Philippians 2:1-11

How many Elvis Presley fans do we have here today? It’s ok. I would have to raise my hand as well. I like some of his songs. I have said before here that I think credit should be given where it is due and I believe that the three greatest musical performers of modern history are Garth Brooks, Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley. Just based on their musical ability and ability to entertain and nothing else, I think that’s true. You have every right to disagree but as far as musical talent goes, those guys are tops. 

But Elvis has always fascinated me. Called the King of Rock n Roll, he had 40 top 10 hits and is the best-selling solo artist in the history of recorded music. He sold more than 250 million records and starred in 33 films. Whether that is your style of music or not you have to give him credit for being able to perform. Some people might even say that was his God-given purpose for being here. But Elvis himself would disagree with you.

I read a quote about Elvis from his wife Priscilla Presley after his death and when I read it I knew it was appropriate for the sermon series we are going through. She said, “Elvis never came to terms with who he was meant to be or what his purpose in life was. He thought he was here for a reason –maybe to preach, or to save, or to serve & care for people. That agonizing desire was always in him, and he knew he wasn’t fulfilling it.” (Quoted by Rick Warren)

“He thought he was here for a reason and he knew he wasn’t fulfilling it.” Tragic words. He had everything a man could possibly want. He had zillions of dollars, millions of fans, people all over who would do anything for him and yet he was unfulfilled. He was not living out his purpose. Isn’t that amazing? What’s the difference in his situation and Robin Williams, though? Or any number of other wealthy, high-profile, well-loved celebrities who have ended their own lives or cut them short by drinking or drugs?

Satan wants you dead. And if God won’t allow him to kill you, he would love to get you involved in anything that is not your purpose in life because he knows that sooner or later it will kill you. He knows that your search for meaning through drugs, alcohol, fame, stuff, power, entertainment or even religion if done outside of biblical truth…will kill you. Proverbs 14:12 says there is a way that seems right to a man but in the end leads to death.

God, though, has a plan for your life and a purpose for your life and when you follow that plan and purpose it leads to great joy and peace and contentment. In Philippians 4:11 Paul says, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” Paul knew what his purpose was and he lived it out. Was he comfortable? Probably not very often. Was he happy? Probably sometimes but not always. Was he joyful? Always. Was he wealthy? Nope. Famous? Infamous, maybe, while he lived.

In John 10:10 Jesus said He came to give us an abundant life. Paul is the poster boy for an abundant life, right? He had some stories to tell! He was never bored. He was never boring. You talk about the most interesting man in the world. Paul had that title! He had that title because he lived his purpose. Do you want everything that the world and Satan has to give and in the end it leads to an unfulfilling life and then eternal agonizing death or do you want an abundant life with joy and peace here and with eternal life in Heaven with Jesus; a life filled with God’s rewards there and here?

So, who should be our model for ministry? Elvis? Garth? Michael? I’m sure they have all done good things in this life but it’s not them. And while Paul is the poster boy for living out his purpose, it’s not even him either. Who did Paul learn from? He learned from Jesus. We learned a while back that anyone who learns from Jesus and tells others what they have learned is a disciple. So, let’s all be disciples and turn to Paul’s book of Philippians chapter 2, verses 1-11 and let’s learn from Jesus as well.

I mentioned Paul had joy and in no other book is that more evident than Philippians. He talks about joy a lot here. “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice!” he says in chapter 4. And he writes all of this…while in prison. And while he sometimes said that we should emulate him, he was always ultimately pointing to Jesus. Let’s read Philippians 2:1-11.

Therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. ⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross! ⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Most commentators think Paul was quoting a hymn popular in the first church starting in verse 6. That may be why most versions choose to make it look a little differently. Paul is saying at the beginning here that if we really do have that relationship; if we really do have fellowship with Jesus and are learning from Him then we will be like Paul because that is what Paul had. And if we are like-minded with Paul we will do as Paul did and emulate Jesus.

And Paul says that when the church looks and lives and talks like Jesus, then his joy is complete! 3 John 1:4 says, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” And that is true if those are your biological kids or your spiritual kids. When you make disciples as Jesus told us to and those disciples mature in their walk with the Lord, that brings complete joy. That’s why Paul says that.

But Paul ends that focus starting in verse 6 by describing how Jesus did what He did and His motivation for doing it. It says that Jesus made Himself to be a servant in human form and was obedient to the Father even to the point of dying. We will look deeper at this passage tonight and I will have lots of questions for you starting about 6 pm tonight. But this morning I want us to see more about how Jesus served. How did He minister? How did He live out His purpose?

How many of you believe that God has given you some sort of talent or ability or gift? Maybe you’re not the world’s greatest at it but you have the ability to serve God in some way. The Bible, and Paul specifically teaches that we all have God-given gifts. Do you know why? 1 Peter 4:10 says “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others.” Some people want to serve God but they don’t really want to serve people. That’s not their gift, they think. But that’s not possible. God gave those gifts to us so we would serve other people and Jesus modeled that.

I saw an old story about an elderly widow who was a shut-in but was eager to serve the Lord. After praying about this, she realized that she could bring blessing to others by playing the piano. The next day she placed this small ad in the Oakland Tribune: "Pianist will play hymns by phone daily for those who are sick and despondent--the service is free." The notice included the number to dial. When people called, she would ask, "What hymn would you like to hear?" Within a few months her playing had brought cheer to several hundred people. Many of them freely poured out their hearts to her, and she was able to help and encourage them. (Source Unknown.)

God has given all of us some gift or ability or talent. And while others may have that same ability and may even do it better, we have the unique opportunity to minister to those people God has given us to minister to. There are four things that we need to look at in the life of Jesus that made Him such a good minister or servant. The first thing I want us to see is that He was available. Do you know what the number one killer of ministry is? It is busyness.

I heard a fascinating quote about ministers the other day, and you know, we are all ministers. I don’t know who said it but it went something like this. You should use the phrase “busy minister” in the same way you say “adulterous spouse” or “embezzling employee”. What do you think about that? It’s pretty severe but I think it’s true. Again, Satan wants us to think that busyness is next to godliness. But remember Satan is a liar and he wants you dead.

It may or may not be true that hard work never killed anyone but busyness has killed a lot of ministry. So many times in the Bible when Jesus does some amazing thing it is when He was on His way to do something else. In Matthew 20 it says that Jesus was leaving Jericho when two blind men asked Jesus to have mercy on them. So, Jesus stopped. It says in verse 34 “Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.”

In Luke 8 Jesus is on His way to heal Jairus’s daughter and is almost being crushed by so many people around Him when a woman touches the hem of His robe and it says that Jesus stopped and it says in verse 48, “Then he said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.’”

Eric Hoffer said, “The feeling of being hurried is not usually the result of living a full life and having no time. It is, on the contrary, born of a vague fear that we are wasting our life. When we do not do the one thing we ought to do, we have no time for anything else--we are the busiest people in the world.” Bits & Pieces, May 1990, p.1

 

Do you sometimes feel that all you do is rush, rush, rush? It’s not supposed to be that way. Have you ever said you were too busy to go on that mission trip; too busy to serve at the church; too busy to help somebody who needed it? You don’t do yourself nor anyone else any favor by not being available.

 

Everybody in the world, at one time or another just needs somebody to stop and be there for them. In fact, people are desperate to know that Jesus stops for them; that Jesus is there for them; that Jesus cares enough to stop and minister to them. And they see that through you as a disciple of Jesus who takes time to stop and minister to them. But you can’t do that if you are not available.

 

After being available, we see that Jesus was also grateful.  How does being grateful make you a more effective minister? Well, let’s see when Jesus was grateful. In John 11:41 Jesus is about to raise Lazarus from the dead but He stops and takes time to pray, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.” Have you ever prayed that prayer? Most of us have. Most of us realize how ridiculous it seems that the Creator and Sustainer of the universe would stop and take time to hear our prayers. But the Bible is full of passages telling us that God does hear our prayers. And that should make us grateful.

 

Paul said in 1 Timothy 1:12, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.” Thank you, Lord, for hearing me. Thank you, Lord, for giving me strength. Thank you, Lord, for sending Jesus to model thankfulness to me and through whom I have the strength to do all things!

Psalm 100:2 says, “Serve the Lord with gladness!  Come into his presence with singing.” We serve God with grateful hearts because He loved us and saved us. That ought to make you a serving force to be reckoned with. When you realize what you are saved from and what you are saved to then you should be grateful and that gratefulness makes you a powerful servant just like Jesus.

Jesus was available and He was grateful. He was also faithful in His service. What does it mean to be faithful? Jesus gives us a great definition, used of Himself in John 17:4 where He prays to the Father, “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.” What a perfect description of being faithful! Bringing glory to God by finishing the work He has given us to do.

Oswald Chambers said, “God wants to use us as He used His own Son.” But there is a problem with being faithful. See, the way to be faithful is to be consistent, to be always there, always doing your job; one that can be counted on at all times. This is somebody you can not only set your watch by but also your calendar. You know what I mean? This is somebody who never stops doing what they are supposed to be doing until they die.

And so the problem with being faithful is that most of the time you don’t get credit for it until you are dead. If somebody is faithful except for the last few years of their life, is that person really faithful? If a man is faithful to his wife most of the time, is he faithful? If your refrigerator works great except for those times every now and then when it quits, is it a faithful appliance?

So, the problem with faithfulness is that you rarely get the credit you deserve and if it wasn’t difficult then you would never hear the words from God, “Well done my good and FAITHFUL servant.” But Jesus proved Himself to be faithful and He is our model for that as well as for being available and grateful.

There is one more way that we can serve like Jesus served and that is to serve generously. And do you want an example of Jesus being generous? Well, you can just open up to almost any page of the Bible and see it. From Genesis 1, where God says, “Let us make man in our image” all the way to the cross where He so generously gave His life as the ultimate sacrifice for sin.

Jesus proved Himself to be available, grateful, faithful and very generous. And so now this is the point in the sermon where every smart preacher on the planet explains how you can be like Jesus and generously give your money to the church. And they wouldn’t be wrong to say it. Jesus was very generous and the church is His bride and is only sustained by your generosity. And maybe I’m not smart (please don’t say amen) but I already know you to be generous. I know it is your generosity to this church that keeps the bills paid and the lights on and gives us the ability to do any kind of outreach.

But I also think about how Jesus was most generous. He spent His life pouring out His life for His friends. It ended with His generous substitution of Himself for us on that cross but it also included spending day in and day out worshipping with, discipling, fellowshipping, and ministering to those who had the least; who were least likely to repay Him or give Him credit for anything.

Do you want to be generous like Jesus was generous? Then it is going to take more than just giving to the church. It is going to require you giving your time, your talent and your treasure; your whole life for somebody else. Maybe that is one person every day, a different person every day or a group of people. Your life is not your own and you will never be satisfied; you will never fulfill your purpose and never have true, lasting joy as long as you are thinking of yourself first.

Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.” That doesn’t always mean dying for somebody. It often means living your life for them. That’s how you serve like Jesus. That is how you are available, grateful, faithful and generous. 

Invitation: Generously giving your life for someone else starts by telling them that you love them too much not to tell them the truth about the free gift of salvation that Jesus provided on the cross when He died to take their place. Confess your sins. Repent of those sins and ask Jesus into your life to be Lord and Savior today.