Outside of the Gospels, the book of Philippians is my favorite book
of the New Testament.
I find Philippians to be a fascinating book. For one, it is a good deal different
from the other writings of Paul.
If you read Romans, for instance, you will find some heavy-duty
theology. Romans can be a tough
read, perhaps the most dense and difficult of all of Paul’s writings. It is a theological treatise of the
highest order, and not one to be read lightly or in the midst of
distraction. Many of Paul’s other
letters take on the issues related to his work as a church planter and
pastor. The books of first and
second Corinthians, for example, were written to a church struggling with many
problems, overwhelmed with conflict, and under pressure to maintain its very
existence. Penning one of the
Bible’s most beautiful passages – I Corinthians 13 – Paul was pouring out his
heart to a congregation that was not exactly demonstrating love to one
another. In his letters to
Timothy, Paul takes on the role of the experienced pastor, offering advice and
encouragement to his younger brother in ministry.
When we come to Philippians we find Paul in a much more reflective
mood. At the time, Paul was under
house arrest in Rome, where he was taken as he appealed a sentence handed down
to him by King Agrippa (you can read the story in Acts chapters 25 and
26). Paul was eventually executed
in Rome, under order of the Emperor.
It becomes obvious, reading through Philippians, that Paul knew his
destiny, and that his time in this life was rapidly coming to a conclusion. Such a thought put Paul in a very
reflective mood, but also a joyful mood. It might sound contradictory to say that Paul would express
joy in such circumstances, but the sense of joy pervades the entire book of
Philippians. Some people, in fact,
refer to Philippians as the book of joy,
and rightfully so, as Paul is able to accomplish that most rare of feats – to
find joy in any circumstance, however blessed or challenging those
circumstances might be.
Consider, for instance, his words in 4:11-13 – Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in
whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I
also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have
learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance
and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Those are amazing words for someone who
knows his own death is imminent.
As Paul reflects upon his life and ministry, he spends time laying
out for us what are foundational principles about life, and as such, they offer
us a very important guide about how we ought to live our lives.
This Sunday we will consider the passage from chapter two of
Philippians that is among the greatest of all of Paul’s writings. They are bold, challenging, and
beautiful words, and they are certainly worthy of our consideration.
The turning of another year on our calendars will often put us in a
reflective mood, and serves as a good opportunity to consider the matters of
life that are the most important.
Philippians 2:1-11 –
1 Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any
consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection
and compassion,
2 make my joy complete by being of the same
mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit,
but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
4 do not merely
look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was
also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a
bond-servant, and being made in
the likeness of men.
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He
humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a
cross.
9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him,
and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will
bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Perhaps you have had one of those moments of reflection upon life,
perhaps in a moment of mortality, one of those moments that really bring life
and its meaning and purpose into very clear focus.
I’ve seen a lot of people go through the final moments of life, and
staring down your mortality is a very sobering and overwhelming moment. Some do it very well; others, honestly,
find it to be a very, very difficult struggle. About eight years ago I had a moment that made me wonder if
my mortality was near. I was
driving north in I71 one afternoon when a southbound truck suddenly went into
the median and came into my lane.
The driver of the truck was continuing southbound, while I was
northbound, and it appeared that we were on a collision course. In such a moment, we often think we
will know exactly what to do, but as the driver of the truck was swerving from
side to side, I didn’t know what to do.
Because of a guardrail along the interstate I could only move over a few
feet and I didn’t know if I should speed up or slow down. Our vehicles passed only inches apart,
so closely that I thought our mirrors were going to hit. As he passed by I could see that his
eyes were very large with alarm, although mine might have been even
larger! He passed by, went back
into the median, and than pulled back into the southbound lane, without incident. I have thought about that close call
over the years, and wondered how life could have turned out very differently
had we collided.
We ought to think seriously about life and how we spend our
days. I have lived to an age older
than my grandfather and my father-in-law.
In less than a year I will have lived longer than my father. Such milestones make me think about
life, and I have decided that when all of my life is said and done I want just
a few simple things to be said of me.
I don’t want to be remembered for having a nice yard or being a good
golfer, not that I will be. I want
to be remembered as a good husband to Tanya, a good father to Nick and Tyler,
and a person who was faithful to God to the end. Anything else is just gravy.
So let’s take just a few minutes and talk about Foundational Principles.
1. Paul wasn’t providing a
belief test.
There is not a single word in this passage that in any way provides
a test of belief.
Too many churches want to make sure everyone is theologically correct
and that your beliefs are all in line with what they think they should be. They want you to dot your i’s and cross your t’s the same way that they do. They want you to believe every jot and tittle that they
do. They want your interpretation
of every doctrine and every passage of Scripture to be in line with
theirs. That is not who we are, as
a congregation or as Disciples churches.
We are very diverse in terms of our beliefs. We have no creed except to agree that we all confess, as did
Peter, that that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of the living God.
While Christianity has beliefs, it is not a belief system; it is
built upon a relationship – a relationship with God through Jesus. When we make it into a belief system we
begin traveling the road towards legalism, which robs faith of its strength and
vitality.
Jesus was a harsh critic of what happens when words take precedence
over deeds and legalism wins out.
There were plenty of people in the time of Jesus who had all the
“correct” and “proper” theology but they were not praised by Jesus. In fact, he compared them to
whitewashed tombs, broods of vipers, and hypocrites.
2. Paul always pointed
beyond himself.
I heard someone say about a minister one time, that guy needs a new sermon; all he ever talks about is Jesus. Paul never recommended that anyone use
him as an example of how to live, but always pointed to Jesus.
All of us have role models in life, and that is very important. My parents have been my primary role
models, along with others. People
such as Bill Norris, a minister at my home church, Bob Mack, who was our church
camp director and who preached my ordination sermon, as well as Sunday School
teachers and a host of others.
I think there are some marvelous role models out there, but we all
of them have their limitations.
How do you beat a role model like Jesus, who forgave his enemies, even
as they executed him, that can love in a way beyond what anyone has ever seen,
and can reach out to people in a way that challenges us beyond any challenge we
have ever experienced? You can’t
beat that!
Sometimes, as people of faith, we don’t always have the best image,
do we? I don’t like that people
stereotype and criticize, but when you look across the landscape of faith,
there is some justification. I
cringe sometimes when people can pick out the fact that I’m a minister, because
I worry it might be a bad stereotype.
I was in one of the Louisville hospitals some years ago, in one of the
surgery waiting rooms, and the person working at the desk asked me you’re a pastor aren’t you? I hesitated for a moment and
said, yes, maam, I am. How did she know? And why didn’t she assume I was a
doctor? Do I not look smart enough
to be a doctor?
The older I get the more I realize I continue to worry about the
wrong things in life. I’m worried
about what people think about me and if I’m pleasing people, and that’s a
dead-end street, I can tell you that.
I spend a lot of time worrying about what people think about me and too
little time thinking about what people think about Jesus and how they can be
like him.
3. Love, which permeates
the entire letter of Philippians.
John 13:24 – by this all men
will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.
Maybe that’s why people don’t always know we are his disciples. Perhaps our love isn’t always what it
should be. But it certainly can
be.
Flannery O’Conner wrote about a young girl who loved to visit a
convent near her home. When she
left she would hug the nuns good-bye, but there was one nun she was hesitant to
hug. She didn’t want to hug that
nun because she was tall and the girl’s head came right to the large cross the
nun wore. When that nun hugged her
she would hug her very tightly, and the cross would push into the girl’s face,
and it would hurt, and it would always leave a mark.
I like that image, of the cross leaving its mark. The cross, and the love it represents,
ought to leave its mark on our lives, and that mark is the mark of love.
May these be foundational principles for our lives, most especially
that of love!
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