Episode 4: Humbly Loving like Christ (1:27-2:11)

A wonderfully familiar and yet enormously challenging part of the letter today, as Paul exhorts us to have the same mindset as Christ, humbly serving like him. Remember to check out our discussion questions in the podcast show notes to help you carry on the conversation with a friend.

• Questions to Dig into over a Cup of Tea

  1. Why is 2v1-2 so crucial for understanding all the commands that follow?

  2. How do 2v5-11 help us to grow in love for Christ?

  3. What does it look like to have the same mindset as Christ in your relationships at the moment?

• Sponsorship Details

  This episode is sponsored by Christian Focus.

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• Episode Transcript

  The following is an uncorrected transcript generated by a transcription service. Before quoting in print, please check the corresponding audio for accuracy.

  Felicity: You're listening to the Two Sisters and a Cup of Tea podcast, a 20 minutes burst of Bible chat over a cup of tea and English style biscuit as we make our way through a Bible book over the course of the season and drive it to our hearts. Whether you've been listening for a while or have just found us, we're so pleased you're here. We're grateful for the sponsorship of Christian Focus this season. The Good Portion series is a collection of theologically deep and wonderfully equipping books written by women for women. A previous guest on here, Natalie Brand, wrote one of them. The intention is to help women immerse themselves in theology and catch a glimpse of the glories of the Lord as they grapple with several different doctrines. I enjoyed being challenged in my thinking and being caused to reflect on, on and respond to the mighty truths being presented by these gifted women. I could imagine pointing women to this series as a way of encouraging them to stretch their theological muscles and delight in our God. More now, ten of those currently have an outstanding deal on the whole series with half off the price, so do head over to their website in order to get a good deal on these excellent books.
  Sarah: Welcome to two sisters and a cup of tea. My name is Sarah, I live in the UK. I’m with my sister Felicity. Of course, she’s in the States today. We're in chapter one, verses 27 of Philippians, down to two, verses eleven. It's a massive part of the letter. It's so well known. We're looking forward to it with a little bit of trepidation. But before we get there, Felicity, I mean, you've been in the States for over four years now, is that right?
  Felicity: That's right, yes.
  Sarah: How many tea converts do you think you've seen in your time there that you've kind of, you know, introduced the idea of a cup of tea and now they're like, on with you in that endeavour?
  Felicity: Well, I mean, that is a secondary mission to my life here in the States, so. But yes, I do. I do have a couple of friends who most definitely now buy their own Yorkshire teabags and I feel like that's been a sweet thing to see and to partake in with them, to partner with them, encourage them in their journey of the tea drinking. Yes. So not as many as I would like, to be honest. I do have a standing invitation for anyone to come and have a cup of tea in my house, which I do find, actually, that Americans really enjoy being invited for a cup of tea by someone English. I think my accent, the authenticity of it kind of helps as well. But I do worry that the expectations are a bit high because really, they're just coming in to watch me boil the kettle and have a bag in. A bag. Yeah, I know. I feel like sometimes a bit of disappointment at the bag. Oh, right. You really just use tea bags. Yeah. Yes.
  Sarah: Oh, very good. All right, well, we're getting into one of the most famous passages in scripture today. Anything you want to say on that?
  Felicity: Well, I mean, that's exactly it, isn't it? It is such a big rich. It's got so much in it. And what we have talked about a lot between us is how do we even do enough? Like, how can we begin to plumb the depths of this? I mean, we've only got 20 minutes, but I don't think it's just true because we're doing a 20 minutes podcast episode. I think that's something. Every time we get the Bible open, how do we deal with the fact that we're not going to pummel the depths of this passage? And I think that's. Yeah, that's something to just kind of ponder a bit. Where have you got to in your pondering of that question?
  Sarah: That it's always good to slow down and you don't need to rush through it just because you're on a particular Bible reading plan or because it's only five verses, so you feel like you should have nailed it in your one time looking at it, whatever. Like, it's okay just to slow down, isn't it? And take one verse at a time. Just say, I'm just going to mull on this one verse today or this week and enjoy the riches in it. And so I think. I think that's a helpful thing. I think just. Just acknowledging that, Lord, I'm never going to. I'm never going to see the depth of the riches here, but please keep showing me more.
  Felicity: Yeah, I think that's a big part of it, isn't it? The journey every time. Which is part of the reason why every time we go back to a passage, there's more that we can learn and. And our hearts can be shaped by. And because it's a living and active word, actually, it's all about what God is doing in our hearts rather than us kind of nailing the informative aspect of it.
  Sarah: Well, why don't you read it? Read it for us. Lifty. Let's get into it.
  Felicity: Let's. Okay, so we're reading chapter one, verses 27, down to chapter two, verse eleven. Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved, and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had. And now hear that I still have. 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, then make my joy complete by being like minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind, do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, rather in humility, value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interest, but each of you to the interests of others in your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus, who, being in the very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage. Rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. 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.
  Sarah: Thank you. Wow. Okay. Well, should we just. Let's just remind ourselves of the context that this landing as one of the most famous passages in scripture, it's often taken out of context, isn't it? Just to dwell on the Jesus bit, which is fair enough, but also, we are reading this in context. We're reading the letter as a whole together, aren't we? So, Felicity, just remind us of where we've got to in the letter. What is the. Whatever happens in verse 27? What have we just seen before?
  Felicity: Well, so Paul has just been explaining that despite the fact that he's in chains and there's suffering outside the church and in fact, some issues within the church, that the thing which is really the hinge of everything is whether Christ is being exalted or not. So he's kind of calling the Philippians to stand firm, to just pursue Christ, exalt Christ, know Christ, rejoice in Christ, whatever the circumstances. And I think then that leads on to verse 27. So whatever happens, so whatever your circumstance, whether it includes suffering or not, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. And this is an instance where it's really helpful to have a footnote in your Bible that helps you see when he says, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Actually, in both the NIV and the ESV, they would say that there's the word citizen in there. So conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of a citizen of the gospel of heavenly kind of existence. And that's quite helpful, I think, because that term citizenship comes later on, towards the end of chapter three. And we then see that that's what's being described here. What is it to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of Jesus Christ? What is it to be a heavenly citizen in this sense?

  Sarah: That's really helpful. And that kind of links back to what we were saying in our introduction about the citizenship of Rome being a very important thing for Philippi and actually Paul saying, no, no, no, there's a greater king and there's a greater lord, and we're going to see that unpacked today and therefore live in light of that. And I love that. Being a citizen of heaven, being a citizen of worthy and standing in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ means standing together, striving together. There's a real oneness to these paragraphs that we see here, isn't there?
  Felicity: Yes.
  Sarah: Stand firm in one spirit, striving together as one for the faith. And then as you come down to chapter two, there's one spirit, one mind, having the same love, common, sharing in the spirit, being like minded. There's a real kind of emphasis on the language that he's using, that it's together. There's a one oneness, and I think that's bolstering for a church who's going through opposition to be reminded that we stand in this together. And that is a key kind of marker of their citizenship.
  Felicity: Yes, yes. That Christ is not just who we behold, but actually he is the one who unites us in that because we are all in Christ united to him. Therefore we're united to one another. Which then makes verse four, chapter two, verse four. It makes a bit more sense of that. Not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of others. If you're united with people, it together, you're partnering with one another, then why wouldn't you look to others interests above your own?
  Sarah: But I think what's really key here and what continually strikes me about this part, in this beginning part of chapter two, because we so often kind of skip to verses five to eleven and don't really take in verses one to four of chapter two. And for me actually verses one to four, even just verse one, has been the key to unlocking understanding the rest of this kind of section. And that simple phrase of if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, any comfort from his love, if any common sharing or partnership in the spirit, then make my joy complete by being like minded, have the same love, being one and spirit and one mind. Our union with Christ, our being kind of completely kind of glue, super glued together indelibly to Christ means that we can stand firm and means that we can actually even think about doing what he's commanding to do in the next verses. Christ is our means of doing that. The union with Christ enables that to happen and our partnership with the spirit. And then in verses five to eleven, we see the model. We see Christ modeling what that then looks like.
  Felicity: Yeah, that is absolutely. And so it's absolutely fundamental. If I think he's kind of saying to them, if you have tasted in any way Jesus like, if you are in any way Christian in the sense of are you following Christ? Do you know that to be true in your life, then there is hope, because that's the whole means by which you're going to do this thing, which all throughout the first chapter, I think we've been hearing him say, you know, choose the best way to live is Christ, to die is gain. Like these pretty extreme statements which you.

  Sarah: Can read and be like, oh, that's.
  Felicity: A really good idea, Paul, but I don't know. And so then I think, as you say, these verses become the key in the sense of only if we're in Christ is this in any way possible. And so suddenly I feel like, oh, it's actually quite not at this is wholly achievable, but I'm encouraged that I'm already actually on that path. And it's a question of following Jesus more closely in that.
  Sarah: And so then what he commands next is a natural overflow of being united with Christ. Because if we have any comfort from his love, we will seek to share that love with others and we will seek to have that mutual affection and concern for one another that doesn't put rivalry or envy or vain conceit above humility. And seeking to serve one another with the mindset of Christ. So it's, it's been confident that I guess it's, you know, in, in chapter one when he was saying, um, he who begun that good work in you will carry it on into completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It's, it's remembering that, isn't it? Like he's begun that good working us, that union of Christ has completely happened. It's not, you know, that is a done deal. And so we can be sure that this is overflowing. And it's just praying for this mindset to be like minded and to have this same mindset that he then comes onto. So let's crack into verses five to eleven because he says, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. And then what does he say about Jesus in this way?
  Felicity: I mean, what we have is this picture of Jesus stepping down from heaven into earth. Like this is Jesus making himself man, isn't he? So he did not consider equality. We've got something to be used to it. But rather he made himself nothing, taking on the very nature of his servant. And he got echoes of Isaiah 53 there. The kind of the whole servanthood that we see prophesied back in the Old Testament. This is what we've been anticipating, that God himself would serve his people. And that's what we have described here. And being made in here and this being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death. I mean, it's the ultimate selflessness, isn't it? Like to the point of death, he gave of himself for the sake of us. So jesus went to the cross for the sake of selfish ambition, has no place in this. He is all for our salvation, which is when you see it out, I feel like these verses just make it so clear what he did for us.
  Sarah: Yeah, I think, yeah. As we see it in context here, we see that there's real purposefulness to him, relinquishing every advantage that he had to serve others. This real purposeful kind of self sacrifice isn't there for the eternal well being of his people. And that means, and seeing the purposefulness of what he's doing is what Paul is driving at, isn't he? Like, see how he served others, see why he did it. And so therefore have that same mind as you seek to serve others. It's here for a purpose. It's here to kind of instruct the Philippines, isn't it, in how to live with one another and serve one another.
  Felicity: Yeah. And so as he steps down and is obedient on the cross. So that is for the purpose, for our salvation. So we are saved through that. And then, as we're called, to have that same mindset for the sake of others, as we exalt Christ, not only are we choosing the best way and we're pursuing that heavenly citizenship, we're on that trajectory. But actually, as Christ is exalted, so others hear of Christ, and so salvation of others is also achieved through that. It's kind of all swept up into this whole, the way of Christ that is made so clear here. I've been really particularly struck by that aspect. But also as you hit verse nine, you have this kind of the servanthood of Christ, he makes himself man, the revelation of his humanity in that. And then I've just been really struck by the therefore of verse nine. Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, Jesus like. Because of this, the, what Jesus demonstrates here, what we see of Christ here, is God showing himself. This is what God is like. Therefore Jesus was given this name because this is a revelation of the divine as much as the humanity. Yeah. Which I don't know, therefore just has really struck me. This week I was listening to someone called Tim shepherd preaching on this and he kind of just gave me insight into that and I just, oh, yes, this is huge. This is what God is like. And I need to know that so that I can keep praying to God and keep running to God and be eager to proclaim Christ, because this is glorious, this is beautiful.
  Sarah: And I think that's it, isn't it? I think that what's wonderful here is that we're seeing this glimpse of God's heart, his very heart, that by his very nature, who, being in very nature, God relinquished himself, who emptied himself. That is who God is. That is who we find in the person of Jesus, and that is who Paul points us to. So as Paul prays for their love to abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight. Here it is. Here's the depth of insight. Here's the knowledge about your love for Jesus and how it grows as you gaze on him, so that you may be able to discern what is best, so that you may be able to be like minded and be willing to put others above yourself because it's worth it, even though it doesn't feel it right now. Remember that in the end, like, humility is followed by elevation, exaltation, and it's worth living the costly, sacrificial life now, following the pattern of Jesus.
  Felicity: That's exactly, isn't it? And so, actually, the more we dwell on this, the more we behold Christ in these verses in the letter, ten the more we're able to, and inclined to pursue him in the ways that have been outlined in the first part of the letter. And you're absolutely right then. So then we see the pattern of humility, even to the point of death, in order that we would then be exalted. Christ is exalted, and so we are, if in any way we are united with him. So we expect that exaltation in the new creation. We're talking heavenly realms here, aren't we? We're not talking kind of right here right now. And so it's really in my heart in terms of driving it to my heart, then it's really prompted me to dwell and meditate on this more, like come back to this again and again so that I might abound in love for Jesus more. Yeah.
  Sarah: And that's, and that's exciting, isn't it? Because that's, that's a promise, isn't it? In that prayer, as we grow in our love for Jesus, we will be able to discern the best way, and we will, there will be a, like, you know, a harvest of righteousness that comes as we discern the best way to live and the best way to walk. And I think. I think I've just taken real encouragement that, yes, the Lord is working my heart here, and I wrestle with that selfish ambition. I wrestle with those selfish desires to put myself before others like. And that's an everyday thing, isn't it? But when we see that wrestle and we see that battle, we can be assured that the spirit is at work. And as we continue to pray for this mindset in verse five, in your relationships with one another have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. We just keep praying for that, don't we? Keep praying. Lord, shape my mind to be like this and trust that he will do that work. Yeah.
  Felicity: Sarah, why don't you pray for us to that end?
  Sarah: I will. Lord Jesus, we praise you, that you came, that you walked, that you suffered, that you died, that you raised, were raised to life. And we praise you, that we have union with you. We have comfort from your love, we have partnership with your spirit that enables us to dare to pray. Lord, please, would you shape us to be more like you? Would we have the same mindset as you, so that as we live and as we serve in this world, we would be like you as. And hold out you to others, Lord, do that work in our hearts. We so need you to powerfully work and we pray that would be to the praise of your glory. Amen.
  Felicity: Amen. Well, 20 minutes, but rich. Just deep. Jesus beholding. Great thing.
  Sarah: It is, isn't it? We have show note questions on our website. On our website we have an episode page for each episode. And on there there are some questions to dig into over a cup of tea. And this would be a perfect episode to go a bit deeper with a friend on a phone call, over a cup of tea in person, over a walk in the sunshine, whatever it is, make sure you get a hold of those questions and take some time to dwell a little bit deeper. A little bit more on the riches of this part of Paul's letter and we'll look forward to seeing you next Friday for our next stint in Philippines. We'll be looking at the rest of chapter two. We can't wait. We look forward to seeing you then. Bye bye.
  Felicity: Bye bye. This season is sponsored by Christian Focus.

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