Viva la Vida IV Overcoming Selfishness
A. Background & Comments:
• over the last number of weeks, in response to the question of what it is for the Christians to Viva la Vida (Live the Life), we have established to “live the life” primarily means, according to the Apostle Paul, that we can:
Overcome Chains (Phil. 1:7-11)
Overcome Fears (Phil. 1:12-14)
Overcome Ingratitude (Phil. 1:3-6)
• In essence, Paul teaches in this rich chapter of Philippians 1, that Christians who are sincerely intent on “living the life”, need to be known as purposeful & joyful in being an “over-comer”. In this regard, we are truly one of two things: either spectators or participants. Either we are truly engaged in overcoming life’s challenges or we are simply going along for the ride.
• today, we move on to the fourth characteristic of a Christian who is living the life that Christ intends for us, once again from the same chapter of the Bible. The focus of this passage today is that through a few practical steps – changing the primary attitudes & thoughts of life – we can be changed from the inside out! We are not eternally cursed & destined to be “owned” by selfishness or self-centered thinking.
B. Main Thought:
In these verses we see two clear mental & attitudinal steps we can take to be people who are able to overcome a self-centered attitude & thought pattern.
C. Key Question:
What are the steps I need to take to be freed from selfishness & a pre-occupation with “me” & “mine”?
There are two key principles that help us overcome the power of a selfish attitude & life:
I. Selfish Living: Defeat by Accepting Purpose in Life & Faith (vs. 15, 16)
“ It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.”
A. After Paul went into prison for preaching the gospel, some new leaders in the New Testament church came along & their motives for leading were questionable or outright wrongly placed. There were still others, however, that were rightly motivated by love for God & people. This last group – including Paul himself – had accepted that his role & even imprisonment were intended for the defense of Christ’s message.
There was a clear acceptance of the purpose of Paul’s life & even the negative events in his life. This acceptance helps all make sense of the incomprehensible. Even though it cost Paul tremendously, he lived a confident & satisfied life because knew his purpose, without question.
B. Some of you might be saying, “What does accepting my purpose have to do with defeating selfishness?” When a Christian aligns him or her self with the will of God, we begin to walk away from our own selfish plans & self-centeredness. We begin to fulfill the words of Christ in Mark 8 when he said:
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.”
Human nature is often given to fighting the purposes of God, inserting our own “wisdom” in all matters of life.
One of the key questions the Christian must ask of God is, “What do You want me to do with my life?”
II. Selfish Living: Defeat by Focusing on Core Issues of Life & Faith (vs. 17, 18)
“ The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”
A. Paul could have spent his time expressing frustration at the mixed motives & bad behavior of those who followed him as leaders in the New Testament church. However, he does quite the opposite: he concentrates on the core issue of getting the message of Christ out to all who would hear it. He didn’t spend his time worrying about the details: the core message & task were all that mattered to him.
B. In the 25 years that I have worked for churches from coast to coast, the biggest reason I have discovered as to why conflict is real in churches, boils down to a stubborn, bitter selfishness in one party or another. Often there has been an unwillingness & failure to understand that the real reason Christians exist is to ensure that the message of Jesus Christ goes out to others.
Like those early church leaders, the emphasis has far too often been whether things “at church” are being done the way I think they should be! A focus on non-essentials guarantees…
Implications for Life
A. Living as an overcoming Christian is important. When we overcome the challenges of life, we give testimony to a God who is also an over-comer. This reality is made most real in the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Even though there were people who said it would never happen, God was not limited by their lack of faith… and neither should you!
B. Are there issues in your life where you know – beyond the shadow of a doubt – that you need to defeat a challenge? Are there also people in your life who are expressing doubt about your ability? You serve an overcoming God…
Viva la Vida!
