How many roles do you play in a single day, parent, employee, friend, and which one truly defines you? This sermon points to the one role nobody can take from you, drawing on what Paul wrote from prison to the Christians in Philippi (Philippians 1 and 2) about being a servant in a world that prizes strength. Along the way it tells of a boy who used his advantage in the worst possible way, and of a woman who did the unthinkable in a courtroom. Listen, and ask what you are doing with the power you already hold.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- Paul writes to the Philippians from prison, to a city of war veterans known as a miniature Rome. How does this context help us understand his call in Philippians 1:27-30 to live as citizens worthy of the gospel?
- The hymn in Philippians 2:5-11 describes Jesus' steps downward: becoming human, becoming a servant, dying on a cross. What does each of these steps tell you about how Jesus used his power?
- Paul uses the language of battle, but the sermon says this is a fight with ourselves, not with people. How does the story of the woman sent away from home by her parents show what this kind of fight looks like?
- The sermon points out that the problem is often not other people's strength but our own: in marriage, among siblings, in the checkout line. Where do you most often use your strength to get your own way?
- A pastor asks couples considering divorce to repeat a confession about Jesus becoming a servant, and only then say what they want to do. How might that filter change one of your decisions or relationships?
- Who is the person you find hard to get along with this week, and how specifically can you meet their need at your own expense instead of fighting for your own way?
