the fear of being humiliated,

From the fear of being despised,

From the fear of suffering rebukes,

From the fear of being calumniated,

From the fear of being forgotten,

From the fear of being ridiculed,

From the fear of being wronged,

From the fear of being suspected,

That others may be loved more than I,

Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. (repeat after each line)

That others may be esteemed more than I ,

That, in the opinion of the world,

others may increase and I may decrease,

That others may be chosen and I set aside,

That others may be praised and I unnoticed,

That others may be preferred to me in everything,

That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it. Amen

All of this comes with the caveat that your life has been transformed by faith in Jesus. If you have not recognized your position as a sinner before God, admitted your sinfulness, asked for forgiveness, and placed your faith in Jesus and his death and resurrection then that is where you start a transformed life that leads to transformed attitudes that leads to transformed actions.

If God has transformed your life then let the Spirit transform your attitudes and your actions.