Every Knee Will Bow Because of Open-Handed Christians (Phil. 1:17-30)

In his book Choosing Your Faith Mark Mittelberg writes this:[1]

Think about your day so far. This morning, you got up and, by faith, had breakfast, trusting that nobody in the house had laced your food with poison. You stopped at a coffee shop and somehow trusted those characters behind the counter…not to put some kind of harmful or spoiled substance in your triple-shot, extra foam, grande latte. You got to work–maybe even took the elevator?–and sat in a chair, by faith, without testing it first to see if it was still strong enough to hold you up…At lunch, you went out for a walk and paused to bend down and pat a stranger’s dog, believing you wouldn’t become one of the 4.7 million Americans bitten by a dog each year…Then, at the end of the workday, you aimed your car toward home and drove down the street, trusting-but-not-really-knowing that some sixteen-year-old NASCAR wannabe driver wouldn’t be out drag-racing his friends, careening toward you at a high rate of speed.  No doubt about it–you live your life by faith every day…

Mittelberg is saying that all of us live by faith.  It’s true when it comes to simple things like getting in an elevator.  But it’s especially true when it comes to significant things like what we believe about God.  The question for most people is not “Do I have faith?”  The question is really “What do I have faith in, and why?”  The full title to Mittelberg’s book  is Choosing Your Faith in a World of Spiritual Options.  Ultimately he addresses the fact that there are many religious faiths and we have to choose between them.  If we are going to belong to a religion, if we are going to have faith in a higher power, how do we choose which higher power?

In the letter to the Philippians Paul expresses his desire, and God’s desire, to see every single person choose Jesus.  In Phil. 2:6-11 Paul writes a song about Jesus.  The final verses of the song express his dream: …that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:10-11 TNIV).  When it comes to choosing faith, Paul prays that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess in heaven and on earth and under the earth that Jesus is Lord.  That’s Paul’s way of saying every person everywhere.  Paul longs to see every person everywhere choose to have faith in Jesus.

Think about every person in your family.  Shout out the name of someone in your family….  Paul and God want them to choose Jesus.  Think about every person in your rolodex, email list, contact list, your Facebook friend list, or Christmas card list.  Shout out the name of one of them….  Paul and God want them to choose Jesus.

But why?  Of all the spiritual options available, why would people choose to have faith in Jesus?  Two weeks ago we explored how this song answers that question: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  8 And being found in appearance as a human being, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!  (Phil. 2:6-8 TNIV).  Two weeks ago I summarized this song with two images.  One image is that of a closed fist, grasping at things.  Make a fist with your right hand and hold it up.  Paul sings that Jesus is not that kind of Lord.  Jesus didn’t use his equality with God as an excuse to greedily grab everything he wants all for himself.  Instead, Jesus is the kind of Lord illustrated by a second image: an open-hand.  Open your hand as if giving something to someone else.  That’s the kind of Lord Jesus is.  Paul says Jesus “emptied himself”—that is, he poured out himself in service to others.  This song answer the “Why?” question: why would people choose Jesus as their Lord?  Because he is an open-handed Lord.

But with the “Why?” question answered, the next question is “How?”  We see why everyone everywhere should choose Jesus as Lord.  But how is that going to happen?  This message about an open-handed Lord is what Paul calls the “gospel” or “good news” in the rest of this letter.  But no one is going to hear about this “good news” unless someone spreads it.  No one’s going to get the chance to choose Jesus unless someone presents Jesus to them.

So Paul follows up his song about Jesus with three stories of three people who are sharing Jesus. [2]  And, they are paying quite a price to share Jesus.  Using the imagery from Paul’s song about Jesus, we might say that these three people are open-handed Christians.  They willingly open their hand and give whatever is needed in order to lead people to faith in Jesus.  Paul uses them to illustrate that if we want to see every knee bow, we are going to have be much more open-handed.  The first part of Phil. 2 answers the “Why?” question.  But the second part of Phil. 2 answers the “How?” question.  How will people have the chance to choose Jesus as Lord?  That chance only comes when open-handed Christians pour out their time, talents, and lives to lead others to that Lord.   Paul gives three illustrations of Christians who did just that so that people in Philippi would have the chance to choose Jesus as Lord.

The first illustration Paul uses is himself: 17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.  (Phil. 2:17 TNIV).  Earlier, Paul sang of how Jesus “made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant” (Phil. 2:7 TNIV).  Literally, Jesus emptied himself.  He poured out himself.  Here Paul uses that same language to describe himself.  He says that he is being poured out like a drink offering.  This image comes from the practice of religious sacrifice in the ancient world.  In both Jewish and pagan sacrifices, sometimes the animal sacrifice would be followed by the pouring of wine on the sacrifice or at the foot of the altar. [3]  Paul envisions himself as that liquid.  He is pouring himself out on behalf of the Philippians so that they would have the chance to choose Jesus.  This image of a drink offering carries with it the idea of sacrifice.  We see this sacrifice when Paul first comes to Philippi: he is jailed and his life is threatened.  And, we that same sacrifice now.  Paul writes Philippians from jail.  In Phil. 1:20 he mentions the possibility that his arrest may lead to his execution.  Paul has not gripped on to anything for himself.  If this glass of liquid was everything Paul had, he didn’t merely pour out some.  He poured out all.  He has given up everything—his freedom and possibly his life—so that the Philippians might be able to choose Jesus as Lord.

Here is Paul’s second example: 19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20 I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. 21 For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. 23 I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. 24 And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.  (Phil. 2:19-24 TNIV).  Paul uses Timothy as another example of an open-handed Christian who sacrifices so that the Philippians might know the Lord Jesus.[4]    Timothy was with Paul when he first came to Philippi, and he is serving Paul now that Paul is imprisoned.  Paul says there is “no one else like” Timothy.  What makes Timothy unique?  This: who will show genuine concern for your welfare.  What makes Timothy stand out is the way he is concerned for the Philippians rather than himself.  In 2:4 Paul says some look after their own interests.  In 2:21 Paul repeats that charge—in contrast to Timothy whose primary concern is the interest of the Philippians.  In 2:7 Paul sings of how Jesus is a slave or servant.  In 2:22 Paul says Timothy literally “slaved with me.”  Paul is saying that like Jesus, Timothy is open-handed.  He did not prioritize his own concerns.  He prioritized the Philippians.  And as a result, these Philippians came to know Jesus as their Lord.

Paul’s third example is Epaphroditus: 25 But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. 26 For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. 28 Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. 29 Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, 30 because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me.  (Phil. 2:25-30 TNIV).  When the Philippians heard Paul was imprisoned, they sent Epaphroditus to Paul.  According to Phil. 4:18 Epaphroditus arrived with gifts for Paul from the Christians in Philippi.  But either on the way to Paul or while he was with Paul, Epaphroditus became sick.  Paul says Epaphroditus “almost died.”  Paul says Epaphroditus “risked his life.”  He did not hold on to anything for himself.  He gave up even his life.  And as a result, Paul has been able to write this letter and thus help those in Philippi learn even more about what it means to live under the open-handed lordship of Jesus.

What’s Paul’s point with these three examples?  His point is this: if every person everywhere is going to bow their knees before Jesus, it’s going to take open-handed Christians giving up whatever is necessary to make that happen.    It’s going to take us pouring out ourselves and our money and our time.  It’s going to take us putting the interests and needs of others first.  It’s going to take us risking everything.  There is no better choice than Jesus.  Who wouldn’t want to live under this kind of Lord and enjoy the benefits of his open-hand?  But the only way people get to make that choice today is by us opening our hands and giving up everything in order to lead others to Jesus.

A few weeks ago at Highland Nathan Luther told the story of a little girl in the Philippines named Sue.  Sue became a Christian through Nathan and Karen’s efforts.  Then other members of her family did as well.   We saw a picture of one of them being baptized in a pool.  That girl and that family got the chance to choose Jesus as Lord.  But what made that possible?  It was possible because Nathan and Karen opened their hand.  They poured themselves out.  They put the needs of those in the Philippines above their own needs.  They quit their jobs in the United States.  They ripped the grandchildren from the loving arms of the grandparents.  They left their culture and their comfort here.  That girl and that family had the chance to choose Jesus as Lord because Nathan and Karen opened their hands.   

I know a mother of three in Texas.  Each week she hosts a Bible study for women.  About a dozen women from her neighborhood come.  Several of them are not Christians.  And they meet for a couple of hours each week at this mother’s home.  Several from that group have been baptized.  They’ve chosen Jesus as Lord.  But that only came through the sacrifice of this mother.  She works part-time.  She’s a full-time Mom to her three boys.  And there are a lot of things she doesn’t get done at home or work because of this Bible study. There are things she could do for herself those 2-3 hours every week.  But she’s given all that up.  Why?  Because she wants to give those in her neighborhood a chance to choose Jesus as Lord.  She’s opened her hand so that others might know Jesus.

 “All in the Family” was a popular 1970s TV series.[5] In one scene Archie’s son-in-law, Michael, and his wife, Gloria, are in the kitchen. Michael is eating a sandwich and Gloria is baking cookies. Gloria asks him, “Michael, do you love me?”  “Yup,” he manages in between bites.  “Would you give up your life for me?” she asks.  “Right after I finish this sandwich.”  “Ma saw this movie on TV. It takes place in the desert. The husband gives up his life so his wife can live. I was just wondering if you would do the same for me.”  “Sure, honey. If we’re ever in the Sahara desert together, you got my life. You got any pickles?”  Gloria sighs and says, “Michael, I’m serious. I mean, if we were stranded in the desert, and we had just enough water for one of us, what would you do?”  “I’d flip you for it.”   Gloria is visually exasperated, so Michael adds: “Well honey, what do you want from me? That is a very difficult question to answer. Not many people know how they’d react in a life-and-death situation.”  “Okay, forget the desert,” she says. “Let’s say we’re out in the ocean, and there’s this shark coming at us. Would you swim in front of it to save me?”  “How big is the shark?”   “He’s big. He’s a man-eating shark.”  “Well, then maybe you should swim in front of it to save me.”  “Why?”  “Because it’s a man-eating shark. You didn’t say woman-eating shark.”  At this point Gloria has about had enough. “I’m just trying to find out how much you care for me!”  “I care for you, honey. If you care for me, you’ll let me finish this sandwich.”  Gloria grabs the sandwich out of his hands and looks him in the eye: “Michael, we are lost in the mountains. This is our only food—our only chance for survival. Would you give me this sandwich?”  “I wouldn’t have to. You’d take it from me.”  “Michael! I just want to hear you say you’d give up your life for me. Would you say it?”  Gloria angrily walks out of the kitchen and into the living room. Michael follows her.  She looks back at him again, saying, “Just say you’d lay down your life for me.”  “This is ridiculous. How did we get into this?” 

“Just say the words, Michael!”  Michael finally gives in, exhausted by the whole conversation. “All right! All right! I’d lay down my life for you!”  Those words are hard for us to say.  They may be hard for us to say even when it comes to those closest to us.  But Paul is revealing that we’ll need to be able to say those words even for total strangers.  If we buy into the idea that every person everywhere deserves to have a chance to choose Jesus, there’s only one way that’s going to happen.  It’s going to happen when we open our hands, our lives, and pour ourselves out for them.

According to one study in 1920 the average congregation spent ten pennies in overseas mission work for every dollar put in the collection tray.[6]  Here are ten pennies.  In 1920 ten pennies of every dollar given to the church collection went to helping every person everywhere hear about Jesus.  By 2005, that had gone down to two pennies.  On average, churches today spend two pennies of every donated dollar on foreign missions.  That’s an eighty percent drop.  The only way every person everywhere will have a chance to choose Jesus as Lord is if we reverse that trend.  It takes open-handed Christians to lead others to the open-handed Lord.

And today you have a chance to open your hand.  We are seeking over $143,000 to fund our world and urban missions.  We need that money so Agape can teach homeless children and homeless mothers about Jesus; so that Hope Works can lead others not just to employment but to salvation in Jesus; so that MUM can teach children from Downtown about Jesus; so that the Luther’s can continue their preaching and teaching in the Philippines; so that Melanesian Bible College can continue to train men and women to tell others about Jesus; so Joe and Betty Canon and Kostya and Alona Kilsenko can continue to teach Jesus to people in Bila Tserkva.  These men and women have already opened their hands.  They’ve already sacrificed so that knees can bow before Jesus.  Today is our turn to open our hands.  Today is our turn to sacrifice.