A Threat Within: Protecting Unity – Philippians
A Threat Within: Protecting Unity
Together Church | Pastor Brandon Werner
February 22, 2026 | Series: Philippians
INTRODUCTION
During our first three weeks in Philippians, we’ve carefully examined the first chapter and highlighted the central theme of partnership.
And we’ve already made some important discoveries about partnerships…
- Like how the right partnerships can be wonderful and the wrong ones can make our lives miserable.
- Or frameworks that help us understand WHO to partner with and HOW to choose the right partners.
- And last week, we unpacked seven characteristics of relationships between gospel partners.
As these lessons accumulate, we see an overarching theme emerging… a theme that was very important to Paul.
For gospel partnerships to be most effective, there must be unity among the partners.
Paul mentioned this at the end of chapter one…
Philippians 1:27
27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,
The importance of being in unity is true for the success of any partnership, but it is especially true of gospel partnerships. So, Paul began chapter two with this statement…
Philippians 2:1-2
1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,
2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Our church takes unity very seriously.
This morning, we welcomed new members. These members have taken time to review seven things that unite the members of Together Church. They all signed a Membership Agreement that unifies our church in how we will live in gospel partnership together.
Unity matters.
Disunity disrupts gospel advancement.
Paul was concerned about unity in the Philippian church because he understood there were many threats that could disrupt their unity.
There were threats on the outside…
One of those main threats was persecution for preaching the gospel.
The threat of persecution was very real in the early church.
Remember, Paul was beaten and imprisoned during his first visit to Philippi. And now, Paul writes this letter from prison, where he is actively being persecuted for preaching the gospel.
And this same threat Paul was experiencing in real time was a very real and present danger for the church in Philippi.
At the time Philippians was written, followers of Jesus lived under this ominous cloud that at any moment they could be physically assaulted by a mob, be imprisoned, or even be killed for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Persecution for preaching the gospel can cause a church to fracture.
Due to persecution, disciples at Philippi were tempted to become apostates. An apostate is someone who has abandoned, renounced, or defected from a previously held faith, especially in a deliberate and public way.
Despite this threat, the Philippian church was strong. They were experiencing what Paul describes in Philippians 2:1.
They were experiencing…
- Consolation in Christ – Relief given to someone who is hurting, grieving, or discouraged. It’s the act of lifting a burdened heart and helping someone regain hope or steadiness.
- Comfort from His love – Especially comfort in their losses. They understood that their suffering did not mean God was cold or indifferent, but that He suffered with them and for them.
- Fellowship of the Spirit – as they worked as gospel partners, AND
- Affection and mercy – in the care they received from each other.
These are not commands by Paul—these are spiritual realities this church was experiencing despite persecution for preaching the gospel… and these were realities holding them together in unity.
BODY
But there was another threat to their unity besides persecution. It was not a threat from without, but a threat from within.
And this is the threat we are going to focus on this morning.
What threat did Paul identify that was within?
The threat was the personal ambitions in the members of the church.
All it takes for division to occur in any organization is for one person within the organization to expect the other members to serve their personal ambitions.
In verse 3, Paul began to address this potential problem in the church, and he appealed for unity with these words…
Philippians 2:3-4
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
To maintain unity, Paul encourages the church to have a mindset, or way of thinking, or an attitude, that is the opposite of personal ambition.
Instead of having the mindset of selfish ambition or conceit, Paul admonishes the church to have mindset or attitude that he called “lowliness of mind.”
Another word for lowliness of mind is humility.
Humility is a state of mind in which you consider the needs of others to be more important than your own needs, your personal preferences, or your self-interests. Humility is a choice to make the needs of others more important than yourself. It is not self-deprecation, but rather self-forgetfulness. It is an “I am second” mindset that puts the interests of others ahead of your own.
Perhaps you have heard this quote, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself. Humility is thinking of yourself less.”
Jesus called this mindset being poor in spirit. (Matthew 5:3)
How important is this mindset to the unity of the church?
So important that Paul knew it would be impossible for the church to walk in unity without it.
So important that Paul brought out the biggest guns possible…
He pointed to the person of Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, the Second Person in the Godhead, as the ultimate example of humility and what this mindset really looks like.
How closely does Paul relate humility to Jesus?
He made them inseparable. Paul called this mindset of humility “the mind of Christ.”
Philippians 2:5-8
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
(tone) Those are some of the most powerful words ever written.
If anyone ever deserved for their self-interests to be placed above the interests of others, it was Jesus. He is God in human flesh and worthy of all allegiance, honor, worship, and praise.
But though He was in the form of God, He set aside His rights as God to serve our interests ahead of His own… Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God, died a sinners death on the cross for you and for me.
Jesus is the ultimate example of humility.
How is Jesus the ultimate example of humility?
Because Jesus is God. There is no human like Him. He is the Godman, the very image of the invisible God. There’s no one higher, no one greater, no one better than Jesus. He is the highest of the high, the King above all kings, and the Lord over all lords.
And yet, this highest being stooped down and made Himself the lowest.
No one can ever surpass the humility of Jesus!
He who is the highest became the lowest to put our interests ahead of His own.
He who was found in the image of God took on our form and likeness to bear our sin and take our place. He stooped and took on…
- A back to be bruised
- Legs to be beaten
- Shoulders to carry our cross
- A head for thorns
- A heart to stop beating
Jesus owns and deserves EVERYTHING. There’s no limit to what He is due. And yet, He set it all aside to put our interests ahead of His own…
- He gave up the glories, benefits, and privileges of heaven to be born poor and lowly in our world.
- He gave up His spiritual form to take on the form of humanity – the Creator became like His creatures.
- He suffered the curse of fallen humanity and was tempted in every way we are, yet He never sinned.
- He was born into a nation – Israel – that were slaves to Rome.
- He was born into a poor, make-ends-meet, blue-collar family that lived in the poorest region of Israel.
- He, the Promised One, was rejected by His own people.
- He bore our shame as He suffered what we justly deserve.
- He bore the sins of mankind even though it required Him to experience torture and agonizing death on a Roman cross.
The One who had been exalted and honored by the angels on His eternal throne, the One who deserves all glory and honor and praise from His creation, He is the One who emptied Himself for you.
He put your need above Himself!
Why?
Paul’s point in Philippians 2. He did it to be our example.
Jesus shows us how to completely eliminate the internal threat that selfish ambition posses to unity in our church: be like Him…
“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”
This is the humble mind of Christ that Paul called the church at Philippi to imitate for the sake of unity as partners in the gospel.
If you were honest, you would be thinking, “This feels impossible.”
And you’d be right.
It feels impossible because you live among fallen humanity.
Every day of our lives we experience selfish examples of fallen humanity.
People around us put their self-interests first all the time…
- First in line
- First on the road (this is my spot)
- First with their money
- First with their time
- First in relationships
We live in a world where people put their own interests ahead of the interests of others constantly.
But that’s not the only problem that makes having this mind of Christ feel impossible…
If you were honest, this also feels impossible because you know yourself. Even your best efforts to be unselfish are not always pure. Within you lurks these hidden desires to be known for your service and to receive the credit you deserve.
Is it impossible to share the mind of Christ?
It would be impossible if it were not for the impossible fact that, after emptying Himself on the cross for our sins, Jesus did not stay dead.
Paul goes on to say…
Philippians 2:9-11
9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
God the Father raised Jesus from the dead and lifted God the Son to the highest place. He gave Him the name that is above every name.
He is given the name “Lord” (Kyrios) – the divine title of Yahweh.
As Lord, Jesus Christ is given all authority over creation.
This includes authority over…
- Heaven – angels
- Earth – humanity
- Under the earth – the defeated powers
And as a result, every tongue will confess:
- Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father
His humility was not His end.
It was His path to even greater glory.
It is impossible to have the mind of Christ and share His humility, unless you are born again of His Spirit!
But if you are born of the Spirit of God, you have the mind of Christ!
(1 Corinthians 2:16)
Paul then shares what you will see in those who have the mind of Christ. He calls it “the results of your salvation.”
Phil 2:12-18
12 Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.
13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
14 Do everything without complaining and arguing,
15 so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.
16 Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.
17 But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy.
18 Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.
These aren’t merely commands; these are characteristics observable in those who have been born again in Christ!
What will you see in them as they grow in Christ’s humility?
Paul states it!
In those who are humble like Christ, you will see…
- God’s power working in them to do what pleases Him (v13)
- Peace rather than complaining and arguing (v14)
- Purity rather than compromise with those things that are unclean, crooked, and perverse… sins that injure others (v15)
- People like Paul pouring out their lives as an offering to God… and, as a result, being filled with great joy (vv17-18)
This is what we see in those being sanctified in the humility of Christ. And they know the source of their humility: yet not I, but Christ in me.
Now that’s power! Power to do what feels impossible through Christ.
And I love what Paul does next in Philippians 2…
After encouraging unity through humility, Paul naturally flows into two incredible examples of what he’s talking about. Examples in the church… people who were living with the mindset of humility in Christ.
Those two examples were Timothy and Epaphroditus.
First, Timothy…
Philippians 2:19-24
19 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state.
20 For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state.
21 For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.
22 But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel.
23 Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me.
24 But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly.
Paul brags on Timothy to the Philippians by saying he is “like-minded” with him and “sincerely care(s)” for their estate.
Timothy was with Paul when Paul made his first visit to Philippi.
Timothy was just a young man, probably in his early 20’s, when he joined Paul’s mission team on Paul’s second missionary journey.
To join Paul’s mission team, Timothy had to leave his family, friends, and home behind. He left with no clear destination or timeframe and without any promise of compensation.
Paul identifies Timothy as a young man among them who lives in the mindset of humility in Christ.
After Timothy, Epaphroditus…
Philippians 2:25-30
25 Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need;
26 since he was longing for you all, and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick.
27 For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
28 Therefore I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful.
29 Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem;
30 because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me.
Epaphroditus had an “I am second” mentality that Paul celebrated!
Here’s a young man from Philippi
who voluntarily traveled some 700 miles one way
without modern transportation
to comfort Paul in prison
and to bring him a financial gift from the Philippian church.
And in his service, he got sick and almost died.
When he returned to Philippi, he carried the letter from Paul that we are studying right now – the epistle to the Philippians.
Paul trusted and commended Epaphroditus because he knew that he was willing to suspend his self-interests to attend to the interests of others.
Jesus, Paul, Timothy, and Epaphroditus are all extraordinary examples of humility; they were characterized by having the mind of Christ.
CONCLUSION
Is the way you’re living characterized by the mind of Christ?
Are you walking in humility?
Are you known as a humble person who considers the needs of others to be more important than your own needs, personal preferences, or self-interests. Are you operating in an “I am second” mindset that motivates you to attend to the needs of others?
How can you know?
It’s really helpful to have some very clear examples of humility when we are trying to self-evaluate.
So, as you self-assess, prayerfully consider these qualities of humility…
Do you…
- Listen Before Speaking
Humility shows up when someone:
- Let’s the other person finish their thought
- Asks clarifying questions
- Listens to understand, not to win
Humility says, “Your perspective matters.”
- Admit When You’re Wrong
A humble person doesn’t defend, deflect, or blame-shift.
They simply say:
- “I was wrong.”
- “I shouldn’t have said that.”
- “Please forgive me.”
Humility like this builds trust faster than perfection ever could.
- Celebrate the Success of Others Without Envy
Humility rejoices when someone else gets:
- The recognition
- The opportunity
- The praise
- The blessing
It’s the opposite of rivalry or comparison.
- Serve Without Needing Credit
This is Philippians 2 in action:
- Doing the dishes without announcing it
- Helping quietly
- Giving without expecting applause
Humility doesn’t keep score.
- Easily Yield Personal Preferences
Not moral issues; preferences.
Examples:
- Let someone else choose the restaurant
- Watch what they want to watch
- Adjust your schedule to help someone else
Humility says, “Your comfort matters, too.”
- Speak Gently, Even When You’re Right
Humility tempers truth with grace.
It avoids:
- Sarcasm
- Harshness
- “I told you so”
- Condescending tones
It chooses words that build up, not tear down.
- Ask for Input Instead of Controlling Everything
Humility invites others into decisions:
- “What do you think?”
- “How would you approach this?”
- “I value your insight.”
It treats the other person as capable and important.
- Give the Benefit of the Doubt
Humility assumes the best, not the worst.
- It doesn’t jump to conclusions or assign motives.
- It slows down and asks questions before reacting.
- Show Patience with Others’ Weaknesses
Humility remembers:
- “I have weaknesses, too.”
- “I need grace, too.”
It creates a safe environment for growth.
- Choose Reconciliation Over Being Right
Do you value the relationship more than winning the argument?
Are you willing to take the first step toward peace—even if the other person was more at fault.
When you put on the mind of Christ…
- You don’t have to be first.
- You don’t have to be right.
- You don’t have to be noticed.
- You don’t have to get your way.
- You don’t have to be served.
Do these things characterize your life?
If not, why not?
Do you need to be born again of the Spirit of God?
If you have been born again, do you need to commit your will to begin to put on who God has created you to be?
INVITATION
- To be born again
- To commit your will to put on the mind of Christ
- I choose to be second
- Like Christ, I will put the interests of others ahead of my own
- I can do this: not in my own power, but because I have the mind of Christ