Calvary Bible Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan

My family and I just returned from a trip out west. Originally our plan was to meet up with our families somewhere in the middle of the country, but for a number of reasons it became clear that this plan wasn’t going to work out. So we started checking out different modes of travel for getting to both Southern California and Oregon. The most affordable approach for our family of five was to travel by train. When we made that decision, I don’t think we realized what we were getting ourselves into.

The trip from Kalamazoo to California was scheduled to be a 47 hour trip. We were concerned about getting across the Mississippi River because of the recent flooding, but we crossed it without any problem. Sometime during that first night, however, they stopped the train somewhere in the middle of Missouri. There was a storm, and the National Weather Service had issued a flash flood warning. So we sat and we waited.

When you travel by car you have enough control that you can simply go in a different direction and avoid the worst part of the storm. Planes can do the same, or if not then there are at least other flights at major airports so that you can take a different route. It doesn’t work that way with long distance passenger trains. The train only goes where the rails are, and there’s only one train a day on that route. We didn’t have any control.

At some point during the night, someone decided that our train wasn’t going to be able to move ahead. We were told that we would be sent by bus ahead to the next major station in Kansas City where we would meet up with the eastbound train. The people from that train would continue their trip to Chicago by bus. And that train would be turned around so that we could continue our trip to California.  Sounds like a good plan, right?

With three full coach cars holding at least 75-100 people each, plus two or three sleeper cars full of people, we needed a fleet of busses. That fleet wasn’t readily at hand in the middle of Missouri. We had to wait several hours for those busses to arrive. Then the eastbound train was a few hours late arriving in Kansas City. Then the railroad employees had to service that train at a station that wasn’t equipped for that kind of work—another few hours. When we finally got on board the train and got underway, we had to keep pulling off onto spurs to let freight trains pass because we were outside of the normal schedule. By the time we arrived at our destination in California, we were 22 hours late, and there wasn’t a single thing we could do about it. It was all out of our control.

How do you handle life when things are outside of your control? I didn’t handle it too well. I was frustrated. I allowed those circumstances to steal my joy. To be honest, that happens to me often. That is one of the reasons I chose to begin this study of Philippians that we’ve titled Finding Joy.  I believe that through a close relationship with God we can grow to possess a deep sense of satisfaction at the core of our being that enables us to rise above the ups and downs of life.

Thus far in our study, we’ve seen that this joy flows from experiencing God’s saving grace.  We find joy as we love people and as we commit ourselves to God’s mission—sharing that saving grace with everyone in the world. We find joy in having purpose in life and hope in the face of death. Still, it’s the little things that often seem to defeat us. Things don’t go exactly as we’ve planned, and we act like it’s the end of the world. If we are going to find joy, we have to deal with our insistence on being in control.

We all have our strategies for maintaining control.  We may not even realize we do it. It just becomes a habit of how we respond to things. Some of us get angry and explode to force people and circumstances in our direction. Some of us complain and whine to get our way. Some of us try to use the silent treatment as a way to inform everyone around us that they need to pay attention to us. Some of us use tears to play on people’s sympathy. Some of us use humor tinged with sarcasm. Some of us try to maintain control by avoiding issues altogether and smiling our way through everything.

This last one is probably most common among Christians, because many of us seem to think that biblical joy means always smiling. I recently read one author who argued that dealing with life this way, denies our humanity. It’s phony and in a sense even offensive. We don’t find this kind of perpetual plastic smile on the faces of the godly men and women of faith in the Bible. Many of the psalms written by David and others expressed frustration with life and deep grief over losses. God made us as emotional beings. In Ecclesiastes 3, Solomon says, “There is an appointed time for everything…. A time to weep and a time to laugh, A time to mourn and a time to dance” (vv. 1a, 4).

We have to see that joy is not opposed to weeping. Joy isn’t opposed to being frustrated. A true biblical joy accepts and endures trial and suffering by God’s strength. But to find that joy, that strength of God, we have to be willing to give up our silly efforts to maintain control. We have to humble ourselves, letting go of control in order to experience the joy of being strengthened by God. That’s what Paul called the Philippians to do. Thus far in his letter, he has been sharing about his own life, but in Philippians 1:27 he shifts to instructing them. He gives a series of commands that I think all relate to relinquishing control so that we can find the joy of being strengthened by God. Let’s see what Paul says.

Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents--which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God. For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me. 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, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” (Philippians 1:27-2:4).

As I read this passage of Scripture, I see three areas in which we have to relinquish control to God in order to experience joy: our agenda, our security, and our importance.

1. We must let go of our agenda.

We are naturally independent. Isaiah 53:6 says, “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.” We are more like cats, than dogs, if you know what I mean.  Yet, when you enter into a relationship with God, He has a purpose for your life. We discussed this last month in looking at Paul’s life. During whatever time God allows us to continue to live on this earth, we are charged with the mission of leading people to become disciples of Jesus Christ. We do that by telling people the gospel—the news that we can all be reconciled to God through faith in Jesus Christ.  Paul’s main point in the passage we just read is to address how these people live. He says their conduct should be worthy of the gospel. In other words, their lives should display the powerful transformation that takes place when someone believes in Christ. 

Paul uses an interesting picture: the word translated “conduct” in our English Bibles is the Greek word politeuo.  Sounds familiar doesn’t it? It’s the Greek word from which we get our English word politics. In the ancient world a polites was a citizen. So Paul’s telling us to live out our citizenship – not our earthly citizenship, but our heavenly citizenship.  Later on in Philippians 3:20 Paul says, “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” As Christians we are ambassadors of heaven, representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Everything we do reflects on Him.

That in and of itself is a convicting thought, but Paul doesn’t stop there. He proceeds to address a specific issue in Christian conduct. He calls Christians to let go of their personal agenda to align themselves with one another in God’s mission. He wants them to be standing firm in one spirit, with one mind (v. 27).  This kind of unity doesn’t mean that we abandon our individuality, but it flies in the face of our independence.

Paul gives another picture: striving together for the faith of the gospel. The Greek word translated “striving” is the word from which we get our English word “athlete.” This unity is not passive. It is active, aggressive teamwork. We are to strive, to compete together to draw people to faith in Jesus Christ.

That’s not normally the way that people think about church. Some people think about the local church as if it’s a theater, where you go to watch a performance. Some people think about the church as a social club, where we stop in whenever we feel like it. A lot of us probably think about the church as a school where we go to learn. If we follow the drift of Paul’s thought here, we should think of the church as a football team where every player needs to be totally engaged in the game and following the play. But the game doesn’t take place Sunday morning. Sunday morning is the practice. As soon as you walk out those doors the game begins and it lasts all week.

This is so important to Paul, that he repeats the idea again.  Skip down to chapter 2, “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, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.” Again he emphasizes this idea of oneness – one mind, one love, one spirit, one purpose. That is why I say that we must let go of our agenda. As a follower of Christ, we do not each come up with our own purpose and mission for our lives. We align our unique abilities and gifts under one purpose – the mission that Jesus has given us.

But note what Paul says at the beginning of verse 2: make my joy complete.  At first glance, that sounds somewhat selfish. Paul tells this group of Christians to be united, because it will contribute to his own personal joy.  How can Paul say this? Think about it this way. Paul has already expressed that his joy is tied up in the spread of the gospel. That is true not just of Paul, but really of any devout follower of Christ. It’s not just Paul who will find joy in their unified commitment to Christ’s purpose. The Philippians will fund joy in that unity too.  The same is true for you and me. If we humbly let go of our individual agenda to unite with other Christians in God’s mission we will find joy.

2. We must let go of our security.

My wife and I think about security almost every night. When it’s bedtime, our children often complain that they are afraid. They’re afraid that a powerful storm will damage our home and injure us. They’re afraid that someone might break into our home and seek to do us harm. They’re afraid that perhaps a fire might break out in our home. To insure their security they would like to have us stay in their rooms. If not that, then they at least want to know where we will be and if we will check up on them. As grown ups, we assure ourselves that such things could never happen. We tell ourselves that we’ve taken all the necessary precautions.  We all try to hold onto some sense of security in our minds, but the truth is that if something dangerous like that were to happen, it would be largely out of our control. Our only real security is in knowing that God is in control, not me. 

For the Christians in Philippi, it was dangerous even just being a Christian opened them to danger. When Paul first preached the gospel in Philippi, he faced strong opposition. Some men accused Paul and his coworker Silas of throwing the city into confusion by preaching things contrary to Roman law. Their accusation wasn’t true, but many people in the city raised their voices against Paul and Silas. Without any kind of trial, the town leaders had Paul and Silas beaten with rods and thrown into prison. 

Imagine if that happened here today, if the local police burst in, beating people and hauling some of us off to prison because of complaints against us. How would you feel about being a Christian—about sharing your faith with your friends and neighbors? It’s true that a scenario like this is probably unlikely in the United States, but it still happens in many parts of the world and things could change here. Some people in our country already categorize our teaching on moral issues as “hate speech.” In 2 Timothy 3:12, Paul said, “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

If we want to experience joy and strength in our Christian life, we can’t let persecution deter us. We instinctively try to insure our own security, by keeping our faith secret. But we can’t do it. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt 5:14-16). He calls us to let go of our security and to entrust our lives into God’s hands, living out our faith in boldness.

When we live this way, something powerful happens.  Paul describes it here in Philippians 1:28. He says, “…in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God.” How is opposition a sign? During the last week before Jesus was crucified, he taught about the final judgment. It’s recorded at the end of Matthew 25. He envisioned himself sitting in judgment separating people to his right (the place of blessing) and left (the place of cursing). And the difference between the two is whether they gave Jesus something to eat when he was hungry, or to drink when he was thirsty, or provided shelter when he was a stranger, or clothes when he was naked, or help when he was sick or in prison. People are surprised by this.  They can’t ever remember seeing Jesus in such circumstances, but he says to the extent that you did or did not do it to the least of these, you did or did not do it to me. That’s an astounding idea. The way you treat people, particularly Christians, is how you treat Jesus Christ himself.

When someone opposes, scoffs, or attacks a Christian, that behavior is a sign of how that person would treat Jesus Christ. It’s a sign of their impending judgment and destruction, unless they repent.  On the other hand, whenever you face some kind of opposition for your faith in Christ, your salvation, your relationship with Jesus Christ, is in some sense affirmed. That is the same way that Jesus was treated back when he walked on this earth.

Look at the way Paul puts it in Philippians 1:29: For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake. Paul sees persecution as in some sense a privilege, a gift of God’s grace bestowed upon a Christian.

Jesus taught the same concept. Matthew 5:11-12 records Jesus saying, “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

We will not know that blessing unless we’re willing to humble ourselves by letting go of trying to control our security and safety.  God is in control. Trust Him. This doesn’t apply just to facing persecution.  It’s true of all the fears in our lives.  We will find God’s strength and joy when we stop trying to be in control and entrust our security and well-being to God.

3. We must let go of our importance.

We love to control the agenda. We become obsessed with ensuring our security. But the most powerful control issue of all may be our efforts to get people to recognize our importance. We do it by bragging about ourselves. We want people to acknowledge, respect, and honor us. We want to be the center of attention. We think that everything revolves around us—our home, our work, our church, other groups that we’re a part of. How could anything function without me?

Listen again to Paul’s words in Philippians 2:3-4: Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Paul calls us to let go of our importance. He’s not saying that we are to view ourselves as unimportant. He’s not saying that we should have no desires or preferences. When people approach humility from that kind of perspective, they’re often just trying to draw attention to themselves—“Look at me and how humble I am!”  The humility Paul describes is not self-deprecating. It’s a deep respect and love for the people around you.

Often when we come into a group of people, the thought in our mind is, “Well, here I am. Who is going to help me?” Paul is pushing us toward a different mind set that comes into the group and says, “There you are. How can I help you?”  That is biblical humility, not denying our own importance, but letting go of it.

Christ, Our Example

At this point in Paul’s letter, he writes one of the most profound theological passages in all of his letters. Normally, we examine it outside of its context because it has so much to say about who Jesus Christ is. But the full impact of the passage isn’t felt unless we keep it in this context.  How does humbly letting go of control lead to strength and joy? We find out when we consider Jesus Christ.

Look at Philippians 2:5-7: Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.

Jesus is the example of humility, of letting go of control. He existed in the form of God and could have held on tightly to that existence. But instead he let go and took on humanity. He is fully God, yet he embraced the limitations of humanity – hunger, physical pain, sickness, even death.

Keep reading in verse 8: Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. He endured one of the most painful and shameful deaths imaginable—public crucifixion. He let go of any selfish agenda, even though Satan tempted him to pursue it. He let go of his security. In the garden, he prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will” (Matt 26:39). He let go of importance, dying on the cross for our sins so that we could be saved.

But we can’t stop there. Jesus fully entrusted himself to God the Father and God strengthened him. God raised him from the dead, and that’s not all. God will exalt him. Look at verses 9-11: For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Why does Paul add this in? If he just wanted us to see an example of humility, he could have stopped after relating how Christ became man and died on the cross. But he doesn’t stop there; he continues because he wants us to see Christ’s exaltation as well. There is a promise bound up here.

If you will follow Christ: letting go of control and entrusting yourself to God. He will exalt you with Christ.

Peter says, “Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7).

That is the joy of being humble. I don’t have to be anxious about controlling everything: the agenda, my well-being, my importance, and so on. I can entrust myself to God and know peace, freedom, joy, and strength. I can endure in the hope that I will be exalted with Christ.