Humble Like Christ

Today, I want to emphasize the humility of our Lord Jesus Christ, as he has impressed upon us all. This message is one of those do as I say, not as I do. It’s one thing to talk about being humble like Christ but another thing to do.

Many people—even Christians—live only to make a good impression on others or to please themselves. But selfishness brings dissension. Paul stressed spiritual unity, asking the Philippians to love one another and be one in spirit and purpose. When we work together, caring for the problems of others as if they were our problems, we demonstrate Christ’s example of putting others first, and we experience unity.

Paul is writing to an early congregation and says some beautiful things about Christ and the Christian life. Then Paul finally gets down to what's bugging him: Disunity. "Please! Think as one, love as one, and be united and in agreement. Don't do anything out of selfishness. Instead of looking out for number one, watch out for the good of others. Act like Jesus!

The acronym of JOY should always be at the forefront of our minds: Jesus, Others, and then Yourselves. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5) is to have the same mindset or thinking Christ had. Paul is talking about how Jesus, as God, was willing to give up His glory and humble Himself to become a man and to die on the cross. Jesus gave Himself up as an expression of love and was willing to lower Himself to express that love.

He is the supreme example of love and humility—as Jesus Himself put it, no one has greater love than to give his life for another (John 15:13). Paul is challenging his readers to think like that—to be willing to lower themselves for the benefit of the other. That is how they could be of the same mind, maintaining the same love and intent on one purpose, by being willing to make their interests and purposes compatible for the good of the other person.

Humility is a fundamental aspect of the Christian life, and we have the perfect model of how to be humble in Jesus Christ. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” James recounts, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6, ESV). God sees when people respond to Him and each other with humility, and He is gracious. Peter adds that we should humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and at the right time, He will exalt us (1 Peter 5:6). Any anxieties we might have about the implications of humility we can cast upon Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). This is one facet of God’s grace for the humble.

Friends selfishness can ruin a church, but genuine humility can build it. Being humble involves having a proper perspective about ourselves. It does not mean that we should put ourselves down. Before God, we are sinners, saved only by God’s grace, but we are saved and therefore have great worth in God’s Kingdom. We must lay aside selfishness and treat others with respect and common courtesy. We consider others’ interests more important than our own, which links us with Christ, who was a true example of humility.

Matthew 19:27-30 ” 27 Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world,[b] when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold[c] and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

In Christ’s example who leaves everything behind to take the position of a slave showed what it meant the first will be last and the last will be first.

Now there are things that will trip us up on being humble.

Hebrews 12:1 says, “Therefore since such a huge crowd of witnesses surrounds us to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.” Humility will help us strip these weights. Selfishness and pride are sins that easily plague us. To help you understand this even better, I will share the story of the Tater family.

DICK TATER – He is the self-appointed leader. He has taken it upon himself to keep everyone else in their place by telling them what and when to do it. He feels it is his responsibility to keep everyone else straight.

SPECK TATER – Speck says no when asked to participate in teamwork or projects. He says he just spectates. He comes, he watches, and he goes home. He sees the needs but figures it’s someone else’s job.

AGI TATER – She keeps things stirred up by spreading a story about someone else. She is always ready with a telephone in hand, ready to share the latest juicy story or tidbit about someone else. Agi-Tater is a small-minded person with little or no self-worth. She feels that the only way she can look good is to make everyone else look bad.

HEZZI TATER – He is never willing to decide. He is paralyzed by the fear of failure and is terrified by life’s “what ifs.” He is usually the last to join in and the first to bail out at any sign of trouble.

COMMON TATER – He talks about what needs to be done. He talks about what was done wrong and how he could have done it better; however, that is all he does: talk. An old Indian proverb would have described this tater as, “All thunder, no rain.”

This family shows us what not to do.

If we are going to be Christians, then we must act like Christ, humbling ourselves to serve one another. Christ knelt like a slave to wash his disciples’ feet. He showed them how to serve one another, and we must follow his example. I truly believe that when we treat others as Christ would treat them we would end all of this inequality, hatred, and injustices.

Jesus Christ was humble and willing to give up his rights to obey God and serve people. Like Christ, we should have a servant’s attitude, serving out of love for God and others, not out of guilt or fear. Remember, you can choose your attitude. You can approach life expecting to be served, or you can look for opportunities to serve others.

Christ has called us to believe in him and follow him even more, emulate him, and engage in the same moves in our lives that characterized him. Our faith claims that Christ not only commands us to live together and minister together as one but also enables us to do what he commands. His Holy Spirit heals our wounds, bridges our boundaries, and closes our gaps. Hope Mills Methodist is called to showcase what God can do.

The pagan world looked at the early church and marveled that a group of people was not organized as the world organized itself - based on family or gender, class, and money. The surrounding Roman culture said, "Look how they love one another!" Alas, too often, the world looks at congregations today and exclaims, "Hey, look how much they fight with one another."

Jesus Christ is, as Paul says, the true "form of God." We look at Jesus, and we see God's true nature - that is, to bring people together in his name. And we also see our assignment - to bring people together, divided by many different political, social, and gender points of view to do something different, congregating by something more significant than our sameness. We have come from many other places and differing locations, but we are all attempting to walk in the same direction - toward the one Savior who has come toward us.

Paul encourages the church to focus on our originating cause, our great mission - to allow Jesus Christ to gather us, overcome our boundaries and divisions, and be one in Jesus Christ. In other words, to show the world what Jesus can do.

Complete my joy by thinking the same way and having the same love, being united, and agreeing with each other. Don't do anything for selfish purposes, but with humility, think of others as better than yourselves. Instead of each person watching out for their good, watch out for what is better for others. Adopt the attitude that was in Jesus Christ.

Just before his crucifixion, Jesus prays not that the church would be effective or powerful, and successful, but rather "that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." John 17:21

Amen.