1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,600 Welcome to Walk in the Truth podcast. 2 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:17,720 How do we know where to find answers to the toughest questions in life? 3 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:22,160 While the simplest answer is the Bible, where do we start this search and how do we discover 4 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:23,160 this truth? 5 00:00:23,160 --> 00:00:30,280 Today, in this teaching podcast, John Metter, lead pastor of Cross City Church, takes a 6 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:37,240 specific text of the Bible and helps us find truth for the life we're searching for. 7 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:44,000 Now, a new perspective on life comes from Philippians chapter two and three. 8 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:50,000 It's out of the series' perspectives because it really is all about the kind of viewpoint 9 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:55,960 that you have to have in order to have the joyful life Christ intended you to have. 10 00:00:55,960 --> 00:00:59,520 In fact, what we're talking about today is the subject of humility. 11 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:04,760 That humility is one of the most important qualities that Jesus mirrored and demonstrated 12 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:07,360 and that Paul is calling us to. 13 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:12,360 And if you have the opposite of humility, you will never, ever have joy. 14 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:14,480 So you're going to want to listen today. 15 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:21,000 You're going to want to know how is it that I have humility and not pride, which seems 16 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:22,560 to tear everything down. 17 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:24,560 So let's stand together as we read God's word. 18 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:30,680 Philippians chapter two, beginning in verse one, three, verse four. 19 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:32,760 Very brief passage today. 20 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:34,640 Paul is writing and he begins with three or four. 21 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:39,160 He's taken the whole chapter, chapter one, to talk about the church of Jesus Christ. 22 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:41,200 That's our tribe series. 23 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:46,360 And the whole idea is we're a tribe of people that Jesus Christ has called out of the world 24 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:49,160 and we're following him and we're serving him. 25 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:50,600 And so now he builds on that. 26 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:53,720 He says, how are we to individually and corporately live? 27 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:55,000 How are we to act? 28 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:57,200 What perspective should we consider for life? 29 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:02,720 Here he says, therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of 30 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:09,240 love, if there is any fellowship of the spirit, if any affection and compassion make my joy 31 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:15,320 complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit intent on 32 00:02:15,320 --> 00:02:23,080 one purpose, do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind, 33 00:02:23,080 --> 00:02:25,480 regard one another as more important than yourself. 34 00:02:25,480 --> 00:02:31,600 Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also the interests of others. 35 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:36,840 Now we're going to only cover this much today, but peek ahead to the next verse if you have 36 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:38,400 your Bible open. 37 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:45,000 Add this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus. 38 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:46,160 That says it all, doesn't it? 39 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:47,240 This is what we want to be. 40 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:48,840 This is where we want to go. 41 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:49,840 Let's pray together. 42 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:51,920 Father, we thank you so much for your word. 43 00:02:51,920 --> 00:02:56,800 We're praying, Father, for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that gave us this word 44 00:02:56,800 --> 00:03:01,680 to also illuminate this word in every heart and every mind. 45 00:03:01,680 --> 00:03:07,200 Father, help us to walk away knowing what this says and knowing what it means and how 46 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:08,200 we're delivered out. 47 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:09,200 Please help us. 48 00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:10,200 This is in Jesus' name. 49 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:11,200 Amen. 50 00:03:11,200 --> 00:03:12,200 Please be seated if you would. 51 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:18,000 Now those of you that know me know that I'm not a big superhero fan. 52 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:23,720 I don't go for the big hero movies today and I'm just not into that kind of thing, but 53 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:29,240 I did grow up watching Superman and black and white television. 54 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:32,320 Now if you've never seen Superman in black and white television, it's Superman who's 55 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:33,320 out of shape. 56 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:37,040 He doesn't have a six pack and somehow he still flies. 57 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:42,520 I mean it's really unusual how that depiction back in that day actually looked supernatural 58 00:03:42,520 --> 00:03:47,080 to the eyes of a six year old watching black and white television. 59 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:52,080 Superman was always everywhere fighting the villains of the day and always had the strength 60 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:57,200 and the power to leap tall buildings with a single bound faster than a speeding bullet, 61 00:03:57,200 --> 00:03:58,200 you know the words. 62 00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:03,600 All that was kind of drilled into my mind as a young boy, but also drilled into my mind 63 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:09,320 that there was one thing that Superman couldn't overcome and that was, say it with me, kryptonite. 64 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:10,320 Kryptonite. 65 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:12,080 How many of you said that out loud? 66 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:13,080 Raise your hand. 67 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:16,280 Oh, we have some fans in the room today. 68 00:04:16,280 --> 00:04:17,280 Kryptonite. 69 00:04:17,280 --> 00:04:24,000 Kryptonite was this gooey green stuff from the planet Krypton from where Superman came 70 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:28,320 and it was the one thing, the only thing that would weaken Superman. 71 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:35,760 It was the thing that pulverized his strength, kept him from being Superman and so he avoided 72 00:04:35,760 --> 00:04:38,960 kryptonite at every cost. 73 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:42,640 And I always remember that when I think of what we're talking about today, the subject 74 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:51,320 of pride or humility and the reality that pride is the kryptonite of Christians. 75 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:54,440 And why do I say that? 76 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:59,480 I say that because Christians have the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit in every life. 77 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:04,040 Every believer in Jesus has the indwelling Spirit of God. 78 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:10,520 As when we learn to die to ourselves and let him live inside of us in fullness, then there's 79 00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:13,440 literally nothing that God calls us to do that we can't do. 80 00:05:13,440 --> 00:05:16,320 We can do that in the power of the Holy Spirit. 81 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:21,000 I can do all things to Christ who strengthens me, Paul said, in the book of Philippians. 82 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:24,400 There's so much that the Holy Spirit of God wants to do in our life. 83 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:29,360 But when we allow pride to come in and humility to exit, that's our kryptonite. 84 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:30,840 It weakens our witness. 85 00:05:30,840 --> 00:05:35,040 It weakens our ability to live the life God has called us to. 86 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:40,760 And that's what Paul is talking about here in this passage, the kryptonite for believers. 87 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:49,320 Now, like many churches, Philippi was threatened by disunity that came as a result of pride. 88 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:51,160 Now, this was not a large church. 89 00:05:51,160 --> 00:05:55,920 This was a church that at its maximum was about 100 people in attendance. 90 00:05:55,920 --> 00:06:01,000 And yet, they were extremely influential as the gateway to the Western world. 91 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:08,080 The Macedonian vision in Acts 16, 17, 18 was phenomenal in unfolding what God the Spirit 92 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:15,800 was doing and sending Paul and Timothy and Dr. Luke across to get the gospel to Lydia 93 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:21,040 and that group of women gathered at that river on the other side in Macedonia. 94 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:22,720 That became the Church of Philippi. 95 00:06:22,720 --> 00:06:27,720 And from Philippi, the gospel went west, then north, and eventually, ultimately, it came 96 00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:31,080 across the ocean to a place called the United States of America. 97 00:06:31,080 --> 00:06:35,680 Eventually, the gospel made its way this way through Philippi. 98 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:37,800 I'd say that's influential. 99 00:06:37,800 --> 00:06:39,840 I'd say that's a very influential church. 100 00:06:39,840 --> 00:06:44,920 And these people probably had no idea that they were setting the stage for kingdom movement 101 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:48,160 for the next 500 years. 102 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:49,160 Wow. 103 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:53,080 So, they're an important group of people. 104 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:58,240 And the reality is that most of the time, we don't know how influential we are. 105 00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:02,800 This church was doctrinally strong, but they were threatened, just like everything else 106 00:07:02,800 --> 00:07:07,960 is threatened by pride and disunity and disharmony. 107 00:07:07,960 --> 00:07:12,600 I want you to think about the greatest organizations that you've known on the planet that have 108 00:07:12,600 --> 00:07:20,080 somehow splintered off and split because of disagreements and disharmony and disunity 109 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:24,360 and ultimately, pride gets to them and they fall. 110 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:29,240 Or I want you to think of great families that you know about, great marriages that might 111 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:34,280 have been torn apart because of the pride of one or both and the disharmony and division 112 00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:40,480 entered in and all of a sudden, it was irreconcilable because one was going one way, one was going 113 00:07:40,480 --> 00:07:41,520 a different way. 114 00:07:41,520 --> 00:07:47,280 Think about families that are threatened by pride instead of helped by humility. 115 00:07:47,280 --> 00:07:52,040 And you'll get the picture that everywhere we go, everywhere we look, pride is really 116 00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:54,600 the kryptonite of great relationship. 117 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:56,440 It's the kryptonite of great organizations. 118 00:07:56,440 --> 00:07:58,960 It's the kryptonite of great churchhood. 119 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:03,480 And we have to be aware that we're called to work, walk in humility. 120 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:06,640 Corinth, the church of Corinth, had this huge issue. 121 00:08:06,640 --> 00:08:12,000 2 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 20 and Paul writes to this church and says, I'm afraid 122 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:19,400 that perhaps when I come, I may find you to be not what I wish and be found by you to 123 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:25,760 be not what you wish, that perhaps there will be strife and jealousies and angry tempers 124 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:33,080 and disputes and slander and gossips and arrogance and disturbances. 125 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:36,960 Paul writes to the church that Corinth says, Oh, don't let this be reality. 126 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:38,560 But in Corinth it was. 127 00:08:38,560 --> 00:08:42,880 So he's writing to Philippi and saying, we don't want this going on in your church. 128 00:08:42,880 --> 00:08:45,200 We don't want it to be going on in your life. 129 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:49,120 Therefore, I'm going to talk to you about these joyful ways to live life. 130 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:55,440 And I'm going to begin with this issue of humility instead of pride. 131 00:08:55,440 --> 00:09:00,360 These eight perspectives that we'll cover in chapters two and three are pretty interestingly 132 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:06,000 aligned with eight of the Beatitudes that you hear Jesus talking about in Matthew chapter 133 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:07,000 five. 134 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:09,880 Compare those someday because we'll certainly do that as we walk through this. 135 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:16,040 And the greatest quality we can have if we begin this journey is that humility or meekness. 136 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:17,040 Let me give you a definition. 137 00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:21,360 In fact, most of the next five minutes is just a definition of what humility is because 138 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:25,240 I want you to see and feel what this is. 139 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:31,720 It is the inward quality, not just an outward expression, but humility is an inward quality 140 00:09:31,720 --> 00:09:37,040 of accepting God's dealings with us without dispute. 141 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:42,480 It's the inward quality of saying, okay, God, where I am placed, I may or may not like it, 142 00:09:42,480 --> 00:09:44,240 but you're in charge, you're on the throne. 143 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:48,680 And so I'm going to deal with that, not in prideful arrogance or anger, but I'm going 144 00:09:48,680 --> 00:09:53,360 to deal with that in humility, trusting that you know where I am and what you're doing. 145 00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:54,840 Let me go further. 146 00:09:54,840 --> 00:10:03,560 Humility is the balance between being mad about everything or being mad about nothing. 147 00:10:03,560 --> 00:10:05,360 You know, there are those that are mad about everything, right? 148 00:10:05,360 --> 00:10:09,040 I mean, do you know anybody that's mad about everything? 149 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:10,040 Just point to them if they're in the room. 150 00:10:10,040 --> 00:10:11,040 Would you do that? 151 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:14,600 No, I know you're not going to do that. 152 00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:16,600 Then there are people that are mad about nothing. 153 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:20,240 I mean, nothing stirs them up at all. 154 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:22,780 And maybe there's a lack of courage there. 155 00:10:22,780 --> 00:10:27,440 But what humility is, is being angry at the right time about the right things in reasonable 156 00:10:27,440 --> 00:10:28,440 ways. 157 00:10:28,440 --> 00:10:33,720 There are some things that should provoke righteous indignation, but it's not being 158 00:10:33,720 --> 00:10:36,280 mad about everything or being mad about nothing. 159 00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:40,400 It's being able to respond in the right way at the right time. 160 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:45,800 Humility, here's the definition, is gentle strength, as best demonstrated in the life 161 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:46,800 of Christ. 162 00:10:46,800 --> 00:10:48,800 That's a great definition. 163 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:53,600 In fact, everything that we're going to say over the next three or four or five weeks, 164 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:56,720 these eight character qualities that we're going to talk about can all be seen in the 165 00:10:56,720 --> 00:10:58,920 life of Jesus, and they should be. 166 00:10:58,920 --> 00:11:02,880 And that's why verse five says what it says. 167 00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:03,880 Humility is Christ-like. 168 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:06,880 It's power under control. 169 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:13,920 Jesus said, blessed are the meek or gentle or humble, for they shall inherit the earth. 170 00:11:13,920 --> 00:11:17,600 Humility is so powerful because it's the opposite of pride. 171 00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:20,280 And when we have pride, we're actually enemies of God. 172 00:11:20,280 --> 00:11:23,920 And that's why the Bible says in the book of James, humble yourselves in the presence 173 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:24,920 of the Lord. 174 00:11:24,920 --> 00:11:30,760 Be sure you're humble because the prideful person is an enemy of God, and nobody really 175 00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:35,400 wants to be an enemy of God, not knowingly. 176 00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:36,560 Think about it this way. 177 00:11:36,560 --> 00:11:42,680 Humility is the greatest character quality you can have because satanic spiritual warfare 178 00:11:42,680 --> 00:11:47,880 cannot thrive against you when you are humble. 179 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:52,880 Satan requires pride to make you fall. 180 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:56,440 But humility is a great protection in your life. 181 00:11:56,440 --> 00:11:58,720 It closes the door to pride. 182 00:11:58,720 --> 00:12:00,960 Humility in its companion terms exemplify Christ. 183 00:12:00,960 --> 00:12:02,560 I've said that several times. 184 00:12:02,560 --> 00:12:04,120 Just look ahead at verse five again. 185 00:12:04,120 --> 00:12:08,760 Have this attitude in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. 186 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:13,680 So today this message, based on the definition I've just given you, is going to give you 187 00:12:13,680 --> 00:12:19,880 some strategies for being able to recognize humility and win and succeed in relationships. 188 00:12:19,880 --> 00:12:23,560 Hopefully humility, if you begin to experience that in the right way, will give you incredible 189 00:12:23,560 --> 00:12:24,560 joy in life. 190 00:12:24,560 --> 00:12:28,160 And you need to have that joy that Christ promises you. 191 00:12:28,160 --> 00:12:29,320 You're not going to get it your way. 192 00:12:29,320 --> 00:12:31,800 You're not going to get joy by demanding it. 193 00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:36,340 You're going to get joy by an inward quality that begins to take place in your life that 194 00:12:36,340 --> 00:12:41,760 allows tranquility when things are swirling around you but you have this incredible trust 195 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:45,000 that God is going to help you through. 196 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:46,000 You need this. 197 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:47,000 I need this. 198 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:48,000 We all need it. 199 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:51,680 So today I'm going to give you three questions that the text answers. 200 00:12:51,680 --> 00:12:53,520 Okay, we're going to approach it that way. 201 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:58,280 First of all, what should motivate us towards humility? 202 00:12:58,280 --> 00:13:00,840 Why should I want to be humble? 203 00:13:00,840 --> 00:13:07,240 Why should the church of Jesus Christ exhibit humility in their dealings and their relationships 204 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:09,000 and their conversation? 205 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:10,000 Why? 206 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:12,240 And it all is answered in verse one. 207 00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:14,000 Do you see what verse one says? 208 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:16,120 It says, notice the ifs. 209 00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:20,720 Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, let me answer the question. 210 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:22,440 Is there any encouragement in Christ? 211 00:13:22,440 --> 00:13:23,440 Yes or no? 212 00:13:23,440 --> 00:13:24,440 Say yes if it's yes. 213 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:25,440 Yes. 214 00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:26,440 Is there any encouragement in Christ? 215 00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:27,440 Yes. 216 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:28,440 Yes. 217 00:13:28,440 --> 00:13:31,240 If there is any consolation of love, stop. 218 00:13:31,240 --> 00:13:33,840 Is there any consolation of love in Christ? 219 00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:34,840 Yes. 220 00:13:34,840 --> 00:13:38,200 If there is any fellowship of the Spirit, is there or is there not? 221 00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:39,200 Is there? 222 00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:40,200 Yes. 223 00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:43,440 If there is any affection and compassion in Christ, is there? 224 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:44,440 Yes. 225 00:13:44,440 --> 00:13:49,120 The answer to all those questions is yes in case you weren't watching. 226 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:59,320 Paul is using language to bring a compelling argument to us that the ifs really mean sense. 227 00:13:59,320 --> 00:14:00,320 We did this last week. 228 00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:05,160 Remember last week we talked about the resurrection of Jesus in 1 Corinthians 15 and Paul said 229 00:14:05,160 --> 00:14:07,360 about the resurrection of Jesus. 230 00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:12,720 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ is raised. 231 00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:15,760 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then we're still in our sentence. 232 00:14:15,760 --> 00:14:16,760 Right? 233 00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:19,360 Remember the resurrection passage we talked about? 234 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:22,000 He doesn't mean that there's doubt about the resurrection. 235 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:25,520 He means that you should know that the resurrection is real. 236 00:14:25,520 --> 00:14:29,080 Therefore, Christ has been risen and we're no longer in our sense at all. 237 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:31,200 Paul's doing the same thing here with this. 238 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:38,520 He's saying if there's any compassion in Christ and what he means is since there is, you need 239 00:14:38,520 --> 00:14:44,200 to see how powerful humility is in your life and why you should have it. 240 00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:47,840 I love these lines here and I just want you to think through this for just a moment. 241 00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:50,240 Let me say it in the word with the word sense. 242 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:54,760 Since there is encouragement in Christ every day, since there is consolation and love in 243 00:14:54,760 --> 00:14:59,440 our relationship with him, since there is fellowship of the spirit once we come to faith 244 00:14:59,440 --> 00:15:05,640 in Jesus, since there is affection and compassion, then we need to be pursuing this humility. 245 00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:07,760 Now what does that actually mean? 246 00:15:07,760 --> 00:15:11,560 Well, this is our common experience of grace right here. 247 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:16,320 When someone comes to faith in Jesus, they understand that Christ encourages us every 248 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:17,880 day of our lives. 249 00:15:17,880 --> 00:15:18,880 He consoles us. 250 00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:21,660 He comforts us when we're hurting. 251 00:15:21,660 --> 00:15:25,720 We have the fellowship of the spirit because we're no longer walking by ourself. 252 00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:28,400 He calls out to us and he's living within us. 253 00:15:28,400 --> 00:15:30,920 We have affection and compassion from Jesus. 254 00:15:30,920 --> 00:15:32,560 Jesus loves you. 255 00:15:32,560 --> 00:15:35,160 This you know, or the Bible tells you so, right? 256 00:15:35,160 --> 00:15:40,040 The whole idea of the love of Christ, the compassion of Christ, the consolation of Christ, 257 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:45,000 the comfort of Christ, the fellowship of the spirit, all these are very, very real in our 258 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:46,000 lives. 259 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:52,800 And Paul wants us to look at those and say, you know, I didn't earn those things. 260 00:15:52,800 --> 00:15:59,760 All those things I received in Christ were given by grace, not because I was pridefully 261 00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:04,640 attaining or performing in any way. 262 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:10,440 Listen, when you know that the only way you get all these things that you get with salvation 263 00:16:10,440 --> 00:16:16,320 is by the mercy of God and the grace of God, you've got nothing to be proud of. 264 00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:17,320 You didn't earn it. 265 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:18,320 You didn't attain that. 266 00:16:18,320 --> 00:16:22,880 You didn't become religious enough that God finally said, oh man, do they ever have that 267 00:16:22,880 --> 00:16:23,880 down? 268 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:26,240 I'm letting them into my kingdom. 269 00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:30,560 You didn't avoid bad things enough where God said, oh, they've got a perfect record. 270 00:16:30,560 --> 00:16:31,560 They're hitting 1,000. 271 00:16:31,560 --> 00:16:33,140 We're going to let them into the kingdom. 272 00:16:33,140 --> 00:16:35,400 They make all their free throws without missing. 273 00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:37,600 No, that's not the way it works. 274 00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:42,760 If you've come to faith in Christ, you know you came not on your own, but through Jesus 275 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:43,760 Christ. 276 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:44,760 Amen. 277 00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:49,000 So I want you to think about that because that's what Paul is saying in this text. 278 00:16:49,000 --> 00:16:55,120 His goal is to help us to remember what it's like to be the object of undeserved love and 279 00:16:55,120 --> 00:16:57,120 unmerited favor. 280 00:16:57,120 --> 00:17:04,240 Now in Psalm 103 verse 10, we're reminded, the psalmist says, he's not dealt with us 281 00:17:04,240 --> 00:17:05,240 according to our sins. 282 00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:07,120 And aren't you glad? 283 00:17:07,120 --> 00:17:13,160 He's not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 284 00:17:13,160 --> 00:17:18,880 God has treated us with mercy and compassion and grace and not as to what we deserve. 285 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:19,880 Or this one. 286 00:17:19,880 --> 00:17:23,640 This is Ephesians 2, and most people know this one really well, but God, I love that 287 00:17:23,640 --> 00:17:29,680 word, but God, being rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us, 288 00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:34,920 even when we were dead in our transgressions, even when we were dead to Christ, dead to 289 00:17:34,920 --> 00:17:39,840 the right things in life, dead in our transgressions, he made us alive together with Christ. 290 00:17:39,840 --> 00:17:43,960 And then he inserts, by grace you've been saved. 291 00:17:43,960 --> 00:17:47,920 Now if we've been saved by grace, it means you weren't saved by your own effort. 292 00:17:47,920 --> 00:17:50,080 You weren't saved by some attainment. 293 00:17:50,080 --> 00:17:52,520 You weren't saved by being good. 294 00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:57,080 Think deeply with me for just a few moments and the result will help us get to humility. 295 00:17:57,080 --> 00:17:58,080 Are you ready to think? 296 00:17:58,080 --> 00:18:01,560 Put your thinking caps on and I'm going to ask you to think about four or five things. 297 00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:04,880 And I want you to dwell on them just a moment. 298 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:12,640 Think deeply about how amazing his love is and how unworthy you and I are for it, and 299 00:18:12,640 --> 00:18:15,680 yet he still gave it to you freely. 300 00:18:15,680 --> 00:18:16,680 Are you there? 301 00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:18,320 Are you thinking about that? 302 00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:22,440 Think about how great his love is, how undeserving you are, and how undeserving I am. 303 00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:24,640 Alright, you got that fixed in your mind? 304 00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:27,800 Okay, secondly, think about the gospel. 305 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:33,200 The fact that Jesus came, paid for our sins by dying on the cross, was buried, rose again 306 00:18:33,200 --> 00:18:39,320 the third day, defeating death and defeating sin, and then gives that to you freely. 307 00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:40,320 Think about that. 308 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:45,040 Greater love has no man than this that he lay down his life for his friends, Jesus laid 309 00:18:45,040 --> 00:18:46,040 down his life for you. 310 00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:48,200 Are you thinking about that? 311 00:18:48,200 --> 00:18:51,240 Think about the thief on the cross for a moment. 312 00:18:51,240 --> 00:18:56,680 The thief on the cross, one of them of course, Mark Christ, the other one said, Lord, remember 313 00:18:56,680 --> 00:18:59,520 me when you come into your kingdom. 314 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:00,520 Alright? 315 00:19:00,520 --> 00:19:04,920 And Jesus said, and I love these words, truly, truly I say to you, today you shall be with 316 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:05,920 me in paradise. 317 00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:09,480 Oh, somebody say, amen, today you'll be with me in paradise. 318 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:12,800 What a moment out there on Calvary. 319 00:19:12,800 --> 00:19:14,920 But here's what that says. 320 00:19:14,920 --> 00:19:20,200 Jesus basically said to the thief on the cross, yes, I know you won't be baptized, but you're 321 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:21,640 still going to be in the kingdom with me. 322 00:19:21,640 --> 00:19:25,640 Yes, I know you're not going to do any great works because you're not coming down off that 323 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:27,960 cross, but you're still there in the kingdom with me. 324 00:19:27,960 --> 00:19:31,560 Yes, I know you're not going to be a certain type of religion because you're not coming 325 00:19:31,560 --> 00:19:36,080 down off that cross alive, but you're still going to be in eternity with me. 326 00:19:36,080 --> 00:19:40,840 And you think about that thief on the cross, you think about the fact that Jesus did everything 327 00:19:40,840 --> 00:19:43,800 for him and he could do nothing for Christ. 328 00:19:43,800 --> 00:19:46,360 So think about that for a moment. 329 00:19:46,360 --> 00:19:53,120 And then I want you to think about the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in your life, convicting 330 00:19:53,120 --> 00:19:58,720 you, empowering you, doing everything that needs to be done, showing you grace day in 331 00:19:58,720 --> 00:19:59,880 and day out. 332 00:19:59,880 --> 00:20:03,480 As you think about all those things and as you think deeply about those and as you spend 333 00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:07,320 some time thinking about those, I want to ask you a question. 334 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:14,640 How could you possibly be proud that you did anything to gain God's favor? 335 00:20:14,640 --> 00:20:19,440 How dare you think that you could earn this? 336 00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:23,680 It took Jesus dying to give you this. 337 00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:25,440 That's what Paul's saying. 338 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:30,320 If there's anything that you got from the gospel, if there's anything you got from Christ, 339 00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:37,320 anything from the spirit at all, any at all, then make my joy complete. 340 00:20:37,320 --> 00:20:40,560 Be humble about what God has done in your life. 341 00:20:40,560 --> 00:20:44,440 This is really the place where humility begins and pride ends. 342 00:20:44,440 --> 00:20:47,960 It's really the place where you begin to build your life on something important and that 343 00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:50,040 is the grace of God. 344 00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:51,440 And I'll just summarize it by saying this. 345 00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:56,800 If we remember what God has done for us, we'll have a deep sense of gratitude which motivates 346 00:20:56,800 --> 00:21:01,360 us to represent him well with humility. 347 00:21:01,360 --> 00:21:06,360 So Paul is saying all these things and basically saying, since he's done all these things, 348 00:21:06,360 --> 00:21:10,040 live humbly before God and before others. 349 00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:11,720 He's done all these things for you. 350 00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:17,320 So that's why we ought to be motivated, because of what he's done for us. 351 00:21:17,320 --> 00:21:20,600 The second question is, what's the goal we're aiming for? 352 00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:22,600 What does this look like? 353 00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:27,280 I mean, is humility someone sitting in a corner saying nothing and maybe not ruffling any 354 00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:28,280 feathers? 355 00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:29,280 Is that what humility looks like? 356 00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:30,280 And the answer is no. 357 00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:36,260 Here's what Paul says in verse two, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining 358 00:21:36,260 --> 00:21:42,400 the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 359 00:21:42,400 --> 00:21:45,360 I'm going to say this about the church at Philify. 360 00:21:45,360 --> 00:21:49,700 It was threatened by disunity, but it didn't have a disunity problem yet. 361 00:21:49,700 --> 00:21:51,320 And Paul was heading it off at the pass. 362 00:21:51,320 --> 00:21:55,400 We don't have any indication that the church was about to split, but what Paul was saying 363 00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:57,480 is this could be your kryptonite. 364 00:21:57,480 --> 00:21:59,520 This could be something that tears you apart. 365 00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:05,640 So make my joy complete by progressing in this area of humility. 366 00:22:05,640 --> 00:22:11,640 And he uses the phrases as you see, being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, 367 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:12,640 united in spirit. 368 00:22:12,640 --> 00:22:15,480 And it all sounds really complicated, but it's not. 369 00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:22,160 It's a number of different shades of harmony, shades of unity. 370 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:26,120 And I want you to get the drift here. 371 00:22:26,120 --> 00:22:31,480 The words same and one and united are just four different ways of expressing, I want 372 00:22:31,480 --> 00:22:32,680 you to be one. 373 00:22:32,680 --> 00:22:38,400 You can't be one if somebody wants to be number one. 374 00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:40,440 Jesus has to be number one. 375 00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:45,640 Now most of the people that know me, that are around me a lot, know that I love the 376 00:22:45,640 --> 00:22:46,840 color blue. 377 00:22:46,840 --> 00:22:47,840 I just like blue. 378 00:22:47,840 --> 00:22:49,240 I don't know why. 379 00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:51,360 And as I get older, it's becoming more pronounced. 380 00:22:51,360 --> 00:22:52,480 I don't know why. 381 00:22:52,480 --> 00:22:53,480 I don't know why. 382 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:57,240 It's not that I'm mad at any other colors, but I just like blue. 383 00:22:57,240 --> 00:22:58,240 I like blue jeans. 384 00:22:58,240 --> 00:23:00,040 You see the shirt I have on today. 385 00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:01,040 I only thought about this. 386 00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:05,000 I wasn't even wearing this illustration, but almost every shirt in my closet has some blue 387 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:06,200 in it. 388 00:23:06,200 --> 00:23:10,320 Even my brown jackets that I wear from time to time have blue threads in them somewhere, 389 00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:11,320 blue veins. 390 00:23:11,320 --> 00:23:12,320 I just like blue. 391 00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:13,320 I don't know why. 392 00:23:13,320 --> 00:23:17,560 Today I've got a white shirt on with blue stripes and blue buttons, and if I turn this 393 00:23:17,560 --> 00:23:18,920 over, you see the blue underneath. 394 00:23:18,920 --> 00:23:19,920 I've got blue. 395 00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:21,920 I just like blue. 396 00:23:21,920 --> 00:23:22,920 Don't at me. 397 00:23:22,920 --> 00:23:24,960 I just like blue, right? 398 00:23:24,960 --> 00:23:25,960 I drive a blue truck. 399 00:23:25,960 --> 00:23:29,440 And when I bought a truck, I mean I wanted the blue truck. 400 00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:32,520 I knew what kind of truck it was going to be, but I wanted the blue truck. 401 00:23:32,520 --> 00:23:36,400 My wife and I recently purchased a travel trailer for us to go on vacation sometimes 402 00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:37,400 with. 403 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:38,400 Guess what color it is? 404 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:39,400 It's blue. 405 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:40,400 It's blue. 406 00:23:40,400 --> 00:23:43,560 I have an old truck that I rebuilt. 407 00:23:43,560 --> 00:23:51,320 It's a 1992 Ford F-150, and it's two shades of blue, so it's double blue. 408 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:52,320 I like blue. 409 00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:53,320 I don't know why. 410 00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:56,400 I just like blue, and blue's a big deal in my life. 411 00:23:56,400 --> 00:23:58,460 I call that old truck old blue. 412 00:23:58,460 --> 00:24:04,040 One day, at one point, I had a dog, and it was a blue tick, heel, or a hound dog. 413 00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:07,960 That's not why I got him, but it was blue. 414 00:24:07,960 --> 00:24:10,340 I want to say this. 415 00:24:10,340 --> 00:24:15,200 Blue is pleasant to my eyes, every shade of it. 416 00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:19,960 And while you wonder about where I'm going with this, I do have a point to make, and 417 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:26,400 that is that harmony and unity in almost any shade is pleasant to God. 418 00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:36,200 He does not want his children pridefully arguing, debating, splitting, slandering, hurting one 419 00:24:36,200 --> 00:24:37,640 another. 420 00:24:37,640 --> 00:24:43,640 Humility in almost every shade is pleasing to the Father, because it's the only character 421 00:24:43,640 --> 00:24:48,400 quality that stands against pride in such a powerful way. 422 00:24:48,400 --> 00:24:55,520 Now, God won't sacrifice truth to bring unity, but He'll sacrifice self-will, your self-will, 423 00:24:55,520 --> 00:24:56,520 to bring unity. 424 00:24:56,520 --> 00:24:58,800 And that's what this text is about. 425 00:24:58,800 --> 00:25:06,280 It's really about learning to die well to our own will so that we can live well to His 426 00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:07,280 will. 427 00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:09,040 Does that make sense? 428 00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:13,640 So it means that we have to learn to come to the place of humility, and you find amazing 429 00:25:13,640 --> 00:25:18,440 joy when you begin to see that happening around you and starting inside of you. 430 00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:20,320 Let me just go over these lines again. 431 00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:24,380 Be like-minded, it says, with other people in your tribe. 432 00:25:24,380 --> 00:25:27,080 Old people don't let differences linger. 433 00:25:27,080 --> 00:25:31,960 They distinguish between stands that are essential and stands that are not essential. 434 00:25:31,960 --> 00:25:37,920 They can quickly come to agreement so we can be harmonious in our dealing. 435 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:39,500 Maintain the same love. 436 00:25:39,500 --> 00:25:42,600 Maintain the same love for everyone around you, he says to the church. 437 00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:48,040 This means we have the type of love with which Christ loved us for others. 438 00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:52,840 It means we love Republicans and Democrats the same. 439 00:25:52,840 --> 00:25:55,880 It means we love Oklahomans and Texans the same. 440 00:25:55,880 --> 00:25:58,040 I'm from Oklahoma, guys. 441 00:25:58,040 --> 00:25:59,040 Give me some love, right? 442 00:25:59,040 --> 00:26:03,360 We love Baptists and Methodists the same. 443 00:26:03,360 --> 00:26:04,560 Your looks don't matter. 444 00:26:04,560 --> 00:26:06,060 Your color doesn't matter. 445 00:26:06,060 --> 00:26:07,640 Your background doesn't matter. 446 00:26:07,640 --> 00:26:12,280 And the reason none of these things matter is Christ loves us all and we're to love each 447 00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:16,880 other with the same kind of love that Christ loved us with. 448 00:26:16,880 --> 00:26:20,120 That's what he's talking about. 449 00:26:20,120 --> 00:26:21,880 Same mind, same love. 450 00:26:21,880 --> 00:26:24,800 This says be united in spirit. 451 00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:29,700 The spirit of Jesus leads us to be united together as the church of Jesus, not apart, 452 00:26:29,700 --> 00:26:32,640 as Christ's followers were to be walking together. 453 00:26:32,640 --> 00:26:37,480 Now that means the spirit that leads you and the spirit that leads you is leading in the 454 00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:42,160 same direction and ultimately it's going to bring you closer and closer together. 455 00:26:42,160 --> 00:26:49,680 That unites us and humility allows us to bridge the gaps where it's difficult to be one. 456 00:26:49,680 --> 00:26:55,040 I used to say this a lot in marriage counseling that when a husband and a wife have disagreements, 457 00:26:55,040 --> 00:27:01,320 the one that's willing to humble themselves and bridge the gap first is the winner. 458 00:27:01,320 --> 00:27:02,660 Lead the way. 459 00:27:02,660 --> 00:27:05,920 It doesn't matter all these things that divide us. 460 00:27:05,920 --> 00:27:10,600 What does matter is that we're together in the bond of Christ and the unity of the spirit. 461 00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:11,600 That's what he's saying. 462 00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:14,000 I want the church to be that. 463 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:16,180 And then the last one says it all. 464 00:27:16,180 --> 00:27:18,440 Be intent on one purpose. 465 00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:20,760 And of course it's the gospel purpose. 466 00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:25,640 The reason God wants his children to walk together is because we have a message to give 467 00:27:25,640 --> 00:27:27,880 to a very divided world. 468 00:27:27,880 --> 00:27:30,440 And the world doesn't know how to reconcile. 469 00:27:30,440 --> 00:27:31,440 They don't know how to forgive. 470 00:27:31,440 --> 00:27:32,440 They don't know how to be humble. 471 00:27:32,440 --> 00:27:34,680 They don't know how to do any of those things. 472 00:27:34,680 --> 00:27:39,720 But when we live that out day by day, we are giving examples of what Jesus Christ looked 473 00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:42,160 like and how he called us to live. 474 00:27:42,160 --> 00:27:44,520 Be intent on advancing the gospel together. 475 00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:48,560 It's the most important mission we have. 476 00:27:48,560 --> 00:27:56,000 Many years ago, 347 years ago, a guy by the name of Philip, and I have to read his name, 477 00:27:56,000 --> 00:27:57,000 Malkton. 478 00:27:57,000 --> 00:28:00,880 I think I said that right, but you don't know, so it's fine, right? 479 00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:01,880 Malkton. 480 00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:05,680 He was one of the German reformers along with Luther. 481 00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:11,800 And they were debating about how the churches that were part of the Reformation movement 482 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:17,440 became Christian churches, how they, in just a few short years, started bickering among 483 00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:18,440 each other. 484 00:28:18,440 --> 00:28:24,400 And they were becoming divided in a time where they really needed to be aligned and preaching 485 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:26,920 the pure gospel of Jesus. 486 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:31,480 And so he wrote a parable that was spread to all the churches. 487 00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:36,080 It was a parable of the dogs versus the wolves. 488 00:28:36,080 --> 00:28:39,120 And there was a large pack of dogs that were chasing just a few wolves. 489 00:28:39,120 --> 00:28:45,080 And the parable goes that the wolf sent representatives to go spy out the dogs and to bring back 490 00:28:45,080 --> 00:28:46,080 a report. 491 00:28:46,080 --> 00:28:51,080 So the wolf goes and spies on the big pack of dogs and comes back and gives a report. 492 00:28:51,080 --> 00:28:53,960 And the wolf says, well, what's the prognosis? 493 00:28:53,960 --> 00:28:57,080 Are we going to be able to endure this fight? 494 00:28:57,080 --> 00:28:58,760 And the wolf says, well, there's a lot of dogs. 495 00:28:58,760 --> 00:29:00,760 And they're big dogs and they're small dogs. 496 00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:01,760 They're angry dogs. 497 00:29:01,760 --> 00:29:02,760 They're happy dogs. 498 00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:03,760 All kinds of dogs. 499 00:29:03,760 --> 00:29:04,760 So many dogs. 500 00:29:04,760 --> 00:29:07,520 But he said, there's a unique thing about these dogs. 501 00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:08,520 I think we'll be fine. 502 00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:09,520 And the wolf said, how? 503 00:29:09,520 --> 00:29:10,520 Why? 504 00:29:10,520 --> 00:29:15,080 Well, these dogs, they hate us, but they really hate each other. 505 00:29:15,080 --> 00:29:19,320 And so everywhere they go, they snap and they bite and they bark at each other and we'll 506 00:29:19,320 --> 00:29:22,520 hear them coming because when they come, they're fighting among themselves. 507 00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:24,880 We should have no problems with these dogs. 508 00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:28,360 They hate each other more than they hate us. 509 00:29:28,360 --> 00:29:33,640 As a parable, 344 years ago for the church to shut up and quit fighting and get the gospel 510 00:29:33,640 --> 00:29:36,080 and leave it forward. 511 00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:38,680 I'm sure that's still pretty good advice. 512 00:29:38,680 --> 00:29:39,760 Right? 513 00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:42,120 Be united in one purpose. 514 00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:47,400 Paul is saying, none of this other stuff, no prideful stuff. 515 00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:50,400 Get around the gospel and move forward. 516 00:29:50,400 --> 00:29:54,960 I know we're all a part of this church, almost all of us in the room are today, but I have 517 00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:59,120 to tell you in the kingdom today, I get so weary of Christian churches who all embrace 518 00:29:59,120 --> 00:30:01,480 the gospel in the same way, fighting each other. 519 00:30:01,480 --> 00:30:04,680 And if you don't think that's happening, go read Twitter for an hour. 520 00:30:04,680 --> 00:30:05,680 Amen? 521 00:30:05,680 --> 00:30:07,480 An hour, that's all you need. 522 00:30:07,480 --> 00:30:09,440 That's all you'll ever need. 523 00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:12,920 I just want to grab somebody and say, would you just be quiet and get together on the 524 00:30:12,920 --> 00:30:13,920 gospel? 525 00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:14,920 Let's move it forward. 526 00:30:14,920 --> 00:30:17,800 Don't we have enough to do without you bickering? 527 00:30:17,800 --> 00:30:19,820 And there's so much of that happening. 528 00:30:19,820 --> 00:30:25,160 We would all do well to read these passages and say, let that begin in me, Lord. 529 00:30:25,160 --> 00:30:27,720 Let that harmony, that unity begin in me. 530 00:30:27,720 --> 00:30:31,520 Let it begin in us so that we can live it out in a way and keep advancing the gospel 531 00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:33,000 the way we ought to. 532 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:34,000 Amen. 533 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:35,000 Are you with me this morning? 534 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:38,640 Isn't that important today in a divided world? 535 00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:43,600 And then the last question is, how do we live this out? 536 00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:47,840 And here's where I'm going to give you three things from verses three and four, very practical 537 00:30:47,840 --> 00:30:48,920 points. 538 00:30:48,920 --> 00:30:49,920 How do we live this out? 539 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:55,920 First of all, wean yourself from yourself. 540 00:30:55,920 --> 00:30:58,520 Wean yourself from yourself. 541 00:30:58,520 --> 00:31:00,640 Do you see verse three? 542 00:31:00,640 --> 00:31:02,880 It begins with a negative. 543 00:31:02,880 --> 00:31:07,440 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit. 544 00:31:07,440 --> 00:31:09,560 I use the word wean intentionally. 545 00:31:09,560 --> 00:31:17,080 We know that a child is dependent upon its mother's milk because it's a baby. 546 00:31:17,080 --> 00:31:25,600 At some point, when it begins moving towards maturity, it needs to be weaned from its mother. 547 00:31:25,600 --> 00:31:26,920 Right? 548 00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:31,880 And what I'm using this illustration is to help us know we need to wean ourselves from 549 00:31:31,880 --> 00:31:40,880 ourselves, from our preoccupation, from our love of looking at ourselves as the center 550 00:31:40,880 --> 00:31:45,520 of attention, the center of the world, the center of the movie line, whatever it is. 551 00:31:45,520 --> 00:31:47,320 Wean yourselves from yourself. 552 00:31:47,320 --> 00:31:52,000 And the reason it's reasonable to ask a child to wean themselves from their mothers is because 553 00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:53,920 it's not a forever season for them. 554 00:31:53,920 --> 00:31:57,560 They're moving from immaturity to maturity. 555 00:31:57,560 --> 00:31:59,800 It's not for adults. 556 00:31:59,800 --> 00:32:00,800 Think about that. 557 00:32:00,800 --> 00:32:02,040 It's not for adults. 558 00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:03,640 It's just for the immature. 559 00:32:03,640 --> 00:32:08,040 And in the same way, when Christ sees us and he sees that we have not weaned ourselves 560 00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:12,120 from ourselves and we haven't learned to die to ourselves, he looks at us and thinks, 561 00:32:12,120 --> 00:32:17,720 all that I've done for you, all this consolation, all this comfort, all this fellowship of the 562 00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:24,480 Spirit, and you still have not stopped focusing on yourself. 563 00:32:24,480 --> 00:32:28,120 And as long as you're doing that, you'll never live in humility. 564 00:32:28,120 --> 00:32:33,120 You'll always have some sense of pride in your life. 565 00:32:33,120 --> 00:32:37,640 When we were growing our kids up, when we were raising them, we read a book by a phenomenal 566 00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:42,800 author who talked to us, who wrote to us about raising our children. 567 00:32:42,800 --> 00:32:47,520 And I've never heard this term before, but it became a very meaningful term for my family. 568 00:32:47,520 --> 00:32:52,640 Raising them with a sense of otherness, sense of otherness. 569 00:32:52,640 --> 00:32:58,480 And that should be self-explanatory, but to go a little further than that, raising your 570 00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:05,000 children so that they become mature enough to see the world not only from their eyes, 571 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:10,460 but for them to see the world through the eyes and the needs of others. 572 00:33:10,460 --> 00:33:13,320 To be aware that everything's not about you. 573 00:33:13,320 --> 00:33:18,040 It's not all the toys are not your toys. 574 00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:21,720 All the places where you are at the moment are not your places. 575 00:33:21,720 --> 00:33:24,480 You're just one of seven billion on the planet. 576 00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:25,480 Have a sense of otherness. 577 00:33:25,480 --> 00:33:27,680 It's a great way to raise your children. 578 00:33:27,680 --> 00:33:30,480 And man, what an important way to emphasize today. 579 00:33:30,480 --> 00:33:35,120 But in the church, we ought to have a sense of otherness. 580 00:33:35,120 --> 00:33:37,400 Selfishness is for the immature. 581 00:33:37,400 --> 00:33:42,040 Empty conceit is for those who actually do not know better. 582 00:33:42,040 --> 00:33:46,360 What they do is they have an exalted view of themselves, a more important view of themselves 583 00:33:46,360 --> 00:33:48,480 than they should. 584 00:33:48,480 --> 00:33:53,720 And whenever you see the term used like this in different places of scripture, it's translated 585 00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:57,920 in such a way where it makes it really, really a wicked kind of trait to have. 586 00:33:57,920 --> 00:34:01,600 The word selfish ambition is used in the book of James where it says, wherever there is 587 00:34:01,600 --> 00:34:05,360 selfish ambition, there is wickedness in every evil thing. 588 00:34:05,360 --> 00:34:10,200 In other words, it opens the door for all the bad stuff. 589 00:34:10,200 --> 00:34:14,960 But because of what Christ did for us and because we understand that we deserve nothing 590 00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:19,360 but got everything from him, we ought to all be in a place where we can wean ourselves 591 00:34:19,360 --> 00:34:20,360 from ourselves. 592 00:34:20,360 --> 00:34:25,800 Listen, the only thing good I have in my life came from Jesus. 593 00:34:25,800 --> 00:34:28,880 The only thing good you had in your life came from him. 594 00:34:28,880 --> 00:34:29,880 Live life that way. 595 00:34:29,880 --> 00:34:30,880 That's number one. 596 00:34:30,880 --> 00:34:31,880 Wean yourself from yourself. 597 00:34:31,880 --> 00:34:34,900 Secondly, give attention to others around you. 598 00:34:34,900 --> 00:34:37,240 This is the heart part of humility. 599 00:34:37,240 --> 00:34:43,800 But with humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourself. 600 00:34:43,800 --> 00:34:47,760 Now in spite of how that word is worded, how that phrase is worded, it's really about the 601 00:34:47,760 --> 00:34:51,320 heart, the inward part of your life. 602 00:34:51,320 --> 00:34:52,560 The word regard is very important. 603 00:34:52,560 --> 00:34:57,400 It means that we consider and think of others first. 604 00:34:57,400 --> 00:35:00,600 Find small ways of practicing that. 605 00:35:00,600 --> 00:35:06,140 Somebody's trying to get in and they're laying in front of you, let them in. 606 00:35:06,140 --> 00:35:11,960 Somebody that has three items in the grocery store and you've got 732, let them go. 607 00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:15,400 I mean start practicing that in a little way. 608 00:35:15,400 --> 00:35:16,920 Yes, it inconveniences you. 609 00:35:16,920 --> 00:35:19,720 Yes, it'll take three more minutes for you to get out of the store. 610 00:35:19,720 --> 00:35:21,880 And yes, I need to learn that lesson myself. 611 00:35:21,880 --> 00:35:27,240 These are just examples for you today, right? 612 00:35:27,240 --> 00:35:29,240 Start with the little things. 613 00:35:29,240 --> 00:35:32,840 But get to the place where you're looking around and give attention to people around 614 00:35:32,840 --> 00:35:33,840 you. 615 00:35:33,840 --> 00:35:38,120 It's one small way of practicing what Jesus said we need to practice. 616 00:35:38,120 --> 00:35:40,640 Remember the story of the good Samaritan? 617 00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:49,080 The Samaritan of all people who saw the man beaten and left for dead at the roadside. 618 00:35:49,080 --> 00:35:51,120 He's the only one that looked. 619 00:35:51,120 --> 00:35:54,200 He's the only one that gave attention to that man. 620 00:35:54,200 --> 00:35:58,560 He's the only one that inconvenienced himself to make sure that man was taken care of. 621 00:35:58,560 --> 00:36:04,040 And Jesus tells this story and says, now you go and do likewise. 622 00:36:04,040 --> 00:36:05,040 That's your neighbor. 623 00:36:05,040 --> 00:36:07,360 That's what it means. 624 00:36:07,360 --> 00:36:08,360 So do that. 625 00:36:08,360 --> 00:36:14,760 Look out for others as you do for yourself to the same degree as you do yourself. 626 00:36:14,760 --> 00:36:20,280 He says in verse four, do not merely look out for your own interests, but also the interest 627 00:36:20,280 --> 00:36:21,280 of others. 628 00:36:21,280 --> 00:36:24,360 This is the mind and action part of humility. 629 00:36:24,360 --> 00:36:30,680 Instead of looking out for number one, look out not only for your own personal interests, 630 00:36:30,680 --> 00:36:32,760 but for the interest of others. 631 00:36:32,760 --> 00:36:37,080 Now, this is not a passage that says you need to go be a monk somewhere and just deny yourself 632 00:36:37,080 --> 00:36:39,480 of everything in life at all. 633 00:36:39,480 --> 00:36:41,640 Basically, Paul says what Jesus says. 634 00:36:41,640 --> 00:36:45,880 That you should learn to love others, your neighbor as yourself. 635 00:36:45,880 --> 00:36:49,040 You're not only taking care of whatever interests you have to take care of in your life, but 636 00:36:49,040 --> 00:36:54,280 you're also looking at other people with the needs that they may have. 637 00:36:54,280 --> 00:36:58,480 Paul is leaning really heavy on Jesus for all these things. 638 00:36:58,480 --> 00:37:00,760 Think about all the teachings of Jesus. 639 00:37:00,760 --> 00:37:04,320 Blessed are the meek, Jesus said, for they shall inherit the earth. 640 00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:09,760 For Matthew chapter seven, verse 12, you know what this one says, in everything therefore 641 00:37:09,760 --> 00:37:15,920 treat people the way you want them to treat you, for this is the law and the prophets. 642 00:37:15,920 --> 00:37:19,600 Can I get you to think just a little deeper on that verse? 643 00:37:19,600 --> 00:37:23,920 Only three or four places in the gospel does Jesus say something and then say, this is 644 00:37:23,920 --> 00:37:25,400 all the law and the prophets. 645 00:37:25,400 --> 00:37:29,520 One of them is the great commandment and the other is this one that we call the golden 646 00:37:29,520 --> 00:37:30,520 rule. 647 00:37:30,520 --> 00:37:35,640 As a matter of fact, when I was a little boy growing up, my mom used to teach me the golden 648 00:37:35,640 --> 00:37:37,080 rule. 649 00:37:37,080 --> 00:37:38,720 This is the way I understood it. 650 00:37:38,720 --> 00:37:41,840 Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. 651 00:37:41,840 --> 00:37:47,560 I can't even count the number of times that my mom would sit my brother and I down. 652 00:37:47,560 --> 00:37:52,720 We were two years apart and we were very competitive against each other. 653 00:37:52,720 --> 00:37:55,400 She would sit us down and say, look, this is what Jesus said. 654 00:37:55,400 --> 00:37:58,980 I don't know if this is just a way to get us to be quiet or if he was really trying 655 00:37:58,980 --> 00:38:02,840 to put the deep truths of God in us, but it worked both ways. 656 00:38:02,840 --> 00:38:05,920 Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. 657 00:38:05,920 --> 00:38:07,720 This is Jesus' teaching. 658 00:38:07,720 --> 00:38:14,440 That's a pretty important thing to do in a world that seems so wrapped up in itself. 659 00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:16,480 Jesus said all these things in so many different ways. 660 00:38:16,480 --> 00:38:20,520 The great commandment, love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your 661 00:38:20,520 --> 00:38:21,520 mind. 662 00:38:21,520 --> 00:38:24,720 Second is likened to it, love your neighbor as yourself. 663 00:38:24,720 --> 00:38:26,760 Jesus wants us to do it that way. 664 00:38:26,760 --> 00:38:29,240 Paul wants us to do it that way. 665 00:38:29,240 --> 00:38:33,960 Only Satan doesn't want us to do it that way. 666 00:38:33,960 --> 00:38:37,680 So let me ask you to do another exercise with me before I close. 667 00:38:37,680 --> 00:38:40,360 I want you to envision something. 668 00:38:40,360 --> 00:38:44,600 I want you to envision a church that models this. 669 00:38:44,600 --> 00:38:46,800 People have humility of mind. 670 00:38:46,800 --> 00:38:49,560 They're in awe at what God has done for them. 671 00:38:49,560 --> 00:38:50,800 They're not prideful. 672 00:38:50,800 --> 00:38:54,080 They don't have selfish ambition. 673 00:38:54,080 --> 00:38:56,160 They're not trying to have their way. 674 00:38:56,160 --> 00:38:57,840 They're not trying to exclude anybody else. 675 00:38:57,840 --> 00:39:04,120 All they're trying to do is live out the grace of God that was given to them so freely and 676 00:39:04,120 --> 00:39:05,120 so lovingly. 677 00:39:05,120 --> 00:39:09,480 They're always in awe of how much God loved them in spite of how we don't have anything 678 00:39:09,480 --> 00:39:13,240 to love and we don't deserve it. 679 00:39:13,240 --> 00:39:15,600 Envision that kind of church. 680 00:39:15,600 --> 00:39:18,520 Envision a friend that models this. 681 00:39:18,520 --> 00:39:20,440 A friend that's never really focused on themselves. 682 00:39:20,440 --> 00:39:24,280 I mean they take care of the things they have to take care of about themselves but they 683 00:39:24,280 --> 00:39:26,960 really want to take care of other people too. 684 00:39:26,960 --> 00:39:27,960 They want to love people. 685 00:39:27,960 --> 00:39:28,960 They want to encourage people. 686 00:39:28,960 --> 00:39:33,720 They want to build them up and when you need them to be there, they're there because they're 687 00:39:33,720 --> 00:39:34,960 paying attention. 688 00:39:34,960 --> 00:39:35,960 They're watching. 689 00:39:35,960 --> 00:39:38,000 They're doing what this says. 690 00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:41,680 Envision that kind of friend and then be that friend. 691 00:39:41,680 --> 00:39:44,200 Just be that friend. 692 00:39:44,200 --> 00:39:48,920 Envision a marriage partner that embodies this kind of humility. 693 00:39:48,920 --> 00:39:50,880 Marriage partner who says it's not about who's right. 694 00:39:50,880 --> 00:39:52,520 It doesn't matter who's right. 695 00:39:52,520 --> 00:39:59,200 What matters is are we in harmony together, following and pursuing God. 696 00:39:59,200 --> 00:40:05,280 Imagine some of those things and then be the one that sparks that kind of life. 697 00:40:05,280 --> 00:40:10,200 People can look at you and say they've got something different going on and with it they'll 698 00:40:10,200 --> 00:40:16,120 see the joy that comes in your life from the lack of strife, the lack of anger, the lack 699 00:40:16,120 --> 00:40:18,000 of frustration that you don't get your way. 700 00:40:18,000 --> 00:40:19,440 They'll go, wake up. 701 00:40:19,440 --> 00:40:20,440 We don't all get our way. 702 00:40:20,440 --> 00:40:27,440 In fact, none of us really do and we began to live with that kind of humility. 703 00:40:27,440 --> 00:40:33,080 Let this attitude be in you, which is also in Christ Jesus. 704 00:40:33,080 --> 00:40:38,680 Put the kryptonite aside, the pride and bring the Jesus into the picture. 705 00:40:38,680 --> 00:40:40,560 That's how we live. 706 00:40:40,560 --> 00:40:42,840 I want you to bow your heads for just a moment. 707 00:40:42,840 --> 00:40:45,160 Close your eyes. 708 00:40:45,160 --> 00:40:50,840 As always, our first encouragement is accept Christ. 709 00:40:50,840 --> 00:40:55,560 Put your faith and trust in what Jesus Christ did on the cross. 710 00:40:55,560 --> 00:40:59,840 This message today wasn't focused exclusively on what he did on the cross, but you've heard 711 00:40:59,840 --> 00:41:04,640 enough to know that he loves us even though we don't deserve it. 712 00:41:04,640 --> 00:41:11,680 He offers us the ability to have salvation by faith in him and he calls us to something 713 00:41:11,680 --> 00:41:15,560 higher and respond to that by faith. 714 00:41:15,560 --> 00:41:20,600 Today as we exit the room, there's a decision station that's at the back of the doors where 715 00:41:20,600 --> 00:41:23,640 you would exit and if you'll stop and say, you know, I need this life. 716 00:41:23,640 --> 00:41:26,600 I need to know that I've given my life to Jesus. 717 00:41:26,600 --> 00:41:30,520 We're always, always wanting to have that conversation with you. 718 00:41:30,520 --> 00:41:33,320 Don't ever walk by without having it. 719 00:41:33,320 --> 00:41:35,480 Secondly, I invite you to guest reception room. 720 00:41:35,480 --> 00:41:37,280 I'd love to visit with you for your guests today. 721 00:41:37,280 --> 00:41:42,360 I'd also love to invite you to lunch day if you're a guest, your lunch is on us and we 722 00:41:42,360 --> 00:41:46,960 hope everybody stays and hangs out, but we really want to be able to give these guests 723 00:41:46,960 --> 00:41:47,960 a free lunch. 724 00:41:47,960 --> 00:41:49,440 And so come back guest reception room. 725 00:41:49,440 --> 00:41:50,440 Let me do that. 726 00:41:50,440 --> 00:41:54,680 And if you're a church member, just go out there and get a burger and a hot dog and some 727 00:41:54,680 --> 00:41:57,960 food and some dessert and get to meet the people around. 728 00:41:57,960 --> 00:42:02,760 And thirdly, I want to invite you to invite somebody else next week as we have another 729 00:42:02,760 --> 00:42:05,840 message on perspectives and how we live this life. 730 00:42:05,840 --> 00:42:08,440 Would you stand with me as we pray? 731 00:42:08,440 --> 00:42:13,120 Father, I am so grateful today that Jesus led the way. 732 00:42:13,120 --> 00:42:15,200 Always Jesus has led the way. 733 00:42:15,200 --> 00:42:21,480 Thank you for Jesus mirroring this attitude that we're called to that seems so unreachable 734 00:42:21,480 --> 00:42:27,160 sometimes, but we can have the attitude of Christ because he's in us. 735 00:42:27,160 --> 00:42:30,960 And so Father, I pray that you will allow us to live that out. 736 00:42:30,960 --> 00:42:34,120 Father, today I pray for those that need to make decisions today. 737 00:42:34,120 --> 00:42:38,680 Our great joy is to help people have a relationship with Jesus Christ. 738 00:42:38,680 --> 00:42:44,120 So Father, today I pray that you continue to bring conviction and continue to lead people 739 00:42:44,120 --> 00:42:45,720 to put their faith in you. 740 00:42:45,720 --> 00:42:49,200 Lord, thank you for all you've done for us, all you've given us. 741 00:42:49,200 --> 00:42:50,200 In Jesus name I pray. 742 00:42:50,200 --> 00:43:04,640 Amen.