Sermon: "Sharing Christ's Attitude"

Third in the "Philippians" series.
Delivered July 2, 2006 by Rev. George Antonakos.
Other sermons in this series - 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9

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Brothers and sisters, the word of the Lord given to us by the Apostle Paul:

"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness or compassion, then make my joy complete. Be of the same mind, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but instead in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be exploited, but made himself nothing, emptied himself taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of 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 bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Thank you Kathy for reading that text for us; that's today scripture text that we are going to be talking about. You might be interested to know that the text that Kathy just read is probably the foundational scripture for every creed that was ever developed; Apostle's creed, Nicene creed and most of it probably came from that text, which contains an early Christian hymn and it is found in Philippians, chapter 2, verses 1 to 11. I would invite you to turn to that part of the pew Bible on page 831 and look along with us as we go through this.

If I share this name with you and nobody in either of the other two services raised their hand when I asked if anybody ever heard this name. So let's see if we have a trifecta or not. Francis Gajowniczek. Now, these guys have heard it because they were in the early service, right? But anybody who is here for the first time Francis Gajowniczek, anybody? Okay, I didn't think so. Oh yeah? Gajowniczek, no. If he were alive today, let's see he would be 104. He was 93 when he died back in 1995. He was a survivor of the Auschwitz prison camp, death camp, which some people have referred to as the midnight hour of evil. It's amazing that anyone survived that camp, but in particular him because he was in a group of ten that were slated for execution. Someone in his unit or cell block or whatever escaped and the Nazi rule was if any prisoner escaped or even tried to escape that ten other prisoners would be put to death and he was one of those ten. But he did not die in Auschwitz. He survived and the reason why was because when he heard that he was going to be executed he just involuntarily exclaimed, "My poor wife and children. I will never see them again!"

And at that point prisoner #16607 also known as Father Maximilian Kolb stepped forward, whispered something into a guard's ear and took Francis' place among the ten. The reason given for his heroic act again was because he didn't have a family, but Francis did. But the real reason is that in his heart throughout the love of God to such an overflowing capacity that he could offer himself and lower himself to that extent on behalf of another. The eyewitness testimony of Father Kolb's calm love in the midst of the ugliest brutality was given; eyewitness accounts because in 1982 Pope John Paul II canonized Father Kolb for his martyrdom of charity and many eyewitness accounts have to be given you know to substantiate that this person is worthy of such a thing and one eyewitness account said that he was a powerful; that his whole presence, his whole demeanor all the way through the camp was a powerful shaft of light in the ugly darkness of death. I wonder what effect that incredible sacrifice had on Francis for the rest of his life? I mean put yourself in his shoes. How would that affect you in your relationships? I am sure that it instilled certain values in his heart. I can only guess that he related to people more lovingly and more sacrificially.

Well the Apostle Paul in this text to the Philippians, he's writing this text and writing this letter for many reasons, but one of the reasons that he is writing is because he discovered in this church that is usually very loving, there was a lot of disunity going on. If you look at the first four verses of the text you can see that very clearly. There was a need for more likemindedness. There was a need for the same love to set aside selfish ambition to consider the interest of others as more important than your own. And in the midst of this, Paul was trying to gently encourage them to take on the attitude of Jesus. He gives them the supreme example of a person who didn't grab, but gave and let go and gave all of himself. Perhaps when Francis Gajowniczek did finally get reunited with his wife and children and maybe years down the road if he ever caught them fighting, I wonder if he would have pulled out the story of his experience. You know, I wonder if he ever had a day where he grabbed for his own rights ever again. I can't imagine that. I don't know his history after that.

But the Apostle Paul points to this ultimate sacrifice of Jesus and seeks to inspire a new attitude among the Philippians. He called them to share Jesus' attitude of humble self-sacrifice. In Philippians 2:5 it says your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus. If you look at that on the surface it's almost like he is pointing to one person and says, your attitude. But what he really needs to say is the attitude among us all, the way we behave and the pattern of interaction among us all ought to be in this way of the same attitude of Jesus the Lord. The attitude that was typified in his becoming human and lowering himself, but not only becoming human, but going to a cross on our behalf. You see our fallen humanist says, defend yourself. Grab for your rights. Go for what's yours. Grasp; don't let other's push you around. You have a right to blank and you fill in the blank of whatever. Now while like nobody likes to be pushed around and nobody likes to lose out or likes to be cheated, Paul was saying that the true expression of Christian humility and love is based on Jesus' own humility and love. It's not about just following his example. It's about being connected to him in a way that allows his grace and love to allow us to lower ourselves.

The message today is just that - that the Lord humbled himself so we are to humble ourselves. Now three quick points. Three basic points. What is humility? Where does it come from? And how can we demonstrate it? What is it? Where does it come from? How can we demonstrate it? First, what is it? In Philippians 2:5-11 Paul says so many powerful things, incredible statements about the Lord's action, but he basically summarizes these thoughts in three words. Speaking of Jesus, he humbled himself. He humbled himself. Now that refers again to becoming human and going to the cross, but what is humility? What did he actually do? One time I preached a sermon about pride in which I shared that the use of the word for pride in the New Testament was also used to describe smoke coming up from a campfire. So that the idea of pride was that a person was trying to ascend to a place that was above where they should be. So the opposite of humility would obviously then mean that we are to lower ourselves to a certain level, which we probably are unaccustomed to.

The Greek word, in Verse 8 of Chapter 2 for he humbled himself is used elsewhere to actually describe the leveling of a mountain. Now I want you to think about that for a minute. What would it take to level a mountain? We used to live in Central Pennsylvania. We lived for 12 years in a little town called North Umberland and so we often traveled back and forth from Baltimore to North Umberland. And above Harrisburg on Routes 11 and 15 you have to go through some mountainous terrain and during the course of those 12 years we saw two lane highways turn into four lane highways because they had to actually bore through or take out some mountain in order to do it. It is a fascinating thing to watch. There is a huge drill that actually comes down and actually chips away chunks of the mountain and when you drive there even today, if you look at certain spaces you can see the lines of that drill and the big dump trucks come and the big chunks you know, they put them in a truck and away they go. It takes months and months, but they finally make enough space to build a couple more lanes. Well when that happened, that mountain is not humbled. It's just inconvenience. Okay? That mountain is still pretty much there, right? That is not what Paul is talking about when he says that Jesus humbled himself.

I have learned from my reading and I have just checked this out with one of my friends of Asian decent between services that this is correct. I am really glad because I hate to say stuff that gets challenged later and is out of ignorance. But anyway, in Asian cultures people bow to one another. We don't do that as Americans. We don't bow to anybody you know? We are just proud folks, but in Asian cultures people bow and I have learned that some of that bowing can communicate different things. Sometimes the bowing and the bending can communicate agreement. Sometimes it can communicate disagreement. Sometimes it can even communicate challenge. But as humble looking as that all is, it's not what Paul is talking about. It's much more.

Warren Buffett, maybe some of you heard in the news this past week, gave away - do you guys remember the number, the number of how much he gave away? $31 billion dollars? Somebody calculated the numbers and if you added today's dollars it was four times more than Rockefeller ever gave to anything, okay? $31 billion dollars. Now I am not sure, but I am pretty sure, but I think Warren still has a little left. What do you think? As great and unbelievable and generous as that was, I think he might have a few dollars in his pocket still. What Paul is talking about what Jesus did, did not just gave some, not just bow to a certain level, not just inconvenience, in Verse 7 it says that he made himself nothing. He made himself nothing. That simply means that he emptied himself, he leveled himself, he divested himself of all of his privileges as God. And Paul used this word humility in the Corinthian letter when he said; "I fear that when I come against you my God may humiliate me before you." Now Jesus just didn't fear he would be humiliated, he was humiliated. So when the Scripture says humble yourself under the might hand of God, it doesn't mean just bowing our heads or kneeling or anything as good as though things are, it means leveling yourself; truly taking the lowest place willingly before it occurs unwillingly.

James Dobson says that he keeps a photograph in his files to remind him of the importance of remaining humble and humbling himself. It's a picture of an eloquently dressed woman. She's got a cup of tea in her hand. Her pinkie properly held out. Her nose slightly elevated revealing complete self-assurance. Unfortunately, this woman has failed to realize that her slip has collapsed around her feet. And the caption of the picture says, "Confidence is what you have before you understand the situation." Now you could easily take the word pride and put it in there and say, pride is what you have before you understand the situation; before you understand how much God lowered himself, pride is what you have. When you understand it, you can't have it as much. Humility is a willing, self-lowering, self-emptying action of heart and mind. It is discovered and seen on the threshold of salvation and repentance, because no one other than those who have been brought love can say I need you Lord. I am a sinner. I am completely unable to save myself or to make myself right with you. I need you to help me. Only a humble person could be able to say that. No one without humility would say, "Lord Jesus please forgive me. Lift me up from the depth to which I have sunk." That is why the Psalmist said a long time ago, God leads the humble in what is right. He teaches the humble his way. Now that is what it is.

Where did it come from? It's hard not to get too theological. You've got to bear with me. You've got to look at Verses 6 and 7 a little bit more, but it says, although he was in the form of God, being found in the form of God; actually the footnote in the Bible out there in the pew it says being in the very nature of God, but if you look at the footnote it says in the form of God, Jesus in his pre-human state, his pre-incarnate state was fully in the image and glory of God. He possessed from before the worlds were, from before time ever was the unchanging nature of God. And even though he was in this form, he didn't count equality with God something to be grabbed on to or exploited for his own benefit so to speak. We are talking about things that are too mysterious. It's hard to even put in to language, but his position, his right would have allowed him to exploit or seize the position that he shared in the God-head. Now some commentators see a parallel with Adam who was created in the form, okay? The God took the earth and formed it into humans and so Adam who was made a little lower than the angels and was given dominion over creation instead of keeping his hands open, he grabbed. He grabbed for something that he should not have. And sometimes commentators see a connection between the first Adam and the second Adam that Jesus instead of grabbing let go, he let go of what was rightfully his.

But listen; when Jesus did this he did not let go of his divinity. He did not empty himself of his divinity. That is the mystery of the human divine Jesus. He rather expressed, listen carefully, the essence of divinity. He expressed the essence of divinity. It's like God laid down something about his Godness for you and for me. It's hard to get our head around that. Jesus' extreme humiliation revealed the true heart of God and so humility, the kind of humility that (should be Father Kolb) Francis Gajowniczek expressed, the kind of humility that many mothers have expressed, the kind of humility and giving that Jesus expressed comes from the heart of God. This is why the scripture says that God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. It's not like God says, okay today I am going to like humble people better than proud people. No. It's that God's very nature is self-lowering and so when he comes up against a proud spirit, God is opposed to that proud spirit, but gives grace, gives of himself to those who lower themselves and consider the rights of others. How else can you explain Father Kolb? How else can you explain someone who has boards and trees strapped on his back and is kicked in the face and kicked in the head and still he smiles at his captor. Only the grace of God can do that.

There is a wonderful children's story; many of you know, but it's more than a children story. It's a staggering illustration of self-giving love and it's called "The Giving Tree." For those who are not familiar, let me familiarize you with it. It's a fanciful piece about a tree who loved a boy. They played hide and seek in his younger years. He swung from her branches and climbed all of her, ate her apples and slept in her shade. Such happy carefree days. The tree loved those years of the boy's childhood. But the boy grew and spent less time with the tree. On one occasion the young man returned. "Come on, let's play" invited the tree, but the lad was only interested in money. "Take my apples and sell them," said the tree. He did and the tree was happy. He didn't return for a long time, but the tree smiled when he passed by one day, "Come play my friend. Come play." But the boy now full grown wanted to build a house for himself. "Well then cut off my branches and build your house she offered." He did and once again the tree was happy. Years dragged by and the tree missed the boy. Suddenly she saw him in the distance. "Come on, let's play!" But the man was older and tired of his world and he wanted to get away from it all. "Cut me down and take my large trunk and make yourself a boat and then you can sail away," said the tree and that is exactly what he did and the tree was happy. Many seasons passed; summers and winters, windy days and lonely nights and the tree waited. Finally the old man returned. Too old and too tired to play, to pursue riches, to build houses or to sail the seas. "I have a pretty good stump left my friend. Why don't you just sit down here and rest." He did and the tree was happy.

I went online and Googled on "The Giving Tree" and one site of about 70 million or whatever, which I couldn't believe came up with a Catholic magazine called "First Things" and there was an article that invited 12 people to give their reflections on the story of The Giving Tree which I just basically shared with you. The reflections went from everything labeling as a co-dependent story that they would never read to their children or grandchildren to a parable of sacrificial love that grows with us across the ages. And it shouldn't surprise us that these reactions come because many people look at another tree; another piece of wood and they don't understand exactly what it is all about. There is a line from a hymn in the blue hymn book there and it's one that we sing at the traditional service and it's called "The Gift of Finest Wheat" and there is a line in it that touches me so deeply. It says "the mystery of your presence Lord, no mortal tongue can tell, whom all the world cannot contain, comes in our hearts to dwell." Think of this; that God's spirit, that the Holy God would take up residence as another hymn writer said in the vilest offender who truly believes that the very God, a very God would actually have union with the vilelist offender who truly believes, isn't that the humbling self lowering of God every time somebody says, "Jesus help me." God humbling, giving himself again to us. He will actually come in and dwell us and live through us and give us his grace. That is where it comes from. It comes from the heart of God. How can we demonstrate and share Christ's attitude? By offering ourselves to God and to others as well.

Let me ask you a question. When you heard "The Giving Tree" story, did you relate more with the tree or with the boy? I bet if we are all honest we can say, you know there are parts of me that really are like that boy when it comes to God. And hopefully there are parts of each of us that are like that tree. You know what would be a great exercise sometime this summer? Find a tree. Sit under it, right? Take out a piece of paper and write down all of the people who have been like the giving tree in your life and just thank God for them. That's a great exercise in gratitude. But this is a call to deeper understanding of the needs of others; a call to give up our rights as an act of obedience, not grasping, but letting go. Have you ever noticed in your life and your family how some weeks are more harmonious than other weeks? Have you ever noticed that there are some weeks that there is a positive side of the ledger and a negative side of the ledger? You know what usually separates that among our families and in our homes? Is that it's usually about who does what when. Who gets to do what with their time? Who gets their need met? Or who doesn't get their need met?

I can tell you that this past week has been a little challenging in our family because I wasn't listening to my own sermon. I was really struggling. I was preparing this sermon and wrestling and we were on the negative side of the ledger. Thankfully by God's grace everybody lowered themselves and humbled themselves and off we go and we are doing well. And if you all are anything like us, hey you have rough times because somebody may be asserting their rights or somebody is not thinking of the right person at the right time in their family. That's what it is about. It is about an act of obedience, a letting go and I am not saying that someone should remain in a harmful, abusive relationship, I am not saying that all. I don't think this text is talking about that at all. The end of this passage is very clear. The way up is down. Jesus was highly exalted and his name was placed above every name because he lowered himself. So as we in humility consider others better than ourselves, there are scales; there is other's scale and there is a self-scale. As we let the scale tip in the favor of others we grow. When we say to no to ourselves, we will be saying yes to the greater person that God wants to make of us when we let go of grabbing for our right.

Jesus wasn't becoming a passive nothing. He was laying down his life actively. How do we do it? We can't. We can only do it in union with him. Now I want to end this sermon with a movie clip and I have to set this clip up in order for you to understand it. It's at the end of the movie "Saving Private Ryan", very appropriate for a July 4th weekend in a way. But it's a tough movie to watch. I mean I remember when I saw this in the movies and there was parts of it that I just couldn't even stand. What you need to understand if you have not seen the movie or if you need to be reminded is that Tom Hanks' character, which you don't see a lot of in this clip, his name was Captain John Miller and he was the leader of a platoon that was sent to save Private Ryan. Private Ryan's two or three other brothers were already killed in the war and this story was about this platoon braving all kinds of difficulties to go find this guy and make sure that he got home so his mother would not lose a third or fourth son in WWII. Captain John Miller and in his platoon are facing at the end of the movie this German attack on this town, this French town and they have to blow up this bridge and they are trying to blow it up and then they get air support and all of this, but a part that you won't see is when Captain John Miller in his dying moments whispers in Private Ryan's ear, played by Matt Damon, he whispers in his ear, "Earn this." "Earn it". Now when you watch the film don't get theologically hung up in all of that and in the dialogue that you will see. But I want you to see is the mindset, the attitude, the demeanor of a person who knows that somebody paid the ultimate sacrifice so that they too might live. Let's watch:

Video clip: (narrator reading) "... share with you some words which have sustained me through long, dark nights, peril, loss and heartache and I quote, "I pray that our heavenly father may have assauged the anguish of your bereavement and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice on the alter of freedom;" Abraham Lincoln, yours very sincerely, respectfully. George C. Marshall, General, Chief of Staff."

(An older Mr. Ryan speaking at John Miller's grave)
"My family is with me today, they wanted to come with me. To be honest with you I wasn't sure how I would feel coming back here. Every day I think about what you said to me that day on the bridge and I've tried to live my life the best I could. I hope that was enough. I hope that at least in your eyes I earned what all of you have done for me."

(speaking now to his wife) "Captain John H. Miller."
"Tell me I have lived a good life."
"What?"
"Tell me I am a good man."
"You are."

Lord, we thank you that you have given beyond our imagining so that we might have life. We pray that as we gather around this table that we once again would enter into the love and life that you have provided by the Holy Spirit, so that we might be able to look to the cross and be grateful and that it would work itself into our lives everyday. By your grace, O Lord help us to lower ourselves so that others might be lifted up and come to understand your grace as well. In Jesus' name. Amen.

© 2006, Rev. George Antonakos
Central Presbyterian Church, Baltimore, MD 21204 410/823-6145
www.centralpc.org