MPC
16th December 2018.December 16 - Philippians 2:1-11 - "Selfless Humility"
MPC
16th December 2018.
Luke Peterson
1000... That's the number of selfies uploaded to Instagram... every 10 seconds! 1000 selfies every 10 seconds! It's estimated that the average millennial will take over 25,000 selfies in their lifetime!
And more people die every year from taking selfies than shark attacks! People forget there are cliffs behind them. Or they're next to train tracks... The selfie epidemic is taking over the world!
And I think it says something about our culture... That we're a culture obsessed with... ourselves! All of us tend to go through life with the basic orientation that life is all about me! None of us are immune from this...
I mean who woke up this morning and the first thought on your mind was, "Praise God for another glorious day in which he's given me life for the sake of loving and building up those around me... "?
I woke up this morning thinking about myself... my dreams... my desires... my wants... my needs... that's what we do isn't it!?
And it's the all-pervasive message our day... that life is about me... pursue what you want... what makes you happy... don't let anyone get in your way... it's your life... do what you want with it and that will bring you happiness and joy and fulfilment.
But it doesn't really ever deliver on that promise, does it? The more we pursue what we want. What we desire. The more divided we become, the more isolated we feel, the more lonely we are. And we become more dissatisfied as we compare ourselves to everyone else.
Do you know those feelings?
And so it begs the question... is this really how we're meant to live!? Is life really all about us or is there another way!?
Well over the past few weeks we've been in this series called "One of Us". Thinking about what the incarnation means... what it means that Jesus is both fully God and fully man. What's so amazing about the Creator entering into his creation as a human.
Over the last couple of weeks we've seen it was necessary for Jesus to be both fully God and fully man in order to be the perfect mediator between us and God. And the only way we could be fully forgiven and freed.
And this morning we see another aspect of the incarnation. God wants to open our eyes and our hearts to what the incarnation teaches us about selflessness and humility. And how that changes how we ought to live.
So let's get into it.
We are going to pick it up in verses 3 and 4. Where Paul says that in this self obsessed world... followers of Jesus are to be marked by something radically different... selflessness...
Check it out there, verse 3:
3. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
So Paul says, something crazy there doesn't he... V4... did you see that? He says life is not about looking to your own interests... but live life looking to the interests of others! Now what exactly does he mean by that?
What does that word "interests" mean? What's he talking about? Well anything!
The word "interests" there.. it's not in the original... it's like a "fill in the blank"... It could be anything...
Don't look to your own financial well-being, your own property, or your own family, or your own health, or your own reputation, or your own education, or your own success, or your own happiness - don't just think about that. Or obsess about it. Don't just work toward that. But look to, go after, aspire to, work towards the wealth and family and health, and reputation, and education, and success, and happiness of others!
Like what?! Are you serious!? Don't look out for yourself. Look out for others!
He's asking the impossible right!? At least it's impossible for me! Maybe you've got it sorted? But I'm not like that! I struggle with not looking out for number one every single day!
If I'm just chilling at home relaxing and my son Flynn comes up to me and says Dad you wanna play with me... this weird thing happens every time... I suddenly just feel so tired! It just seems like so much effort and I can't be bothered!
I immediately think about my own interests!
But here Paul says don't just think about how tired you are Luke!!
Yes you're tired! Think about that! But think about how much it means for Flynn to have his Dad come play with him and make that time for him. To show him love. Think about their interests above your own!
To put their interests above my own personal relaxation and pleasure... It takes a miracle for that to happen to a person...
And one of the keys to this happening is in the second half of verse 3... have a look there with me... "in humility value others above yourselves"
Count others more valuable. The more literal translation here is "count/consider others more valuable than yourself"...
And I think it brings out a really important nuance that could be otherwise missed... and it's all about that word "count/consider"... it's a judgement call that we make... a decision that we make...
And we make all sorts of decisions every day... you made a decision even as you walked into church today didn't you... where to sit?
You made judgements and decisions immediately starting looking around at people, and whether they are worthy of sharing in the glory that is your presence on a seat next to them right!?
You look at who they are and what they look like... do they look awkward... I wonder what they smell like... oh, they've got kids let's sit somewhere else... you know it's true! But that's what we do... we look at what we see and make a choice... But that's not what Paul says here.
You see the point here in counting others more valuable than yourself is not about what others are. It's about what you count them to be!
The focus is not on the attributes or qualities they possess. It's not about their looks, their status, their personality.
The focus is: Will you count them as worthy of your help and encouragement? Not are they worthy? But will you count them as worthy?
Will you serve them?
Will you take thought not just for your own interests but for theirs?
Will I encourage them and take the time to help them and build them up?
Will I count them as more valuable than myself and put them and their interests above my own?
That is the focus...
And so where does this other person oriented commitment come from?
Well have another look at verse 3 it says, "in humility value others above yourselves"
This other person centered-ness... it comes from humility! Literally, lowliness...
What does it mean to be humble? Well I can tell you what humility is not... It's not being unable to take complements... or putting yourself down all the time... You know when people are like that...
You know you go to their house for dinner and they've made like Bacon-Wrapped Scallops with Pineapple Quinoa and you're like this is amazing!
And their like ohhhhhh no that old thing... no, no, I suck at cooking I just threw that together before you got here...
And you're like, seriously!? You just threw that together!? You want me to throw something together.. you'll be lucky to get some toast...
And you see that's not humility! It's not about putting yourself down...
True humility does not come from self depreciation... it doesn't have the focus on self... True humility has its focus is on God and on others! That is where true humility lies!
As C.S. Lewis says... "Humility is not thinking less of yourself... it's thinking of yourself less... "
It's thinking of others as important and more valuable and putting them first... above yourself!
It is an attention on others, on their strengths and virtues that is Christian humility at its finest!
Humility is profoundly and deeply rooted in love! Love for God and love for others... above love for self!
Negative humility focuses on self and our inadequacies. But positive Christian humility is motivated by love and a focus on others.
And if we're honest with ourselves, if I'm honest with myself, we really struggle with this don't we!?
We're not good at this... we're not humble!
When my feet hit the floor out of bed every morning I don't start the day in humility... I start the day feeling entitled, like everyone else owes me something, like I'm more important than anyone else on the planet...
You owe me more sleep... I'm owed coffee!! You owe me respect... You owe me time... You owe me Wi-Fi that always works...
Do you guys know what I'm talking about or am I the only one like this?
My basic orientation in life, and maybe it's the same for you, is not one of humility...
This is hard! Seemingly impossible! I don't have selfless humility!
So what do we do? When we know we struggle with this... what do we do??
Well Paul tells us... v.5... look to Jesus! The ultimate example of selfless humility!
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
In the way you relate to each other, the way you think of others... follow the example of Jesus...
Who... v.6 being in very nature God...
Ok we are talking about God here... God! The maker and sustainer of all things! The creator of the universe! The one who speaks planets into existence! The one who holds life itself within his hands... take a deep breath right now... you can take that breath because God allowed you to! Don't forget that... you're not the ruler of the universe... in any second... that breath can be taken from you. God is the ruler of all things, the most powerful being in existence for all eternity... and Jesus... is God! Jesus is this divine being in the flesh! God in the flesh! Jesus possess equality with God because he's god!
You want to talk about someone being entitled... there is no one more entitled to anything on the planet than Jesus! He is the King over everything!
And is entitled to whatever he wants.. he can give and take away anything he wants... he can give and take away life in an instant... he is entitled to everything... and yet... Verse 6:
he did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
He doesn't push his weight around! He has the highest status possible but doesn't grasp after it and exploit his power...
Rather, V.7 he made himself nothing, literally he empties himself of that... he gives it all up...
In the incarnation God comes down in the likeness of man... as one of us... creator becomes like the created... not to be served... but to serve...
That's staggering isn't it!?
That he let go of everything that was rightly his and in absolute selfless humility lowered himself to our position...
But that's not all... he does all of this... he becomes incarnate... for the purpose of... V. 8 he humbled himself... to death... even death on a cross!
The most horrific and humiliating and shameful way that anyone could possibly die was the cross...
And he went to that cross... and died ... for your sake and for mine. Why!? Because he counted us as worthy! He saw as valuable and worth dying for when we weren't!
The perfect and holy son of God, blameless and spotless in every way, on that cross, takes on our sin, all our shame, all our baggage, all that keeps us apart from God, and he dies the death we deserve for sin.
He dies for our sake... he denies himself and puts the interests of mankind above his own.
There is no greater act of selfless humility than the cross of Jesus Christ!
When he owed you nothing but hell... he went to hell for you!
Until you're stunned by that... you will have a sense of entitlement and life that revolves around you!
You will walk through life with the basic orientation being that life is all about you...
But as soon as it lands on you with stunning force... that you were owed hell... and you got heaven... at the cost of the life of the son of God... so much for our sense of entitlement.
The gospel destroys any hint of entitlement anyone could ever have! And it humbles us to our rightful place...
So when we struggle with humility or self-denial or serving those who are hard to love, or putting the interests of other above ourselves... think of Jesus... what he has done for you. He is the great example of verse 4, looking to the interests of others and not his own. That's what he did when he came to die in your place.
And we see in v.9-11 he was gloriously rewarded for this selfless humility even unto death! As he's raised from the dead conquering sin and death and offering us eternal life and God exalts him to the highest place! He gives him the name above all names! And ultimately everyone will bow to the Son of God on that great final day!
And you see in the life of Jesus... the cross came before the crown!
The cross comes before the crown!
The humiliation came before the exaltation!
The humility before the glory!
And that's the same for us! So many of us seek after and desire the crown now! We want to live in glory now! We want all the goodness and spoils and prosperity and wealth of heaven in the here and now! We want it all for ourselves for our own comfort and pleasure and fulfilment.
And yet those who Jesus calls to follow him he calls them to take up their cross, and follow him! To die to self! And live for him!
To have the same mindset as Jesus involves putting to death our own own selfish desires and wants and entitlement and seek the good of others and their best interests. It is to be stunned at the selfless humility in Christ, that we might count others more valuable than ourselves and live with selfless humility. Freely we have been served and freely we serve!
It is Jesus, the incarnate son of God who shows us what it means to live in humility, to value others above yourself, to live for the interests and sake of others.
So when that hard to love person is just wearing you down... when it feels too costly... look to the cross... and the cost of Jesus loving you!
When we begin to regard people as not worthy of our time and effort and love... that they are beneath us... the incarnation reminds us that God came down to us who are infinitely beneath him... and counted us worthy of dying for when we weren't... There is no one beneath you... no one unworthy or undeserving of your love!
When the temptation is to use your power or position or money for your own sake and own well-being and own comfort... we need to remember Jesus! l... we need to be reminded how Jesus emptied himself of everything that was rightfully his for the sake of others... for our sake!
When we were unworthy, when we were hard to love, when we were against him, Jesus counted us as worthy! Counted us and our well-being more important and more precious! He considered us worthy of dying for when we were totally unworthy!
Will we do the same for those around us? Will we follow the example of Jesus!?
Will we give and serve to the point where it hurts? So often we can be so stingy with our time and money and efforts for others... But can you imagine a world... or a church... or a life lived with selfless humility... Where we help each other move house even if it takes our whole Saturday... Or where we're never too tired or busy to cook a simple meal for someone in need... Where Netflix isn't more important than sitting down with a brother or sister and reading the bible with them... Or where Christmas isn't an exclusive family event but the doors are open to anyone who is seeking love and comfort during this time of year...
Can you imagine that?!
We need to pray and ask God to humble us, show us who we can be loving this week... putting above ourselves...
In a selfie obsessed world... will we be known as a people of true humility, whose focus is not on ourselves, but on God and on others. Thinking of ourselves less, and counting others as more valuable and living for their good and their flourishing?
Will we follow the example of the incarnate Son of God and live for the sake of others and for the glory of God?