Division. Drama. Cancel culture. Self-promotion. Sound like your social media feed… or your family group chat?
There is only one antidote that has ever healed broken relationships and fractured churches for 2,000 years: the mind of Christ.
In Philippians 2:1–11, Paul begs the church to be unified, then immediately drops one of the most magnificent passages in all of Scripture — an early Christian hymn about Jesus’ voluntary descent from heaven to the cross. Jesus, who had every right to demand worship, chose the path of a servant instead. And because He did, God exalted Him to the highest place.
Here is exactly how Pastor Andrew unpacked this text — and how to let “this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” so division dissolves and true greatness emerges.
The Problem: Our Endless Craving for “More”
Pastor Andrew began with a raw confession from his own parenting: Kids at the park or with Play-Doh never stop — “Daddy, make a snake… now a bigger snake… now a nake!” (that’s toddler for “snake” again). It never ends. And we adults aren’t much different. We crave more money, more likes, more status, more control, more comfort. We are never satisfied.
Buddhism calls this tanha — craving — and says the solution is to eliminate desire. The Bible says desire is God-given, but it’s misdirected. We were made to crave infinitely — only God is big enough to satisfy.
Jim Carrey famously said after achieving fame and fortune: “I wish everyone could get rich and famous… so they could see it’s not the answer.”
Jesus offers living water so we never thirst again (John 4).
The Plea for Unity (vv. 1–4)
Paul lists four gifts every believer has already received:
- Encouragement from being united with Christ
- Comfort from His love
- Participation/fellowship in the Spirit
- Affection and sympathy from God and His people
If you have tasted even one of these (and every true Christian has tasted all four), then make Paul’s joy complete by being “of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.”
How? “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
This is the exact opposite of everything the world teaches.
The Christ Hymn — The Most Stunning Passage in the Bible (vv. 5–11)
Pastor Andrew calls this “the Mount Everest of biblical Christology.” Most scholars believe this was an early Christian hymn sung in churches before Paul wrote it down. It has poetic rhythm and structure in Greek.
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…”
Movement 1: Descent
- who, though he was in the form of God (eternally, fully God),
- did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped (harpagmos — seized or clung to),
- but emptied himself (kenosis), by taking the form of a servant,
- being born in the likeness of men.
- And being found in human form, he humbled himself
- by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Jesus didn’t just die — He experienced a thousand deaths: betrayal, mockery, scourging, nakedness, crucifixion between criminals.
Movement 2: Ascent
- Therefore God has highly exalted him
- and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
- so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…
- and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
- to the glory of God the Father.
The way up is down. The path to exaltation is humiliation. The cure for division is counting others more significant than yourself.
Historical Subversion in Philippi
Philippi was a proud Roman colony where Caesar was called “Lord,” “Savior,” and “Son of God.” Coins bore his image. Public ceremonies demanded emperor worship. Paul takes those exact imperial titles and applies them to a crucified Jewish carpenter. That was treasonous poetry that cost many early Christians their lives — and eventually won the empire.
Illustrations That Landed Hard
- The leaky bucket: We try to fill ourselves with approval, success, comfort — but it leaks. Only when we connect our hose to Jesus does the water overflow to others.
- The bamboo finger trap: The harder you pull to free yourself (grasping rights), the tighter it gets. The only way out is to push toward the other person (humility).
- William Booth (Salvation Army founder) on his deathbed was asked the secret of his life. His answer: “Others.”
- Church life: Fall Fest volunteers, Sunday school teachers, youth coaches — people who serve without recognition.
Practical Applications from the Sermon
- Redirect your cravings daily — pray, “Jesus, be my living water today.”
- In relationships: Ask first, “How can I serve this person’s dreams?”
- In church: Overflow into events and ministries — coach, teach, clean, greet.
- Memorize Philippians 2:5 — pray it over every conflict.
- Practice literal foot-washing (or its modern equivalent): serve in a way that feels beneath you.
Reflection Questions
- What craving is currently distracting you from Jesus?
- How can you prioritize another person’s interest today?
- Where does “grasping” show up in your relationships?
- How does the Christ hymn challenge your view of success?
- What division in your life needs the mind of Christ right now?
Deeper Theological Notes
The kenosis (emptying) does not mean Jesus stopped being God — He added humanity without subtracting deity. The hymn’s structure mirrors the entire salvation story: descent (incarnation → cross) → ascent (resurrection → exaltation). Humility is not self-hatred; it is Christ-like self-forgetfulness (C.S. Lewis).
