Why stop trying to win?

This week, the House of Lords voted to decriminalise abortions, and many Christians responded online.

Whether politically “right” or “left,” we keep tying the Gospel to something visible—something we can point to as success.

But the reason we do that is a deeper more pervasive problem: a theology of glory.

Paul wrote Philippians to combat this instinct. In 1:15-17 he warns:

Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry,… out of selfish ambition

Self-seeking glory doesn’t just want to do well, it wants to do better, and to build a case for itself.

In 3:4-7 Paul shows how he had to repent of this very thing himself:

If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more… whatever gain I had

Ultimately, self-seeking glory is fixated on what can be seen, not on what God has promised. So, in 3:19, he says many:

glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things

Do you want to be successful? Do you want to prove yourself? Do you want to be worthy?

That’s why we blur church and state. That’s why we tie the Gospel to culture and politics. Because we want something we can point to that proves we’re ok—visible success.

In our passage, Paul gives his most powerful answer to that problem in the whole letter:

1) Stop trying to be your own saviour
2) Because Jesus has already saved you

First, Stop trying to be your own saviour

Look at what Paul is correcting. Vv. 3-4:

³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Many of us have joined the church only recently, and already Satan has been attacking us with the temptation to signal success.

My whole time at this church, I’ve felt this temptation.

People accuse you of something—so you want to prove that you’re right.

People accuse you of weakness: being ineffective, or bad at something, or poor, or not having spiritual power—so you want to prove that you’re a winner.

Some of you here have felt the sting of friends, family, people you’ve been close to for years, suddenly get cold, or angry or frustrated because you’re now being clear and consistent about the Gospel.

I’ve felt that too. It comes at you directly, but also in gossip, slander, deception, and soft and hard forms of bullying.

The Philippians felt that, which is one reason they weren’t united.

And Paul felt that—people sniping at him even while he was in prison.

And when that happens, Paul, the Philippians, you and me all feel the same natural desire: to shore ourselves up, secure our position, find reasons to ground our confidence.

It’s that inner insecurity—that all of us feel on some level—that drives people to do what Paul tells us not to in these verses:

Don’t act from selfish ambition—to secure yourself at the expense of others.

or conceit—”empty glory” being lifted up or vindicated in the eyes of others.

We fall into these behaviours for good reasons in understandable circumstances.

Paul gets that. He felt it. And God gets that, that’s why he wrote about it.

But, even though it’s understandable: Stop trying to be your own saviour

Because that’s what it is. When we prove our point. Explain to be understood. Justify our actions. Or in any way try to build our personal brand, we are trying to do Jesus’ job for him.

Jesus is the one who justified you. So, to try and justify yourself is a denial of what he’s done.

“If there is any encouragement in Christ” Paul says in v. 1: In other words—if Christ vindicating you means anything …then why would you vindicate yourself?

But Paul doesn’t end there, he now goes on in our passage to say:

2) Because Jesus has already saved you

Just look at v. 5

⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

The biggest misunderstanding people have of this passage is that Paul is giving us Jesus as an example.

And—to be totally honest—for years, decades even, that’s how I’ve been teaching it.

But knowing Law and Gospel is a big hint for us that if we just read this as an example, we’ve probably got something wrong—because the mere example of Jesus can only ever be just Law.

And if you look very carefully at what Paul actually says, you see that Law/Gospel warning is exactly right in this case.

Paul doesn’t say “Have this mind among yourselves, which is perfectly exemplified in Christ Jesus.”

He says “Have this mind among yourselves, which IS YOURS in Christ Jesus.”

This mind is ALREADY yours because everything he’s about to say was done for you. V. 6:

 ⁶ though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

Jesus is always God, but let go of the status and trappings of God. Because in him, this is yours—he did this to remove your need to prove your status.

V. 7: ⁷ but emptied himself,

During his state of humiliation, Jesus was still God, but he gave up the power and glory of being God, he didn’t use his godhood fully and frequently, didn’t fall back on his power.

by taking the form of a servant,

He didn’t even LOOK like God. He was humiliated, like the suffering servant of Isaiah 53.

In Isaiah 6, the prophet cannot look at God because he burns with such glory.

But in 53:2 the prophet says:

he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,

Now the prophet can’t look at him, because of the depths of shame Jesus took on himself.

Whatever shame you feel, however you’ve been slandered and mistreated by others, you don’t need to shake it off for yourself, because Jesus deliberately took it on himself for you. Vv. 7-8:

being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form,

Jesus doesn’t just know WHAT it’s like to live in your shoes, he walked in your weakness precisely so that you don’t have to stay in it.

He completely and full identified with you. Was baptised so he could be united with you. And you were baptised to be united with him.

Paul continues:

he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

The accusations. The shunning. The bullying. The putting you down. The people pointing out your flaws, amplifying them.

Jesus took these things. Wore them. Fulfilled the Law with them. And died with them.

You no longer need to defend yourself, because there is nothing to defend.

That’s what it means to be in Christ. So what if some people around you didn’t get the memo.

That’s their problem,: Let them take their accusations to the grave—because it’s in the grave Jesus dealt with them.

And on the last day, if anyone tries to put their hand up and say:
—”Err, hang on, I have a problem with her.”
—”I’m not so happy about him.”
—”So and so did this, and it’s not been dealt with.”

Then Jesus will shut it down immediately:

“Silence! I died with that! Do you know how much blood I sweat to deal with that issue? Don’t you know I pinned that to my own hand so that nobody could raise this with them again?”

That’s what it means to be “in Christ”. Do you understand? It means HE’S ARGUING YOUR CASE.

And more than that, v. 9:

 ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,

And Jesus says: I’m bringing you, and you and you and you with me.

You are MINE now, and v.10:

 ¹⁰ at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus doesn’t just have the spotlight… …because you’re IN Christ… he has the shared light.

“Come up here! Sit with me!” He says, “Look at what I’ve accomplished… for US.”

Do you get it? Paul doesn’t say in Philippians 2: “Have this mind, which is exemplified in Christ: humble yourself, and God will reward you later.”

He says: “Have this mind, which IS YOURS in Christ: he humbled himself—and you’re in him, and God has rewarded him—and you’re in him.”

You have been vindicated already. That was declared on the cross 2,000 years ago. Done. Finished. Legally certain.

Since becoming a Lutheran, I’ve been surprised by how many Christians struggle to see how awesome this is:

Because God’s not waiting for you to do something to justify you. And we’re not waiting for God to look at your life and make a final decision to justify you.

No… the case has already been settled. We’re just waiting for everyone in the world to SEE IT.

This is what it means that God is in a good mood with you. You see that when you look at Jesus.

And one day—people won’t be able to take their eyes off him.

One day, every knee [will] bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

One day, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

They’ll look at Jesus and say: “Wow! Doesn’t he look amazing? And her. And you. And them” Why? Because we are IN HIM.

Have this mind among yourselves, which… is… yours… in… Christ Jesus,

Jesus has already saved you

You don’t need to push yourself forward.
You don’t need to win.
You don’t need to vindicate yourself.
You don’t need to prove you’re right.
You don’t need to be Jesus for yourself… because Jesus as been Jesus for you.

Why stop trying to win?

Well, 1) Stop trying to be your own saviour
2) Because Jesus has already saved you

We don’t need to win a culture war.
We don’t need to win a political battle.
We don’t need to grow faster than another church, or show people that we’re right, or defend ourselves from all the mud slinging that has and will inevitably come.

Jesus came down for you. And he went up for you. The verdict is in. We’re all just waiting for it to be made visible.

So therefore, as Paul goes on to say immediately after, you are free to:

work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

To enjoy serving others, living your life, telling people about Jesus. Not because you need to get anything. Purely because from your place of confidence you have everything to give.