Philippians 2:3-4 - The Right Means for Spiritual Unity

Todaywe are looking at Philippians 2, and we are going on to verses 3 and 4. But letus remember, in verses 1 and 2, as we talked about the spiritual motives andthe marks for spiritual unity, that these things will give us a heart ofsubmission. The submissive mind is a secret to Christian joy in our lives. Ofcourse, chapter 1, the single mind, lays the foundation for that. If our singlemind is focused on Jesus Christ and the gospel, and on sharing that good newsunder whatever circumstances we are in, what a difference it will make.  Nowin verses 3 and 4, Paul goes on to say, “Let nothing be done through selfishambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others betterthan himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but alsofor the interests of others.” Paulhere begins with the negative: “Let nothing be done through selfish ambitionor conceit.” Sometimes we have to deal with the negative before we can puton the positive. That is why most of the Ten Commandments are “thou shaltnot.” It sounds kind of negative, but then it gives us the opportunity tounderstand that only by God’s grace can we do the positive—to love God with allour heart, live for Him, and let nothing come between us and Him. First,Paul deals with negative of selfish ambition—he says, “Let nothing be donethrough selfish ambition.” Selfish ambition is that drive thatpromotes ourselves at the expense of others. It is putting personal gain aboveeverything else. That is something we sometimes see in churches. I could noteven begin to tell you how many times I have dealt with people who come andsay, “I deserve that position. I deserve to be the one giving that speech. I amthe one who deserves it.” It is simply trying to put themselves out in front,and it causes difficult situations every time. Nexthe adds, “nothing through selfish ambition or conceit.” Conceitliterally means “empty glory.” It is an inflated view of ourselves. It says,“My opinion matters most. My way should prevail.” My friend, how many timeshave we seen this in business meetings? We have seen it in situations in thechurch between people. It is so sad when you hear somebody promoting themselveswith empty conceit. They believe they deserve it. They feel entitled. Bothof these things—selfish ambition and conceit, which Paul says should nevermotivate us—are rooted in pride. Pride is always destructive. Proverbs 13:10says, “Only by pride comes contention.” At the root of all contention,strife, and division in a church, my friend, is not merely a matter ofpreferences or the way we do or do not do things. It is a matter of pride. “Iwant my way. I am going to have it my way, and I am going to make sureeverybody knows what I want.” “I have a right to express my opinion.” Myfriend, that causes many divisions. It divides families. It divides churches.It divides ministries. Paul saw it in Rome, and now he warns against it inPhilippi. Even strong, healthy churches are vulnerable when pride enters in. Wehave seen it happen with pastors. They start out with a spirit of humility,like King Saul did. Then, before long, God blesses their ministry, and theybegin thinking more highly of themselves than they should. The next thing youknow, they are full of pride and determined to be in control. It is all theirway or no way, and they refuse to listen to others. I have seen that happen.You have heard about it in Christianperiodicals and circles. Butmy friend, that is not God’s way. That is why Paul goes on to say, “Letnothing be done” through these things.  Let nothing be done through selfish ambitionor conceit. That means not some things, not most things, but nothing. May wethink about that as we examine our own hearts concerning conceit, pride, andselfish ambition. Do we have that kind of heart? If we do, let us ask God tocleanse us and forgive us, and let us have the mind of Christ—a mind ofhumility.