Getting to Work for Jesus: The Master's Mindset (Philippians 2)

Introduction

For four Sundays, Église Connexion has been reflecting on ambition according to God. Joseph Tandy states it right away: God is not against ambition. On the contrary, he wants to replace our small ambitions with his own, filling the world with people who know him and glorify him. The previous Sunday, the message showed that this project is God's: he opens and closes doors, he prepares encounters, he opens hearts. So we are not wasting our time pursuing this ambition.

But every serious ambition takes work. Not every ambition is serious, the pastor jokes: an acquaintance, back from a Bruno Mars concert, asked for a plan to marry him, a plan that involved waiting in a Las Vegas hotel. Real ambitions, by contrast, demand work. If the French national team wants to lift the World Cup, it has to accept training, injuries, sacrifices and pressure. Ambition according to God is no exception: "If we want to grow with God, to see people meet Jesus and to see new churches born, it will take work."

That is precisely where Connexion stands. In a year, after more than ten years among them, the Procopio family will leave to plant a new church in eastern Paris, and the church is praying that some will go with them. The situation resembles that of the church in Philippi: ten years after its birth, Paul, who founded it, is in prison and facing execution. The Philippians love him deeply, but they have to learn to move forward without him. This morning's passage, Philippians 2:12-30, calls us to get to work for Jesus, with joy and with sacrifice. Two points: getting to work, and the Master's mindset as our model.

Message Outline

1. Taking Up the Torch When the First Leaders Leave

The previous week, the church had witnessed the birth of the church in Philippi: God had opened a door for the Gospel, Lydia had come to faith and a church had been born. Ten years later, the context is difficult. From the start, this church has known opposition; Paul had been imprisoned, and the hostility is still there. Paul hands them the torch at the moment when the future looks most uncertain.

That is the meaning of the beginning of the passage: "So then, my beloved, even as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12). In other words: it is up to you to take over.

• With all due proportion, the pastor points out, Jason is neither an apostle nor in prison. But the parallel with Connexion is real: how do we continue the work God began when the leaders from the beginning are no longer there?
• Part of the answer was given the previous Sunday: God is sovereign, he is in control of everything, so we can undertake great things for him.
• The other part is found in this passage: our work. This text tells us to get to work for Christ, and that God is working in us through this work to make us like Christ.

2. Shaped by Working: God Works in You Both to Will and to Work

And what if I don't feel like it? If I feel neither motivated nor able to serve Jesus? Joseph Tandy speaks for himself: many times, he prefers comfort to service. In verses 12 to 18, Paul motivates us. It is by getting to work for Jesus that God makes us who he wants us to be, and that he gives us his joy.

"For it is God who works in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). Many people wonder what God's will is for their lives. Verse 13 answers: it is about working out our salvation with fear and trembling. Salvation is a gift, but we have to open that gift and enjoy it, letting God transform us into the people he saved us to be.

And what he wants us to become may be surprising. A few verses earlier, Paul writes: "Only let your way of life be worthy of the Good News of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your state, that you stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the Good News; and in nothing frightened by the adversaries" (Philippians 1:27-28). Philippi was populated by veterans of the Roman army: they knew what battle and adversaries were.

• What God wants to shape us for is service in his army. Not an army in the literal sense, but an army of Christians who give themselves so that the good news advances and so that everyone stands firm in the faith. "If you have just joined Église Connexion, this is why you are here: to be an army that fights for the good news of Jesus and so that everyone stands firm in the faith."
• We are afraid to say: "fighting is not for me." I see those who are super zealous to serve, and I don't have that zeal. "You know what? Neither do I," the pastor confides. But that is exactly why God is not looking for people who already think this way. He says: "I have already recruited you if you believe in Jesus, but I will not leave you to figure it out alone. I will shape you to think and act more and more like Jesus."
• The "will" is the desire to serve. When we discover Jesus and his love, and then seek to obey him, God gradually transforms our desires: his ambitions become ours.
• He also produces the "work": he makes us able to act on these new desires. I meet Jesus, he is so wonderful that I want to serve him and speak about him. And God says: "Go ahead, jump in, and I will train you on the job so that you do it better and better."
• Let's not sit waiting for the desire to serve to fall on us. When we get to work for Jesus, Jesus works in us to make us who he wants us to be.

3. Shining as We Work: Without Grumbling, Like Lights

"Do all things without murmurings and disputes, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without defect in the middle of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding up the word of life" (Philippians 2:14-16).

In our professional work, we will not all shine. Joseph Tandy recounts that, a long time ago, he was a very mediocre journalist: the only people who remember his work are his mother and his wife, probably because his tie was crooked on air. But we can shine for Jesus by serving as he did, on the road that leads to our heavenly homeland, to the new creation God reserves for his people.

• When Paul says "without murmurings and disputes," he is not only saying "never complain." He echoes the attitude of the Israelites who came out of Egypt. God also had a great ambition for them: he had saved them from Egypt to lead them to the Promised Land. But the desert to cross seemed too hard to them, and they became grumblers: we miss Egypt, its cucumbers, its melons, its leeks, its garlic, everything was better when we were slaves (Numbers 11:5).
• It is so easy to think the same way: serving Jesus is too costly; God doesn't take good enough care of me; another life would be more pleasant. The pastor makes a confession: he sometimes wonders whether he wants to stay a pastor, and on some days whether he still wants to be a Christian. "As if God had not already proved his goodness toward me and would not keep doing so. It is pathetic. But like the Israelites, I forget quickly."
• In planting a new church, we might be tempted to grumble: it is not like before, my friends are no longer there, it is smaller, there is more work, we have to give more money. Paul answers: do not be like the Israelites. In his great love, God has saved you and has begun to work in you.
• We too are on our way to our Promised Land, the new creation. We too are called to do everything so that everyone makes the journey, crosses the desert of this world and arrives safely. But unlike the Israelites, our work also includes calling other people to join the procession.
• "You shine as lights in the world, holding up the word of life": a magnificent image. We know the road that leads to life. Our work is to light that road so that others join us. This is why God has placed you in your workplace, your school, your family or your group of friends.
• If we tell ourselves "I am not up to it, my witness at work hasn't been great, I struggle to share my faith," God is already working in us for this very purpose. We work because God works in us.

4. Joyful as We Work: Paul's Drink Offering

"Yes, and if I am poured out on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice, and rejoice with you all. In the same way, you also should be glad and rejoice with me" (Philippians 2:17-18). Paul is in prison, he faces the death penalty, and yet he is joyful.

The original text is a bit more morbid than some translations. A drink offering, in the Old Testament, was an offering of wine that accompanied another sacrifice: when an animal was sacrificed, a cup of wine was sometimes poured over it. Paul presents the faith of the Philippians, their progress, their devotion, as a sacrifice offered to God, an offering that pleases the Lord. And he rejoices at the thought of being poured out himself, even if it means dying, so that this offering may be as pleasing as possible to God.

• How is this possible? If you are like the pastor, you don't like making sacrifices, and when you have to, you at least want people to notice. Not Paul: he is ready to give everything to serve the Philippians, and he rejoices in it, like the cup of wine poured over the offering.
• Joy, in Philippians, comes from knowing Jesus. More precisely: "Joy comes when we embrace Jesus and his sacrificial death as the supreme revelation of who God really is."
• Philippians 2:5-8 describes it: "Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, yes, the death of the cross." The first to pour himself out for others is Jesus, equal to God from all eternity. He lowered himself to serve and to sacrifice.
• Then verses 9 to 11: "Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow… and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Jesus has always been equal to the Father. But the moment when he showed supremely that he truly deserved the name of Lord is the moment when he poured himself out for us.
• Who is our God, really? Look at Jesus emptying himself all the way to the cross. That is our God: a God who gives himself, a God who serves, a God who loves to the end.

The pastor apologizes to those who don't like football. For a long time, many have said that Lionel Messi is the best player of all time. What would prove it beyond doubt? That he scores goals and leads his team to the world title; people would then say: "There you go, we were right, this proves he really is the greatest." Jesus has always been God, but what he demonstrated supremely was not a demonstration of power. It is when he poured himself out for us, because the supreme glory of our God is his love and his compassion.

Paul sees this and says: Jesus is my hero. "My God became a servant for me. What other god would do that? What other king would become a servant? What other master would die for his enemies?" He is my hero, and my happiness is to know him, to admire him and to imitate him. I want to be with him and I want to be like him.

• Our society says that happiness is obtained by clinging to your life and living for yourself. Nothing could be further from the truth. "True joy comes from giving ourselves fully, because we know Jesus and because we know that he gave himself for us."
• A friend of the pastor confided that his happiest moments in recent years are those when he was able to be most generous with the means God has given him. Some will serve at Christian camps this summer; the pastor's experience at those camps: stress, discomfort, broken sleep, and the deep joy of giving oneself in the service of Jesus. Those who have gone on mission trips have known frustration, fatigue, fragility, but no doubt also moments of deep joy. Why? Because in serving Jesus, we better grasp Jesus' service for us. We better savor the greatness of our hero.
• A question if we lack joy: am I giving myself because I am amazed by Jesus? The answer may be no. We sometimes go through dry seasons. Let us then place ourselves before the cross and ask for God's help. He is the one who works in us both to will and to work, and he delights in gladdening us by showing us the greatness of his Son.

Shaped as we work, shining as we work, joyful as we work. Let's get to work because God is working in us.

5. Timothy and Epaphroditus: Two Profiles, One Mindset

What does this look like day to day? Do we all have to quit our jobs to become missionaries? Perhaps your gifts and character make that the best thing for you, but probably not for most of us. Second point: God wants us to get to work with the Master's mindset as our model.

Paul presents two men who are like us and who got to work for the Gospel. Two men very different from each other, but who share the same mentality. Since we are all different, there is no single way of working for the cause of the Gospel. The essential thing is to adopt this mindset, characterized by three things: a concern to serve God's people, a willingness to work hard, and an acceptance of the cost it involves.

• Timothy first: "But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. For I have no one likeminded, who will truly care about your state" (Philippians 2:19-20). Timothy is Paul's closest and most brilliant co-worker. What sets him apart above all is his concern for the faith of other Christians.
• In verse 21, Paul makes clear that taking to heart the interests of other Christians is taking to heart the interests of Jesus. "You cannot serve Jesus without serving people." You may enjoy studying theology or listening to sermons, and that is excellent. But if, little by little, you withdraw from the life of the church because you prefer to learn alone rather than bear the burdens of your brothers and sisters, you are missing the mind of Jesus. "Christian maturity is measured not only by what I know, but also by the place others hold in my heart."
• Timothy is ready to set aside his own interests for this. He will leave Rome, where he is with Paul, for a long journey to Philippi and will put his talents at the service of persecuted Christians. He is selfless, and he is also diligent: "But you know the proof of him, that as a child serves a father, so he served with me in furtherance of the Good News" (Philippians 2:22). Timothy saw Paul sweat for the Gospel, and he imitated him.
• Then Epaphroditus. If Timothy is someone exceptional, Epaphroditus is an ordinary guy, not someone remarkable, simply a man of good convictions. He is a messenger: he crosses the Mediterranean to bring the Philippians' support to Paul's needs. Nothing spectacular, but an indispensable service. Timothy had preached before crowds; Epaphroditus had just made a long and dangerous journey to serve a brother in need. The same value for the Gospel.
• And Epaphroditus takes concern for God's people to the point of absurdity. During the journey, he falls ill and nearly dies (verse 27). But "he longed for you all, and was very troubled because you had heard that he was sick" (verse 26). He does not feel sorry for himself: he thinks first of his brothers and sisters.

Two examples, two profiles, one mindset. It is proof that we can all get to work for Jesus. We have different personalities, gifts and backgrounds, and we are at different stages of life. We can all adopt this mindset: serve God's people, work hard, accept the cost, like Jesus, our great hero.

6. A Little Imagination: Dreaming for the Gospel

If we adopt this mindset, all we need is a little imagination. Working with ambition for the Gospel is an entrepreneur's job. If we grasp what is truly a priority and are ready to give ourselves, we will find opportunities to serve everywhere: at work, with our friends, at church and in our family.

• Let's not swallow the lie that the only goal worth pursuing is getting the best education, the best position, the best salary, the best house, the best retirement, dying in the best hospital and being buried in the prettiest cemetery, with the prettiest flowers next to you. We can work for a far more glorious ambition.
• Let's dream together for a moment. We all have gifts, resources and opportunities. Let's imagine all we could accomplish by putting them at the service of the Gospel. And it starts with simple things: having coffee with a discouraged sister, calling a brother we haven't seen in a month, being consistent in our house group, inviting a colleague to church.
• Vacation is approaching. Why not use that time to ask: what could I do to advance the Gospel? Why not write a list in a notebook: "If I adopted the mindset of Jesus, if I adopted the mentality of the Master, I could…", and then pray over those things.
• But let's not forget: we don't want to think about this only individually. God is not just preparing servants, he is preparing a people of servants, an army. So the question is not only "what could I do?", but "what could we do, for the faith of the Gospel?"

This mindset is the key to the church's next steps, "or should I say our churches." It is striking that, to prepare the Philippians for a future without him, Paul does not say: "Appoint a new pastor." He says: all of you adopt the mentality of the Master, all of you imitate the mind of Jesus. The pastor is important, but secondary. What is essential is the mind of Jesus in each of us: serving with joy, working hard, accepting the cost. This is what God is already producing in us to make us like Jesus.

This mindset will be decisive when it comes to choosing where to invest ourselves: not where I will be most comfortable, nor where my friends will go, but where I can take my place in the fight for the faith of the Gospel. May this transition serve to let God teach us to think more like Jesus.

7. A Word for the Discouraged, the Wounded and Those Who Have Never Served

• For those who are discouraged because they have served a lot this year for few visible results, a group that has shrunk, efforts to share the Gospel that have borne no fruit: yes, it is frustrating. Perhaps God wants to move your joy from results to Jesus himself. "Christian joy does not come from a service that impresses everyone, but from knowing Jesus and becoming more like him." Jesus persevered when no one wanted him and results were not visible. In seeing his perseverance, we see the character of God and we can rejoice that he is making us like him.
• For those who find life too hard right now to serve: first, working out our salvation includes applying the Gospel to our trials, coming before the great Servant to be served by him. Working on ourselves is part of the work God has entrusted to us. But if Paul is right and joy comes from decentering ourselves like Jesus, getting to work for him may be exactly the remedy you need. "Broken people who let Jesus heal their wounds and then give themselves to him are often those who accomplish the most for him."
• For those who tell themselves "I have never tried to serve, I have lived for myself": Jesus became the servant of people who lived for themselves. He did not come to people who were already servants of God. He came to serve first, to turn us into joyful servants.

God is at work in us. Let's get to work for him. It is summer, many need a vacation, the pastor first of all. But after that: back to work.

Key Takeaways

• God is not against ambition: he wants to replace our small ambitions with his own, and every serious ambition takes work.
• We work because God works in us: he produces the will and the work, and he trains us on the job when we jump in.
• Serving without grumbling, unlike the Israelites in the desert, means shining like lights and lighting the road of life for others.
• Joy does not come from results but from Jesus himself, the God who poured himself out for us all the way to the cross.
• Timothy and Epaphroditus, so different, share the Master's mindset: concern for God's people, hard work and acceptance of the cost.

Personal Application

1. When you don't feel like serving, do you wait for the desire to fall from heaven, or do you jump in, counting on God who produces the will and the work?
2. Which Israelite grumblings keep coming out of your mouth right now: "it was better before," "it's too costly," "God doesn't take good enough care of me"?
3. Are you giving yourself because you are amazed by Jesus, or are you going through a dry season that calls for a return to the cross?
4. What place do others hold in your heart: have you gradually withdrawn from the life of the church in order to learn alone?
5. During vacation, what list could you write in a notebook: "If I adopted the mentality of the Master, I could…"?

Verses Cited

• Philippians 2:12-30
• Philippians 1:27-28
• Philippians 2:5-11
• Numbers 11:5
• Acts 16:11-15

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" mean?

For Joseph Tandy, salvation is a gift, but we have to open it and enjoy it. Working out our salvation means letting God transform us into the people he saved us to be. The next verse gives the key: it is God who works in us both to will and to work. We get to work because God is working in us.

How can Paul rejoice in prison, facing the death penalty?

The joy of Philippians comes from knowing Jesus, and in particular from embracing his sacrificial death as the supreme revelation of who God is. Jesus, equal to God, emptied himself all the way to the cross. Paul sees this and says: Jesus is my hero. True joy comes from giving ourselves because we know that Jesus gave himself for us.

What is the Master's mindset in Philippians 2?

It is the mentality shared by Timothy and Epaphroditus, two very different men. It is characterized by three things: a concern to serve God's people, a willingness to work hard, and an acceptance of the cost it involves. The pastor reminds us that we cannot serve Jesus without serving people.