The Power of Selflessness
Notes
Transcript
World War II produced many heroes. One was a man by the name of Butch O’Hare. He was a fighter pilot assigned to an aircraft carrier in the South Pacific.
One day while on a mission, he looked at his fuel gauge and realized someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank. Unable to complete his mission, he turned around and headed back for the aircraft carrier. As he headed back, he saw a squadron of Japanese Zeroes heading straight for the American fleet. All the American fighters were out on a sortie, leaving the fleet virtually defenseless.
He dove into the formation of Japanese planes in a desperate move to divert them away from the fleet. After a frightening air battle, the Japanese airplanes broke off their assault on the fleet. Butch O’Hare’s tattered fighter limped back to the carrier. He was recognized as a hero and given one of the nation’s highest military honors. O’Hare International Airport in Chicago is named after him.
Some years earlier, there was a man in Chicago called Easy Eddie. In those days, Al Capone virtually owned the city. Capone’s mob was involved in bootlegging booze, murder, and prostitution. Easy Eddie was Al Capone’s lawyer and kept Big Al out of jail. In return, Easy Eddie earned big money and lived like a king on an estate so large it filled an entire city block.
But Easy Eddie had one soft spot—a son whom he loved dearly. Eddie saw that his son had the best of everything: clothes, cars, and a good education. Despite Eddie’s involvement with the mob, he tried to teach his son right from wrong. Eddie wanted his son to be a better man than he was.
But there were two things Eddie could not give his son—a good name and a good example. Deciding that giving his son these two things was more important than lavishing him with riches, Eddie had to rectify the wrong he had done. He went to the authorities and told them the truth about Al Capone.
Easy Eddie eventually testified in court against Al Capone and the mob. He knew the cost would be great, but he wanted to be an example to his son and leave him with a good name.
Within a year of testifying against the Mob, Easy Eddie’s life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago street. He had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer at the greatest price he would ever pay.
What do these stories have to do with one another? Butch O’Hare was Easy Eddie’s son.
In our text today, Paul is continuing the thought of the strong lifting up the weak. And in that he says the following:
For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”
Jesus is our Example of Selflessness
Jesus is our Example of Selflessness
For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.”
The Royal Example of Jesus is service. Jesus gives us the standard to live by in our service. Jesus' model was one of submission and loving others. Christ calls us to that kind of submission.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
We are called Christians, little Christs, because we are called to reflect the character and nature of Jesus, and Paul reminds us that Christ is our example of what this looks like.
So what does Christlike, Christ-honoring look like?
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
We must have the Mind of Christ
We must have the Mind of Christ
Paul says in v. 5 that we are to have the same kind of mind in us that Christ had. The mind of Christ. We are to reflect Christ in our minds.
This is what it means to be a Christian.
We take up the form of a slave (Phil. 2:6)
We take up the form of a slave (Phil. 2:6)
The Greek word for slave here, doulos, means a slave. I want to make that clear. It’s not just a cleaning lady. It’s not just a nanny. It’s someone who has been bought and paid for into the service of another.
And the thing about a slave is a slave doesn't begin with "what do I want to do today?” but rather with “what does my master want."
In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.
Not ME focused but HE focused. Jesus, as he was getting ready to appoint his disciples in Luke 6:12, and as he was preparing for his death in John 17 approached the throne. Why?
Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.
“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.
For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.”
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak.
And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”
I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me,
but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.
If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.
Jesus prayed because he submitted to God. We must submit to him too.
We tend to ask God to bless what we’re doing. But you and I are called to ask God what he is going to do and wait patiently for him to direct us. Just like Jesus did.
We take up the towel and the pitcher (Phil. 2:7)
We take up the towel and the pitcher (Phil. 2:7)
In John 13 we see the beautiful story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples.
Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?”
Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”
Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”
Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”
Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.”
For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you?
"Walking in sandals on the roads of Palestine in the first century made it imperative that feet be washed before a communal meal. People ate reclining at low tables, and feet were very much in evidence. When Jesus rose from the Last Supper and began to wash the feet of the disciples (John 13:4), He was doing the work of the lowliest of servants."
Jesus was the teacher, but on that his last night, the disciples would not stoop themselves down before one another to take this lowly duty. They would not humiliate themselves before each other.
So Jesus did it. He knelt before his disciples, and washed their feet.
We are to emulate Him, serving one another in lowliness of heart and mind, seeking to build one another up in humility and love. Part of that humble service is to forgive one another (Colossians 3:13). When we seek the preeminence, neglect to serve others, or refuse to forgive, we displease the Lord.
We are never more like Christ than when we take up the towel and pitcher, we are never more like Hell than when we refuse to do so.
We take up our cross (Phil. 2:8)
We take up our cross (Phil. 2:8)
Finally we are to take up our crosses
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Jesus stood between hostile parties as a mediator and he absorbed an unbelievable amount of insult, slander and vicious attacks. None of the things that Jesus was accused of were legitimate. He was without sin. Every time that Jesus was criticised, every time that Jesus was attacked, he was attacked unjustly. No-one ever had a right to insult Jesus. But he absorbed all of that hostility, anger and insults, as a Lamb that was led to the slaughter.
R. C. Sproul, The Gospel of God: An Exposition of Romans (Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 1994), 239.
Like Jesus, we are called upon to stand in the gap for those we love. We are called to pray for them, share the good news to them and set and example of godliness for them……
So what are some practical things you can do to have a Servant’s heart:
Daily Scripture Meditation:
Daily Scripture Meditation:
Engage in regular and intentional reading, meditation, and reflection on the Bible. Familiarize yourself with the teachings of Jesus and the principles outlined in the Scriptures. This practice helps align your thoughts with Christ's teachings, allowing the Word of God to shape your mindset.
Prayer and Surrender:
Prayer and Surrender:
Cultivate a consistent prayer life that includes not only requests but also moments of surrender and seeking God's will. Jesus, in His earthly life, demonstrated an intimate connection with the Father through prayer. Regular communication with God fosters a mindset that seeks His guidance and aligns with His purposes.
Acts of Service and Humility:
Acts of Service and Humility:
Emulate Christ's humility by actively serving others. Look for opportunities to put others' needs before your own, just as Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. Engaging in acts of kindness, generosity, and humility reflects the mind of Christ and fosters a servant-hearted mentality.
Forgiveness and Grace:
Forgiveness and Grace:
Practice forgiveness as Christ forgave. Holding onto grudges and harboring resentment can hinder the development of a Christlike mindset. Choose to extend grace to others, recognizing that we, too, have received God's grace. Forgiving others aligns with the merciful and compassionate nature of Jesus.
Community and Fellowship:
Community and Fellowship:
Surround yourself with a community of believers who share a common goal of growing in Christlikeness. Engaging in meaningful fellowship, accountability, and mutual encouragement can help reinforce the values and mindset of Christ. Iron sharpens iron, and a supportive Christian community can contribute to the transformation of your mind to be more Christ-centered.
This morning there are two ways to respond. Today, if you’re a believer, the Holy Spirit is inviting you to join him in where he is working. God is already changing lives and growing people here at Truitt. He inviting you to be a part of that. He is calling some of you to commit to these five commitments of the disciple:
Daily Scripture, Prayer, Acts of service, forgiveness and grace, and community are things you need to commit to this year.
For others, you do not know Christ. Some of you sense a strange stirring on your heart. That is not music, or the feel goods. That is the Holy Spirit right, drawing you to himself. I’m not asking you to pray a prayer, I’m encouraging you to enter into a personal, loving, risen Christ before you leave today. We want you to have a dynamic relationship with the living almighty God today. Come down and speak with me about having this relationship today.