“United with Christ to Serve”
Text: Philippians 2:1-18
10-1-2023
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen. Over the ages, mankind has discovered that when we want to accomplish something really great, we must unite. It’s true in government. That’s why our country is called the United States of America. 50 states with diverse populations have united around the same goal, and that goal is to live in freedom. Sometimes we have agreed unanimously on how to achieve that goal. That’s when our country is strongest and it its best. But when there is disunity among the states, that’s when we are at our weakest. Disunity almost destroyed us as a nation during the Civil War. We were not very united at that time. That’s because the northern and southern states disagreed on how to achieve our goal as a country. It took a long and bloody war to make us realize that we needed each other if we were going to survive. We had to set aside selfish interests and focus on being one, united country.
This need for unity can also be found in business. For example, what if all the workers at a Ford manufacturing plant decided to “do their own thing.” If the engineers didn’t all agree on the design of a car or if the assembly line workers didn’t agree on how to put it together, can you imagine the messed-up vehicle they’d produce? Some of you staunch Chevy fans think that’s exactly what happens over at the Ford plant. Seriously, though, they must be united in their goal to produce a quality vehicle, otherwise, they’d go out of business.
This need and desire for unity is essential in the Christian Church. When we are united, we are at our best. When we’re united, we can accomplish amazing things. But when there is disunity, then even the Church is weakened or on the road to self-destruction. In our Epistle Lesson, St Paul speaks about this whole issue of unity within the Church. And he explains what causes us to be disunited while telling us how we can be truly and totally united. He also tells us the glorious results of our unity.
In verse 3, Paul mentions only two negatives which lead to disunity. They are: selfish ambition and conceit. Wow! Only two? That must mean they’ll be easy to overcome, right? Not so fast. In verse 2 he names the positive things when lead to unity, implying that the opposites are what cause disunity. When Paul says God’s people should ”Do nothing from selfish ambition,” that’s simply the direct opposite of what he says when he urges them to be “of the same mind.” Selfish ambition is only focused on an individual’s goals and not the common goals of the group. Selfish ambition asks, “What’s best for me?” rather than, “What’s best for us?” That blends right into “conceit” which is really nothing more than being in love with yourself. He says we ought to have the “same love.” But if each individual is in love with him or herself, then we won’t have the same love. Conceit prevents us from looking out for the interests of others. Instead, conceit is only interested in pleasing the one person that we’re madly in love with: ourselves.
The thing to notice is that selfish ambition and conceit are very destructive to unity. Think about it in terms of a marriage. Marriage is supposed to be one of the greatest examples of unity. Two unique individuals come together and united by love. When marriage works the way that God intended it, these two people become one in every way. They work toward the same goals, whether it’s raising a family or buying a house. They have the “same mind.” After spending years together, married couples think so much alike that they can finish each other’s sentences. They are clearly united. But when sin enters the picture, disunity erupts. Selfish ambition and conceit can destroy a marriage union. Suddenly the paycheck becomes “my” money instead of “ours.” Sometimes a spouse arrogantly thinks, “I’m too good for him” or “I deserve someone better than her.” Love, tenderness, and compassion go right out the window, and are replaced by anger, selfishness, and conceit.
It can destroy a marriage and it can also destroy a Church. These sinful attitudes interfere with us being united as a body of believers. We end up not sharing the same goals and that, in turn, causes divisions and disunity. But that’s not how it’s supposed to be. Of all the groups of people in the world, the Christian Church should be the most united. The good news is that there’s a way we can be united. Sadly though, some believers misunderstand what Paul says about unity in the Body of Christ. When he says we are to be “of one mind” some Christians think that means we must have unity at all costs; even at the expense of doctrinal purity.
Now what do I mean by that? Well, you don’t have to look far today to find church bodies that are watering down or compromising their doctrine for the sake of unity. Pastor calls this the “Rodney Kind Syndrome.” You remember him, don’t you? He was at the epicenter of a police brutality case out in Los Angeles during the early 1990’s. Riots erupted and he went on TV pleading, “Can’t we all just get along?” That’s a beautiful sentiment, but it ignored the fact that there was hatred and anger boiling over into the streets that had been simmering for a long time. Gathering together for a big group hug wouldn’t erase all the bad attitudes on both sides of the issue. People needed to sit down and honestly discuss the problems that led to the ugly violence. They needed to express themselves in a reasonable way, rather than pretend that the differences didn’t exist.
Some people in the Christian Church act the same way. They want us to pretend that there is nothing which separates us denominationally. Look, Christian unity is a great goal, but not if we have to sacrifice God’s truth to achieve it. Martin Luther was asked to compromise his faith for the sake of unity within the Roman Catholic Church. He boldly responded that unless it could be shown to him in Scripture that he was wrong, then he could not compromise a single word of what he had said. He was not driven by selfish ambition or conceit. No, he said he was held captive by the uncompromising truth of God’s Word.
You see, human efforts to create unity within the Christian Church are destined for failure. Paul didn’t ignore that fact. He encourages us to be “of the same mind.” Christians are to be conformed to one way of thinking. Not Paul’s way, or Peter’s way, or any other apostle’s way of thinking. Rather, he says we are to have the same mindset as Christ. We are to be united in the way we think because our minds are focused solely on Jeus. And if our minds are focused on following and obeying Him, then we will indeed share in the same love, which is the love of Christ. And because of all this, we will then be one in spirit and purpose. When we have the mind of Christ directing our thoughts, we will be able to experience true unity in the Church. Because you see, Jesus didn’t have an ounce of selfish ambition or conceit in His body. Instead, Paul reminds us that Christ was willing to put our interests before His own. He was willing to set aside His glory as the King of the Universe and become a humble servant on our behalf. Jesus obediently sacrificed Himself on the cross so that we could be set free from sin and death. In our Baptisms, we were united with Christ. In that blessed Sacrament we have been given the same attitude as Him. And that is what now unites us as the Christian Church. It unites us with each other here on earth and it also unites us with all the believers who have died in the true faith. It’s that unity that we celebrate here in worship. It’s that unity that we celebrate in Holy Communion. We are united together as we share in His real presence in His body and blood.
When we are united like this, having the same mind as Christ, then we can do great things for God here on earth. And there is a great benefit to our being united as a body of believers. Our unity offers us much more than just the lack of conflict and strife. Paul tells us that being united with Christ we receive encouragement, comfort, participation in the Spirit, affection, sympathy, and most of all, joy! We live in a world today that lacks all of those things. But as Christians, we have them all. It’s what makes us different and unique in our fallen world. It’s what drives out all of our divisive, selfish ambitions and conceit. It’s what unities us so that we can all go out and serve the Lord together. May God continue to bless us with that loving and unselfish attitude of Jesus Christ, for His glory and for our good. Amen.