Poured Out

Tony got word that he had done a good thing. Tony's supervisor had noticed that he got to work on time and often stayed late. Tony’s hard work was rewarded and recognized by his supervisor in front of his fellow co-workers. It was pointed out that that ruff and gruff Tony had not had an accident on his crew in over a year. Tony has done a good thing. When the supervisor told these things to Tony in front of his crew he started to cry. He said “Nobody has ever said good things about me.”

 Tony was so overcome that he invited the supervisor to his home. When the supervisor arrived Tony introduced him to his wife. She said “It has been like Christmas around here because of what you said.” About 12 years later Tony and his former supervisor met again. Tony was now a supervisor himself and working for a railroad company. They sat down over lunch to talk about old times. Tony said that “The day you told me I did a good job it changed my life. It made a difference in my life.” In fact, Tony continued “If you had not said that to me I probably would have ended up murdering somebody.”

 We love these kinds of stories. Stories about one little thing that made all the difference. We love stories about how someone worked with a child and changed that child’s life. We love to hear stories about how we make a difference. The book of Philippians in the NT is a book about making a difference. In fact you could classify it as the NT thank you letter. Why? Because the Philippians had made a difference in the life of Paul.

Paul writes them a four chapter book to tell them that you really helped me and made a difference in my life. There are at least 10 different times that Paul makes a reference to some difference that they had made in his life.

1:3 Refers to Acts 16 when Paul established the church in Philippi.

1:5 We have partnership in the Gospel, we have fellowship we are working together to make a difference through ministry.

1:7 You all were the ones that stayed with me when I was thrown into prison.

1:9 Paul says he feels the love that the people have for him.

1:19 I feel the prayers that you say for me.

1:25 Your growth in Christ is an encouragement to me. 

2:25 You all sent Epaphroditus and he has made a difference in my life. 

4:3 You stood with me side by side

4:14 You stood with me in troubled times.

4:16 Paul mentions that twice they have sent him money.

At least ten times Paul talks about what a difference the Philippians have made in his life. Well wouldn’t you like to be the Philippians? You helped Paul and got your name in the NT. Well what happens when we serve and we don’t make a difference? What happens when we serve and Tony ends up killing someone? What happens when we try to help mend relationships and yet they fall apart? What happens when are working with teenager and they go back on drugs? What happens when we try to help a child and they run away, again and again?

What happens if your preaching and you get thrown in prison? What happens if your preaching and those you are working with begin to preach out of rivalry? What happens when those you are working with in church begin to argue and fuss among themselves? Well that is what is going on in Philippi. That is the reason why Paul penned the letter. Because those who had been working side by side with him are now fussing side by side. Those who had been pushing each other up to the top of the mountain are now pushing each other off the mountain. Those who had been so in focus where now so out of focus. The difference he had made among them was starting to crumble. 

There is this short play that opens with several actors and actresses on the stage when the curtain goes up. The characters don’t really know why they are there. They start talking and fussing about why they are here. One says “What is the purpose of this?” Another says “What are we supposed to be doing?” They banter back and forth. Then the group notices that there is some construction materials on the stage. They conclude that we are to building something. This conclusion only leads to another fuss about what it is they are to be constructing. Some say “I want to build this” others say “I want to build that.” Then they hear a voice off stage.

It is difficult to make sense of what the voice is saying. The voice sounds menacing so they conclude that they should build a wall to protect themselves from their enemies. So for a brief moment there is comradery  as they throw their fussing aside. They all throw themselves into constructing a barrier between them and their enemies. In the middle of this action a man enters from off stage. He is carrying rolls of papers under his arm. He orders the group to stop what they are doing. He asks them “What are you doing?” They say “We are building a wall because of our enemies.” He says “No, no, no, I am the architect and you are not supposed to be building a wall. You are supposed to be building a bridge.”

 Well that is what was going on in Philippi. Instead of building a bridge to one another they were building up barricades. They had forgot their vision. Well what do you do? What do you do when you want to make a difference but you see it vanishing before your eyes. Paul deals with this in the book of Philippians. One place that he takes it up in a pointed way is in Philippines 2:14-18 which reads:

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. 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. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

Paul wants to make a difference so he tells them don’t grumble, don’t’ complain, don’t build those walls that are getting in the way of making a difference. Paul is communicating something like. . .

             I don’t want to grow old and as an old man realize that all the work I did among you was for nothing because you have destroyed what I built. I don’t want to run the race of life only to cross the finish line and realize that nobody else was running with me. I want to make a difference and I want you all to cooperate. Then Paul adds a marvelous line from verse 17 “But even if I am poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.”

 Paul is saying that even if I don’t make a difference I am still willing to be poured out like water on the ground. To grasp this statement by Paul we have look back to Lev. 23:13 which is a passage about Passover. They have just built the alter out of stones, put the wood in the fire and have offered the sacrifice of the sacrificial animal and it has been burned on the altar. Then they bring the cereal offering. The offering of wheat and burn it on the altar. Then the priest takes a port of wine and he pours it over the alter and the wine runs down the wood and onto the stone and eventually down into the ground.

Not a drop of that wine touches any human lips. Not a single drop satisfies anyone’s thirst. Not a single drop enters anyone’s stomach. It is just poured out. What is Paul getting at? In order to grasp this verse it might be helpful to look at Mark 10:45. Here the disciples have been fussing among each other and Jesus seeing this fussing says “For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus is saying that he came to make a difference. He came to serve. He came to change our lives. He came to serve and not be served. He came to give his life as a ransom for many. He came to be poured out. What is Jesus talking about? In 1 John 3:16 we read “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”

 Not every time we serve do we make a difference. We are not all servants all the time. In fact the book of Philippians shows us the real down side to serving. Paul served and what did he get? He was thrown in prison. Paul served and he was hungry. Paul served and the people he was working with were falling apart in front of his very eyes. It is one thing to be poured out like wine and another to be a hero. It is another thing to be poured out like wine and find yourself to be a doormat. It is one thing to be poured out like wine and find your name in the newspaper. It is another thing to be poured out like wine and find yourself in obscurity. Are we willing to be poured out only to look at the bottom of the bucket and see that our lives have hardly filled the bucket?

 What this text is doing is calling us to reexamine our motives for service. Why do we do what we do? The text is asking the question are you willing to be poured out? Not be poured out and count attendance. Not be poured out and count baptisms. Not be poured out and look at the statistics. Not be poured out and see how many headlines you grabbed. Not be poured out and see how many thank you notes you get. Not be poured out and see how many plaques are on the wall. But be poured out till your last breath.

A young mother who went into one of those inner city nutritional centers. She was a poor women and had baby in her arms. She was feeding the baby out of a bottle and the bottle was filled with something red. A tired caseworker came out and saw the mother. The caseworker was about to give the young mother her lecture on how bad it is to give babies Kool-Aid. Just as she started her lecture the young mother started to cry. Through the tears she started to say I have been out of money for a week and I don’t have any food. It has been a few days since I have eaten. I spent my last dollar on formula and then it ran out. So I went to this fast food place because the baby was hungry. I got the only two things they give away for free. I got some water and mixed it with some ketchup. That is what I am feeding my baby.

Don’t know what happened to the mother. Is it likely that she is still a young poor mother? Is it likely that the caseworker made no difference in her life? Perhaps that young mother, at this very moment, might just be at some fast food place mixing water and ketchup. Are we willing to be poured out for people like that? Are we willing to be poured out for people who can’t give us anything back? Are we willing to be poured out when we know that there is a large hole in the bottom of the bucket that we are pouring into? Are we willing to be poured onto the altar across the wood and stone and down onto the ground.

A fellow by the name of Wayne Reed helped a church set up a life skills lab in New York city at a church called Saint Ann’s Church. He tried to help a homeless man named John Cossack. John was a doctor but had been sleeping on the streets of Brooklyn Heights for 20 years. The park rangers said that John would come down every night and set himself up in one of the latrines in the park on a regular basis. One shop owner said that John Cossack was a gentle man and would never harm anybody. He would stand on the corner of Henry street in Brooklyn Heights with a cup. He would ask those that passed by “Have any change? Have any change?” Shop keepers would often give John some food. Wayne tells of coming to work on August 10, 1992. A crowd was gathered around the door to Saint Ann’s. Police cars with their lights flashing were there. John Cossacks limp body was resting against the front door of the church. His throat had been slit. The police said that he was killed for a bottle of whiskey. He was 63. Wayne Reed tried to help John. Lot of good it did. All they had to show for it was John’s body by the door.

That is the very issue that Paul was wrestling with. He gives his motivation. He gives his reason for service and it is one of the clearest in all of scripture Philippines 2:5 “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death even death on a cross!”