Pastor Bryan Walmer

1 If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. 4 Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others. 5 Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, 6 who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. 7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross. 9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:1-11 CSB

Sometimes we discover passages in the scriptures that are extremely formative when it comes to following Jesus.

Unity is one of the biggest results of following Jesus.

Unity does not mean uniformity.

Jesus gives us much around which we can unite.

The practice required for unity

We should do nothing in order to advance ourselves at others’ expense.

We should see others as more important (not better) than ourselves.

We should prioritize the needs and interests of others ahead of our own.

The power needed to practice unity

We look to Jesus and his love for us for the strength to prioritize others.

Jesus treated us the way he asks us to treat others.

We can trust Jesus to provide for our needs and interests.

Two Applications:
Stop grasping.

Pursue humility.