Unchained – Others First – Sermon – Pastor Dave Page

This passage not only speaks of Christ’s willingness to serve and sacrifice for us, but also to examine our own lives, understanding our attitude and motivation each day should come from a Christ like perspective. Let’s focus on living exceptional lives as a way of honoring Him.

Point #1 – Inherently Unique 

If you remember nothing else today, let me leave you with this thought: You were meant to be unique! Lets look again at verse 5-6 which reads;

“have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;”

Before Jesus humbled himself to become a human and live on earth with us, he was one with The Father. Before he came down from on high to walk this planet, Jesus was in control of all things, including his natural inclination being that of love, kindness, and peace for all. Therefore, it is quite clear that before Jesus took on human form, He was inherently unique.

All too often we decide to take on other people’s character traits, believing we must fit into a certain mold in order to be accepted. Yet, try as hard as we might, we were uniquely designed for greatness because truthfully, like the makeup of the snowfall we see, it is impossible for two (or more) snowflakes to be completely alike. So, it begs the questions, why do we still place such high expectations on ourselves by emulating others instead of embracing our individual strengths?

Church, we cannot forget that even though it’s easy to conform to society’s standards, it’s far greater to be a leader along the different paths and roads that Jesus calls us to. As Andrew Carnegie once said,

“As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do.”

Will we choose to follow the crowd or will we stand out and trust the Lord? You are, by design, inherently unique!

Point #2 – Spiritually Unique

You are also, by design, a spiritual being. Often when we think of spirituality, we think of being shrouded in robes, never cursing or letting loose, or simply being better than everyone else. But tell me, what does unique spirituality entail?

Look back at Verse 8 which states;

“And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

An important parallel here is between Christ’s earthly and human appearance and our own. Just as Jesus allowed himself to humble for a greater good, we should also be working toward achieving the spiritual relationship with the Lord He desires for us.

We are to obey His commandments, setting aside factors that cause spiritual division, such as material possessions, insignificance, and pride. We cannot simply rely on external righteousness for others to see, but rather real and significant internal change. We must be aware of and avoid any negative influences that bring us further away from Jesus. That means shifting and revising our mindsets as holy individuals. And then, once our inner vessels are sanctified and renewed, then only can we truly begin to exude real spirituality. A spirituality that truly impacts and transforms how we live life, how we deal with all that life throws our way.

Let me give you an example. Think back to the time when Jesus was arrested and brought before Pontius Pilate. (John 19:10-11) I mean, what did Jesus have to defend himself with? Just a few words here and there? No. In truth, He faced His unjust accusation with silence. That my friends, is true bravery and strength. We know Jesus did not deserve the death penalty he was given, yet He knew from the beginning that it was through His blood that redemption for us would come. He willingly gave up His life as a man with the perspective and action of a Saviour.

Point # 3 Salvation Through Hope

So that perspective and Jesus’ action, is where we find our hope. Look at these last verses, Philippians 2:9-11 which says

“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 acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Church, don’t miss the immense importance of this.

It is through Jesus’ ultimately selfless act of sacrifice, that we as humans have the ability to approach God without fear.

It’s because of Jesus and what He did that we are granted access to the Kingdom of Heaven and eternally saved.

Although facing the unthinkable, the humiliation and pain, Jesus saw the bigger picture and trusted that in due time, He would emerge victoriously. Rather than preoccupy himself with one sided thinking on the matter, Jesus focused on His end goal, laying down His life as a bridge for mankind to connect closer to our God.

I mentioned the season of Lent at the beginning of the message. Lent is a reminder of the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert fasting, reflecting, and being tempted. During this time, Jesus’ mindful choice not to give in to worldly enticements serves as a strong impactful reminder of His end goal. In the same manner, may we consider what obstacles we have placed around us, asking God to guide our eyes to look past momentary gratification and align us with His will. That’s not easy in the world we live in today.

Take honesty and integrity for example. Those 2 things are so often missing from the experiences we have with the world around us each day. Just imagine if each of us walked outside everyday emulating Jesus way of life. Living bold and confident lives under His Lordship. In return, our integrity would soon be recognizable, as contrarian possibly, with even strangers recognizing how we are different. Still others would recognize our word for truth and having undeniable assurance in their heart that when we speak, we mean what we say. That is what I call walking with God’s unwavering truth every day.

The world encourages something different doesn’t it? The world says, say what you need to say to get what you want. That’s just the way of the world, you must take – and if someone get’s hurt, well, that’s just collateral damage.

You see, living like Paul is encouraging the people in Phillipi to do takes intention, integrity, strength. We must transform our mind Paul says.

Now ask yourself, how might you transform your mindset?

Are there aspects of your life you feel led to put down?

What attitudes and characteristics of Christ are you most drawn to exemplify?

Think of the transformed outcomes that are possible, even through small adjustments, such as radiating genuine humbleness, exhibiting contentment and submitting to God’s way of doing things. The world around you really needs to see the power of our convictions in how we meet them every day!

In this passage we’ve looked at this morning, Paul gave this stunning example of Christ’s humiliation and exaltation to motivate the Philippian church to

“do nothing from rivalry 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” (vv. 3, 4).

In fact, this encouragement extends to later in the chapter where Paul talks about Timothy,

“For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. They all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ” (vv. 20, 21).

This mindset of transformation and a posture of humble stance in the world was key to what Paul was saying. So, we must understand that counting others as more significant than ourselves and looking out for the interests of others is directly related to what we understand about Christ and what we believe he did. We are, in fact, commanded to have the mind among ourselves that is in Christ Jesus (cf. v. 5).

Others first is both a sign that the gospel is alive among us and a necessity for the health of the church and for us as individuals as well.

Others first encapsulates the role of a good husband as defined in Ephesians 5. He counts his wife as more significant than himself and looks out for her interests before his. In fact, he dies for her and loves her like he loves himself.

Others first practically defines the role of parent, producing protective fathers and nurturing mothers who regard their children as more important than themselves.

In the church, Others first effectively defines the role of pastors and leaders. As Peter describes it:

So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. (1 Peter 5:1–3; cf. 1 Timothy 3:1–7; Titus 1:5–16)

Others first is meant to characterize the life we live together within the body of Christ, between brothers and sisters, and the lives we live out there in the world around us.

We really are to regard each other as more important than ourselves.

We really are to look out for the interests of others. And we can do that because we have the example of Christ, who really did it. And we have his mind.

As we wrap up our message for today, I want to leave you with this thought:

These are undoubtedly difficult tasks and require putting to death old ways of thinking—but here’s the thing: transformation only takes place when there is movement away from our former selves. Therefore, this Lenten season, If you’ve not already done so, I urge each of us to genuinely consider how we can grow in our relationship with God by choosing to be like Him.

Jesus’ humble sacrifice speaks to us in ways unlike any other. He is our provider and protector, our teacher and Lord. Knowing full well the cost, He gave up all rights and privileges to come to earth and suffered death on our behalf. Even more astonishing is that God not only accepts this sacrifice with open arms, He exalts Jesus’ name to the highest place, granting Him all mastery over life and death. The question for us today then is the same as it always has been: Will we submit ourselves to Jesus’ Lordship ? Will we follow His example and live a truly others-first life. I’ll leave you with the words of William Booth:

“The conditions of discipleship are indeed arduous; nothing less than unreserved, unqualified, absolute surrender to the authority and guidance of the Lord Jesus is demanded; nothing else will do instead.”

Church, regardless of who we are or what we have done, Jesus came not only to suffer and die on the cross, but to be the example of how to live a life of humble service to God, shown by how we treat others around us. Today, I encourage each of you, just as Paul encouraged this Church, to focus on walking in the same attitude of humility, serving and loving God as a testament of our faith. When you choose to allow Jesus Christ to remain at the forefront of your intentions, with the message of humble submission as the calling card of your life, even with our differences, only then will we reach our full potential; by trusting Him enough to obey whatever He asks us to do. Amen.