Philippians Lesson 3

Philippians 2:1-11
Chapters 10, 11, and 12 in Motyer

Last week Paul said that even if Christ was preached out of envy for Paul’s gifts that at least the Gospel was preached. This week he gives the high call for how we are supposed to serve. Paul knew that some were preaching because they didn’t like him and were jealous even while he was imprisoned for the Gospel. Paul wanted the Philippians, who he loved, to have pure motives and to be a testimony in their life and service. Of the things you do for Christ here are some guidelines for your behavior.

Philippians 2:1-2 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

Let’s list the things that Paul identifies for our motivation:

1. encouragement from being united with Christ,


2. comfort from God’s love,


3. fellowship with the Spirit, and


4. tenderness and compassion.

Paul says our minds should be like this when we serve God and that we should have God’s love as we serve in one spirit and purpose. That is a high call. The Trinity is implicit in the motivation we have. We may ask, “What is the point of meditating on the nature of God?” but here is another sign post in Scripture telling us how to think. Being united with Christ must enable us to live serve. Knowing God’s love gives us confidence in our salvation and an ability to rest in His ability to deliver us from evil. The fellowship we have with the Godhead comes from the Holy Spirit in us who gives us the Spirit of adoption that causes us to cry “Abba’ Father. We could spend a lifetime on each of those topics and I’ve gone fast but an awareness of the actions of our God in all of His threefold nature is effective for producing tenderness and compassion in our hearts. If we are aware of the work of God the Son, God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit we will be changed. It is the knowledge and depth of insight impact from Paul’s prayer in chapter 1. Transformation comes from knowing the truth and having that depth of insight which causes us to grasp the significance of the truth.

Philippians 2:3-3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

He says to do “nothing” out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. That is another really high call in our service to God. God will back us off and slow us down when we are working outside His leading. That is what I mean when I say that “burnout” is a gift from God. He doesn’t leave us alone when we are running down rabbit trails. He will interrupt our lives and bring us back to an attention to the Holy Spirit, the comfort of His Love, and our ability in Christ. Jesus said “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” John 15:5. That being the case, if you know this to be true, you’ll be careful how you serve God. We are commanded to “in humility consider others better than yourselves.” This isn’t a command to help those with poor self esteem or to enforce mediocrity in the church. Think about what God has taught us. He is the vine. He enables us for service. As a result you can expect God to move and you can expect Him to move in the way He wants to move. He doesn’t need special skills but He needs people specially yielded to Him. If I consider someone better than myself then I’m not pretending. On the contrary, I’m acknowledging that it is God in us willing and doing His good pleasure. If we get puffed up then He knows were all the pressure release values are and he’ll deflate us for our own good. And … if you keep all truth in mind then it is easy to look after the interests of others and not just your own interests because you’ll realize that the health of the whole vine or the whole church is necessary for your health too. You’ll serve naturally because your heart will be right.

Philippians 2:5-7 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

Well here is another high call for our walk in Christ. He is our example for humility and service. He pointed that out himself. When we lead it is to be by service. There is no place for us to play the “most high holy” and be served by the masses. The life of Christ is to be our constant example of a life spent for others.

Philippians 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!

His humility and obedience was perfect in service. Note here that humility didn’t mean that Jesus pretended to be less than He was. Humility meant that He didn’t consider Himself too good to serve in the way God led. He lived a perfect life and died the life of a sinner. The world was not worthy of Him. If you feel too good to serve in the way God calls then meditate on the life of Christ and example of perfect submission.

Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Christ’s perfection is without limit. God demonstrated perfection in both ends of continuum from the perfect servant bearing the sins of undeserving sinners to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. There is no real name for His exalted position. King of Kings and Lord of Lords hardly does justice for the One at whose name every knee in the heavens and earth will bow to the glory of God our Father.