Beloved, I am glad to share with you today on the above theme from Philippians 2:1 and following. Indeed, to find the way of all hearts, to “win” a brother and soothe a dissent, there is only one secret: the renunciation of oneself. It is by contemplating and worshipping our incomparable Model that we will be able to learn it. In His own words, “he who rises (himself) will be lowered (by God) and he who lowers himself (himself) will be lifted up” by God (Luke 14:7-11 and 18:9-14). Two exactly opposite stories are summed up in this short sentence: that of the first Adam disobeying to death, followed by his ambitious and rebellious race. And that of Christ Jesus who, out of love, stripped himself of his divine glory by annihilating himself to become a man, then lowered himself until he could not descend lower, until death on a cross.
The form of a man, the condition of a slave, the ignominious death of a malefactor, these are the stages of this wonderful path. Yes, God, in all righteousness, had to raise him to the highest heavens, to honor him with a sovereign name. It is under this name of Jesus, both so glorious and so meek, whom He took to obey, serve, suffer and die, that He will be recognized Lord and will receive universal homage. Friend, what is the price of this Name for your heart. As a model of obedience (Phil 2:5-8), the Lord is entitled to demand ours in all things “without murmurs and reasoning.” The absence of the apostle in no way exempted the Philippians. On the contrary, since he was no longer there to take care of them, they had to be careful not to miss their Christian careers themselves.
These things being facts, the apostle uses them as a kind of lever for his exhortation. The “if” repeated four times in verse 1, actually has the force of “since”. Since this is so, he begs them to return his joy accomplished by having the same thought and getting rid of the last vestiges of dissension. Experience shows, in our opinion, that dissensions are one of the last works of the flesh to disappear, and our passage shows how great was the apostle’s desire that they disappear from the midst of the Philippians. Notice the variety of expressions used to express one’s desire for it to be so. Vain glory is the root of many conflicts and dissensions that distract the minds of Christians, even those who are otherwise spiritual. The opposite of vain glory is that humility of spirit that leads us to esteem others who are superior to ourselves. Humility of mind further leads to this breadth of spirit mentioned in verse 4. If I am centered on myself, seeking little more than my own interest and my own glory, I naturally consider only what concerns me. If conversely I am centered on Christ, seeking His interests and glory, I begin to consider the things of others as well. And if the things of others are really more to the glory of Christ than are mine, I will look more to the things of others than to my own.
Blessed be God, He has chosen the second alternative. Verse 7 is the beginning of this wonderful story. Although originally in the form of God, He took upon Himself another form, that of a slave, being made in the likeness of men. This implied that He annihilated Himself. Having become Man, Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit and power. Therefore, instead of acting by the sheer force of His own deity, He was acting in the power of the Spirit. In this situation, God was working through Him (Acts 10:38; Luke 4:14; Acts 2:22). Considering these things, we immediately see this true annihilation (which was an act done by Himself) was intended that taking the form of a slave was a full reality. When the Lord Jesus took the form of a slave, He did so in all the reality that this implied. His whole life was marked by a continual lowering, by an increasing humiliation of Himself until he came to death, and to death in the extremely infamous and painful form of the death of the cross.
His way of thinking was to lower himself, and this way of thinking must also be in us. But thinking this way is only possible if one is born of God and possesses the Spirit of God. Thank God, it is possible for us to think this way. So, let’s do it. The obligation rests with us. Let us accept it, and let ourselves be judged by it. No particular name is referred to, neither the name of The Lord, nor that of Jesus, or of Christ, nor any other, but the word “name” rather alludes to His fame or reputation. This Jesus, once despised and rejected, has such a reputation that finally every created being will have to bow to Him and confess His Lordship. And when the gathered universe pays homage to Him, whether willingly or under painful duress, everything will be to the glory of God the Father.
In the past, when Paul came and went among them, they had been marked by obedience to what he commanded. He wanted them to be now even more obedient to his word, because they were deprived of his help in person. Dangers threatened them from the outside, and inside there was the threat of this subtle danger of dissension: Paul therefore desired that they redouble their energy to seek to have and manifest the spirit that was in Christ Jesus; in doing so, they would work for their own deliverance from everything that threatened them. Paul wanted them to do it with fear and trembling, remembering their own weakness. Peter once thought he could make his own salvation without fear or trembling, and we know what happened to it. God operates the will as well as the do, and the will comes first. Thus, work For the word of life to be presented, it takes life as well as oral testimony. The word of witness becomes most of the time a word of life for others, when it is expressed first in the life of the witness. If this were to happen in the case of his dear converts in Philippi, Paul would be assured that he had not worked in vain for them. He would then have plenty to rejoice in anticipation of the appearance of Christ inaugurating His day. He would see god’s work in them that he had spoken of in verse 6 of the first chapter, and he would see it brought to an end and fully accomplished. Paul had his “impressions” about his future, and we are convinced that events proved him right. However, even he, as an apostle as he was, maintained the thought that events might belie his impressions. Why did Paul view things this way? Because he wasn’t looking “at what is his, but … to what is to others”.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
The humility and greatness of Christ:
- Compassion of Christ
-For the multitude Mt 9:36 Seeing the crowd, he was moved with compassion for them, because they were languishing and slaughtered, like sheep who have no shepherd. Mt 14:14; Mt 15:32 Jesus, having called his disciples, said: I am moved with compassion for this crowd; for they have been near me for three days, and they have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them back on an empty stomach, lest they lack the strength along the way.
-For the unfortunate Mt 20:34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight, and followed him.
-For Jerusalem Mt 23:37 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which kills the prophets and lays down those who are sent to you, how many times have I wanted to gather your children, like a hen gathers its chicks under its wings, and you have not wanted to!
-For those who are grieving Lk 7:13 The Lord, having seen her, was moved with compassion for her, and said to her, ‘Do not weep! John 11:35 Jesus wept.
- Ordained humility
Mi 6:8 You have been made known, O man, what is good; And what Jehovah asks of you is that you practice righteousness, that you love mercy, and that you walk humbly with your God. Luke 14:10 But when you are invited, go and put yourself in the last place, that when the one who invited you comes, he will say to you: My friend, go higher. Then it will honor you in front of all those who will be at the table with you. Lk 22:26 Let it not be the same for you. But let the greatest among you be like the smallest, and the one who governs as the one who serves. Rom 11:20 This is true; they have been cut off because of unbelief, and you subsist by faith. Do not abandon yourselves to pride, but fear; Rom 12:3 By the grace that has been given to me, I say to each of you not to have too high an opinion of yourself, but to put on modest feelings, according to the measure of faith that God has set out for each one. 1 Pet 5.5 Likewise, you who are young, be submissive to the elders. And all of you, in your mutual relations, clothe yourselves in humility; for God resists the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.
- New Man Strengthened and Renewed by the Holy Ghost
Ps 51:12 O God! creates in me a pure heart, Renew in me a well-disposed mind. Is 41.1 Islands, be silent to listen to me! May the peoples revive their strength, let them move forward, and let them speak! Let’s approach to plead together. 2 Cor 4:16 That is why we do not lose heart. And even as our outer man destroys himself, our inner man renews himself day by day. Col 3:10 and having put on the new man, who renews himself, in knowledge, according to the image of the one who created him.
From all the above, we note that among those who were available then, none was so animated by the same feeling with him, nor was he so zealous for the good of the Philippians. Most people, even believers, were characterized by seeking their own interests rather than those of Christ. Timothy was a happy exception. He was a true son of his spiritual father. The spirit that was in Christ was also in him. We fear that this pursuit of our own interests, not those of Christ, will be sadly commonplace among believers today. No servant of God can effectively serve the saints except by acting among them without seeking anything but the interests of Christ. He was a striking example of what he insisted on with the Philippians, and of the value and excellence of the thought that was in Christ Jesus. Nothing was affected in Paul, and he did not give simple compliments. Delighted by christ’s grace as he saw it in his beloved converts, he truly meant what he said. The second thing that strikes us is that he actually saw his own martyrdom as calculated to cause an explosion of joy for himself and for the Philippians, a reciprocal joy. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby waterhole to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to react to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow “the false doctors; true circumcision.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.