Sunday, January 3, 2010
LOOKING ON THE THINGS OF OTHERS
Phil. 2:4 ++
Let’s begin by reading Phil. 2:1-11…
If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2. Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7. But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8. And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
When you wake up in the morning, what do you think about? __________, is your first waking thought something like this: “I wonder how _________ is doing this morning. I know he is dealing with some difficult things. I’m going to take time to pray for him right now.” No, of course not. When you woke up, you were thinking about ________. Right?
We laugh, but our laughter reveals something about us. We have a strong tendency to think of self first. Rather than thinking about the things my wife is hoping to accomplish today, I tend to think about the things I am hoping to accomplish. We say, “That’s just natural,” and that is absolutely right. It is natural. What we must understand is that God is calling us to something supernatural. The command of verse 5 is not, “Let this mind be in you which is in everyone else,” but “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” When Jesus called people to Himself, it was a radical call. “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Matt. 16:24). How can we deny self, when self is so dominant and defiant? It constantly cries out for our attention.
Now come back with me to Phil. 2. Let’s read Phil. 2:4, "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." You will remember that when we look at this more literally, it is not a command. It reads, “Looking not each on his own things, but each also on the things of others.” This is part of the description of being likeminded, of thinking the same thing. We will come back to that theme later, but for now, let’s just consider this idea of not looking on our own things, but also on the things of others.
Of course, Paul does not mean that we are not to be concerned about our own responsibilities. We might read this verse casually and say, “Paul says we should not look on our own things. We should have no concern for anything in our own lives.” However, the inclusion of the word “also” in the second clause indicates that the looking on the things of others is in addition to looking on our own things. We must provide for ourselves and our families. Paul is not denying that. What Paul is saying is that we are not to be concerned only about our own interests, but also about the interests of others.
So now that we have introduced this idea, let’s ask four questions that will help us to understand more of what Paul is saying…
I. What Things?
The King James reads, “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” “Things” is a very literal translation. Most all other translations use the word “interests,” but the literal translation is “things.” It comes out at the same place, but perhaps Paul used the word “things” in order to make this as broad as possible. As we try to apply this passage, our first question is, “What things?” If I should be looking on the things of others, then what things? While Paul does not give us a direct answer, it seems clear that he means to speak of all those things that concern other people. If I consider it in my own life, then I should consider it in the lives of others.
Problems. Let’s start with problems. Do you look at your own problems? Of course, you do. To varying degrees, we all consider our own problems. And make no mistake about it, we all have problems, some bigger than others. While it is natural to be consumed with our own problems, there is a supernatural attitude that rises above the selfish outlook. We can consider the problems of others. We can give the same attention, and perhaps more attention, to the problems of others than to our own problems.
Needs. Again, we all have needs. Perhaps most of what we have is “perceived needs.” In other words, we think we need this and that. We must remember what David said: “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want” (Ps. 23:1). “O fear the Lord, ye his saints; for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; but they that seek the Lord shall not want (lack) any good thing” (Ps. 34:9-10). Nevertheless, there are both legitimate needs and perceived needs. All of us need to seek the Lord. All of us need His grace. That’s the point -- it is not just my need, but it is also the need of those around me. Am I as concerned about the need in your life as I am about the need in my life?
Responsibilities. If you are old enough to understand what I am saying, then you are old enough to have responsibilities. There are certain tasks that we are expected to do. Sometimes we can be overwhelmed when we look at our own responsibilities. But what about the responsibilities of those around us? Are we concerned about those responsibilities? Are we concerned that our brother or sister perform his/her responsibilities for the glory of God?
Service. I suppose that this is a part of our responsibilities, but think specifically about service. If you prefer to use the word “ministry,” that’s okay. God has given all His children fields of service. How are you serving the Lord through what He has given you? Are you concerned about that? But now let’s go beyond that; are you concerned about the service of your brothers and sisters? Do you long to see them bring glory to God through their service? If you do, how does that affect your actions and your prayer life?
Spiritual character. Are you concerned about becoming more like Christ, about being conformed to His image? Do you long to be described by the Beatitudes of Matthew 5? “Blessed are the poor in spirit… Blessed are they that mourn… Blessed are the meek… Blessed are that which do hunger and thirst after righteousness.” Surely that is a godly concern, but what about others? Do you long to see this formation of spiritual character in your brothers and sisters?
We could go on and on, but you get the point. You are concerned about it in your life, but are you also concerned about it in the lives of your brothers and sisters around you?
II. What Does Such an Attitude Look Like in Real Life?
I trust that you know exactly where we are going to find our answer to that question. We are going to the very next verse, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5). Again, we must look at our supreme example, and that example is Jesus. The same Paul who speaks about looking on the interest of others is the one who points us to Jesus. As we saw how Jesus regarded others as higher than Himself, now we must see how He looked not only on His own things, but also on the things of others.
I suppose there is not a chapter in the gospels that would not demonstrate this principle in the life of Jesus, but let’s just look in the Gospel of John. Consider Nicodemus in chapter 3. “There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. The same came to Jesus by night and said unto him, ‘Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God, for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him’” (John 3:1-2). Don’t miss the fact that Nicodemus was a leading Pharisee. Jesus knew that. He also was well aware that His greatest opposition would come from the Pharisees.
Now think about it. It was night. I imagine that Jesus was tired, as His days were generally quite busy. No doubt, He had plenty of things to think about. In other words, He had plenty of His own things to be concerned about. Jesus had not yet called His 12 apostles, which was a huge responsibility on His shoulders. Surely it wasn’t a time to ruffle any feathers with the religious establishment. Maybe He would just say to Nicodemus something like this: “God has been gracious to reveal to you that I am indeed a God-sent teacher, who has been gifted to do miracles. Keep on looking to me and you will see even more than you have seen.” But that’s not what He said. Jesus was looking on the things of Nicodemus, as well as His own things. Nicodemus has a great need, and what was that need? Jesus spoke of it plainly when He opened His mouth and said, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Bear in mind that Jesus was saying this to a man who was a religious and moral as anyone in the world. Couldn’t Jesus just leave well enough alone? No, because He looked on the needs of others, He told Nicodemus the truth. And it was not in vain, because we know the rest of the story; Nicodemus eventually became a follower of Jesus. Along with Joseph of Arimathea, he provided a decent burial for Jesus.
Now come to chapter 4. Jesus and His disciples were on their way from Judaea to Galilee (use the “forearm” map). Between Judaea and Galilee was Samaria, that region made up of halfbreeds. Normally, no good Jew would set foot in Samaria. But on this occasion, we read that Jesus “must go through Samaria.” It wasn’t because of geography, but it was a deeper compass that sent Jesus through that despised province. When they came to the town of Sychar, it was about noon. After walking all morning, Jesus was tired (4:6). His disciples went into town to get something to eat, while He rested by a well. I’m thinking, “Today I’ll get my nap before lunch instead of after.” No, that was not what was on Jesus’ mind. He was not looking on His own things, but on the things of others.
It was at that point that a woman came to the well to draw water. Jesus could have said, “Good morning” and left it at that. Most Jewish men wouldn’t even have done that. It is certain that the woman didn’t expect anything from Him. She would later reveal her knowledge that the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans (4:9). So what did Jesus do? He simply said to her, “Give me a drink.” Was it because He was thirsty? In all likelihood, He was thirsty, but that wasn’t the main reason for asking this woman the question. Jesus’ question was the beginning of an extended conversation that would end something like this: “I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ; when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he” (4:25-26). Not only did this woman believe on Jesus, but she influenced many from that village to believe on Him as well.
What about chapter 5? Jesus went up to Jerusalem and encountered a pool around which many people with serious illnesses were lying. Sometimes sick people mobbed Jesus in search of healing. That wasn’t the occasion this time. It was Jesus who took the initiative. Verse5-6, “And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?” Jesus could have just passed on by. After all, He had healed plenty of people. Judging from what happened as a result, we might be tempted to think that Jesus should have left this man alone. And don’t forget, it was the Sabbath. No one expected Jesus to heal on the Sabbath. No one. But we know what Jesus did. He said to the man, “Rise, take up thy bed, and walk” (verse 8). Jesus was not just looking on His own things, He was looking on the things of others.
That isn’t the end of the story. Healing that man on the Sabbath got Jesus in lots of trouble. Come down to verses 16-18, "And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. 17. But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. 18. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God." If Jesus had just let the man lie, He wouldn’t have encountered this intense opposition. But we must understand that Jesus didn’t perform this healing only for the lame man. Surely He was also looking out for the interests of the common people. He longed to set them free from the tyranny of the Jewish leaders, particularly the scribes and Pharisees. By healing on the Sabbath, He brought things to a head and proclaimed wonderful truths about Himself and His ministry (just read the rest of chapter 5).
Now to chapter 6. Chapter 6 begins with these words, “After these thing Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples” (6:1-3). No wonder He sat with His disciples. People were thronging Him in hopes of being healed. Now verses 4-6, “And the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh. When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him; for he himself knew what he would do.”
Think about this. Jesus must have been exhausted, as the crowds pursued Him. Nevertheless, when He saw the multitudes, He was concerned about how they were going to get something to eat. Simply put, He wasn’t thinking on His own things, but upon the things of others. But that isn’t the end of it. Notice that Jesus didn’t just set them down, produce an abundance of food, and feed them. He was also looking on the things of Philip. He saw in Philip a need for spiritual development, for a deeper trust in Him. So instead of just feeding the crowd, Jesus used this as an opportunity to teach Philip. “Philip, where are we going to buy food, so that all these people can eat?” Of course, Jesus knew exactly what He was going to do, but He said this for the benefit of Philip. Jesus was concerned about the crowds and He was concerned about an individual disciple named Philip.
Now to chapter 7. Verses 1-2, “After these things, Jesus walked in Galilee, for he would not walk in Judaea, because the Jews sought to kill him. Now the feast of tabernacles was at hand.” And where was the Feast of Tabernacles held every hear? At Jerusalem. And where was Jerusalem? It was in Judaea. Now in the interest of personal safety, Jesus could have excused Himself from attending the feast. How would you like to go to Albuquerque, if you knew there were people there who were waiting to kill you? Although He told His brothers that He wasn’t yet going up to the feast, we read in verse 9-10, “When he had said these words unto them, he abode still in Galilee. But when his brethren were gone up, then went he also up unto the fast, not openly, but as it were in secret.” If you didn’t read any further, you would get the idea that Jesus was going to the feast, but He was going to lay low and not let it be known. But then we come to verse 14, “Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught.” I assure you that within a few minutes, all of Jerusalem knew that Jesus was there, for He taught as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.
So why did He think it important to go to this feast? Jesus wasn’t thinking of His own interests, but the interests of others. There was a great drought in Jerusalem. It wasn’t a physical drought, but a spiritual drought. Jesus taught during the last half of the feast, but nothing was so dramatic as what He said at the very climax of the Feast of Tabernacles. Let’s come to verse 37 and read what Jesus said. Bear in mind that this was not only the last day of the feast, but it was the last feast of the year. This was the climax of the Jewish religious year. The procession on this day was to be a symbol of the great spiritual refreshment that came through the Jewish religion. But there was no life there. Those men who honored God with their lips but whose hearts were far from Him had sapped the life out of even this most joyous of feasts. In that context Jesus spoke: "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:37-38). John added his commentary in verse 39, “But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive; for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified.” Praise God that Jesus was not looking on His own things, but on the things of others. Otherwise, we would be robbed of those life-giving words.
We could go on and on, but you get the idea. Just pick up one of the four gospel accounts and read it with this question in mind: Was Jesus looking on His own things, are also on the things of others?
III. How Does Looking on the Things of Others Relate to Unity?
As we look at this question, let’s go back a little bit farther and review this whole idea of likemindedness in verses 2-4. We begin with the command in verse 2, “Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded.” Literally, “That you all think the same thing.” That is what Paul is urging the Philippians to do. This is to be the pattern in every local church. This is the way we guard the unity of the Spirit in bond of peace (Eph. 4:3).
After the command, we find four phrases which describe this likemindedness. I hope this is becoming so familiar to you that you could lay it out just as well as I. Even if you are almost becoming a bit bored with the repetition, that’s okay. It is important that we get this concept. Notice those four phrases from verses 2b-4…
… having the same love
… thinking the one thing
… regarding others higher than self
… looking on the things of others, not just your own things
Now let’s take a good look at how these four attitudes provide for unity, for likemindedness. We begin with “having the same love.” And what love is that? It is essentially captured in the command of Jesus in John 15:12, “This is my commandment, That ye love another, as I have loved you.” It isn’t enough to simply say we are to be loving one another; we are to love another as Jesus loved us. How did He love us? Ultimately, He gave His life for us. Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it (Eph. 5:25). Can you see how that kind of mutual unselfish love goes hand in hand with unity? It’s difficult to be crossways with a brother or sister who is laying down his or her life for you, isn’t it?
Then we move to that idea of thinking the one thing. The command is that we think the same thing, but one of the attitudes that leads to that is thinking the one thing. We are talking about the members of the body setting their minds in the same direction. They are dominated by the same general thought. Surely that thinking of the same thing is described by David in Ps. 27:4, "One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple." We also found this kind of thinking in the incident where Jesus was visiting in the home of Mary and Martha. Martha was all about preparing the meal and serving Jesus, and surely that was a noble thing. Nevertheless, Jesus gently corrected Martha for being so uptight about the outward arrangements and told her that one thing was needful. Mary had chosen that good part, which could not be taken away from her. We read simply that Mary sat at the feet of Jesus and heard His word (Luke 10:38-42). This was certainly the practice of Jesus, who said, “My meat is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34).
Surely we can see how that makes for unity. When we are all thinking the one thing, it is going to be natural for us to come together in our thinking. Though we may disagree on a number of things, we are absolutely together on the thing that dominates our minds. The more we are captivated by the one thing, the more we will find how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity (Ps. 133:1).
Last week we took a long look at what it means to regard others as higher than self. It is essentially to take the low place and become a servant of those around us. It is to see how fitting it is to serve others, regardless of where that other one is in life. Again, Jesus is our great example. He took the lowest place even before He entered this world. The Son of God, the Word made flesh, served those around Him. We looked specifically at His example when He washed the feet of His disciples. His ultimate act of service took place at the cross, where He placed Himself under the weight of our sins and became the propitiation for our sins.
Think about it. When I see myself as servant and truly understand in my heart that it is absolutely right that this other person be served by me, it is a huge boost to unity, to likemindedness. It is hard to be down on a brother who is washing your feet, who is giving himself to you in unselfish service. What would happen if this was the attitude of everyone in the church? Remember what Paul said in Gal. 5:13, "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another."
And then we come back to verse 4, “Looking not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” Surely it is not difficult to see how this attitude promotes unity. Perhaps we could say that this is the climax of Paul’s description. He began with love because of its great importance, and he ends with this attitude of selflessness. What would it be like, if you came together with your brothers and sisters on Sunday morning or Wednesday evening, knowing without a doubt that they had been praying for you throughout the week. Beyond that, a sister had called you during the week and asked how she might pray for you. A brother dropped by to see if there was anything he could do for you? This is the practical outworking of what it means to look not on your own things, but also on the things of others. If that were true of all us who gather together, do you think we might sense a deep unity and likemindedness among us?
IV. So What Is the Enemy of This Likemindedness?
Look carefully at verses 2-4. We have gone back over the positive things in these verses, but what about the negatives? What do we find? Verse 3, (literally) “Nothing through selfishness or vainglory (empty conceit).” Then as we have seen in verse 4, “Looking not every man on his own things…” Put those together and you have a simple picture of selfishness. The one who looks only at his own things, who is concerned only about his own interests, is the selfish person. Oh the vanity of trying to bring glory and honor to self. We will only embrace these four attitudes and act on them when there is “nothing through selfishness.” The selfishness that is rooted in pride is the arch enemy of this unity of which Paul speaks.
Please allow me to bear down on this. It doesn’t matter how closely we conform to the same doctrines, if we are selfish, we will not guard the unity of the Spirit. We can consciously try to think alike, but that will not overcome selfishness. All the gimmicks in the world will not enable selfish people to demonstrate this kind of unity. It is an absolute impossibility. We must hear those words “nothing through strife (selfishness)” and take them to heart.
Isn’t that the message of our Lord Jesus? What did He say when He called people to Himself? “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matt. 16:24). The first fundamental requirement is denial of self. Self has a right to look on its own things, but Jesus tells us to deny that self. But how can we do it? By taking up the cross. Not only was Jesus crucified on that cross, but we who belong to Him were crucified with Him.
Brothers and sisters, I bring you good news. While it is true that this unity will never be demonstrated by selfish people, God’s people are not selfish. Yes, we must confess that the flesh wars against the Spirit, but we have the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. As we fight to defeat selfishness, we are fighting from victory. The victory was won by our Lord through His death and resurrection. As we walk with Him, it will increasingly be “nothing through strife or vainglory.” On the positive side, we will increasingly love one another as Christ loved us, think the one thing, regard others as higher than self, and look on the things of others.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I remind you of the pivotal verse in this entire passage. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (2:5). Literally, “Think this, which also in Christ Jesus.” Can we think like Jesus? Indeed, we can. Remember that the Holy Spirit reveals in I Cor. 2:16 that we have the mind of Christ.
Brothers and sisters, let’s take Phil. 2:5 as a great encouragement. The enemy would like to twist it and hold it over our heads. “Look at you. You are supposed to think like Jesus. The truth is, you think more like I think. You will never be able to let His attitude be in you.” No, let’s hear the encouragement of our Lord. “Little one, come along with me and think like I think. If it weren’t possible, I wouldn’t have told you to do it. Step by step, little by little, keep on looking at me, abide in me, and it will be a reality. Remind yourself, ‘It is my privilege to share the attitude of my Lord.’”
Pray for this church.
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