ACT, LOVE, WALK . . . Walk Humbly

Opening

Good morning!

I have a question for you to think about, but don’t answer out loud.

Who comes to mind when you think of a prideful person? Is it a politician, a celebrity, an athlete, a coworker, a family member, a neighbor?

Did any of you think of yourself? I wasn’t on my own list either. But then I did some personal reflection.

Church, I need to confess something . . . I struggle with pride.

I don’t always recognize pride in my life because I’m not usually one to brag about myself and believe me, I see my many flaws.

I know I’m not really the “Best Dad Ever” – even though I have a mug that says so.

Image: Jeff with mug

But here’s where pride gets me . . .

I think about myself a lot

I really like being right . . . Just being transparent with you

I measure myself against others

I dwell on areas of disagreement

I don’t like to let go of control

And I can add more to the list, but I still want you to have some respect for me after I’m done today.

I have a hunch that I’m not alone in this. Can you relate to any of these things?

The Bible is very clear that Pride is bad. Pride is sin. Pride comes before the . . . fall

Most sin has an element of pride in it. Even thinking back to Adam & Eve in the garden. They thought they knew better than God. Pride is dangerous!

Plus, no one wants to be around prideful people. They’re the worst!

What’s the opposite of pride? Humble/humility

Isn’t it refreshing when you come across a person who has a humble demeanor?

The Bible tells us that humility should be our default as people of God. And so we’ll look to the Bible to help us learn to walk humbly.

Bibles

Speaking of Bibles, if you need a Bible, raise your hand and one of our ushers will bring you one.

Our main passage today will be in Philippians chapter 2. We’ll be on page 1012

Series

We’ve been in a series called ACT, LOVE, WALK based on Micah 6:8, which says

8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.

The question I want to answer today is what does it look like for us to walk humbly?

Do we need to wear sackcloth, put ashes on our faces, join a convent, go around talking about how awful we are, reject all compliments and rewards . . .

You can imagine how some people take this too far!

God’s requirement for us to walk humbly

· Is not for us to put on a show of how “holy” we are

· Nor is it God’s desire to rob us our joy or have us live in a depressive state

Rather, there is a blessing in store when we genuinely walk humbly

Though the prophet Micah calls out prideful people throughout the book -as we’ve seen the last few weeks - he doesn’t quite define what “walking humbly” looks like, so we’ll look to the apostle Paul for help in his letter to the Philippians.

Today I’ll highlight Four practices of those who walk humbly.

And it is my hope that these things become daily habits for us.

Those who walk humbly with God

1. Pursue Unity in Christ

Philippians 2:1-2 (NIV)

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.

Prideful individuals get their encouragement from the wrong sources - such as other prideful people, Hollywood, or businesses looking to make a profit. Those sources say we should seek after power, fame, money, pleasure . . . at any cost

BUT . . . Paul says that as believers our encouragement should come from being united with Christ.

Is unity in Christ encouraging to you?

Meditate on this truth:

Jesus . . . the son of God . . . the only one to walk this earth without sin . . . the Messiah who died on the cross for our sins and who was raised from the dead on the third day . . . and who now sits in glory at the right hand of the Father . . . with all power and dominion.

This Jesus has graciously pursued you and me and given us an invitation to be ONE with Him

Isn’t that encouraging?

How small is any other source in comparison to Him! Yet for whatever reason there is a temptation to find encouragement elsewhere.

Church, may we dwell on Christ!

Prideful people find comfort in their vices (drugs, alcohol, sex, entertainment) or comfort from words that tickle the ears.

“It’s okay. You deserve it. You do you! You were right. They had it coming!”

Paul says believers should find comfort in Christ’s love. Because Jesus’ love is pure, it is good, it’s real, it’s personal.

Where do you find comfort? Is in His love?

Paul then reminds believers that we share in the Holy Spirit. Not only do we (as individual Christians) have the Holy Spirit working in and through us, but the same Spirit has been poured out on ALL Believers.

Here is where walking humbly starts to get hard . . . Unity in Christ includes unity with ALL who follow Christ.

Not just those at Centerpoint (and let’s be honest, even unity here can be a challenge at times as we have different perspectives), but we are called into unity with believers at other churches in the Inland Empire and around the globe.

We may have strong disagreements with other Christians about how to do church - where faith and politics meet - how to interpret end-times prophecy - and even heavier issues than these.

It is NOT easy, but we are called to pursue unity.

This is what Paul is getting at when he says, make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.

“But But I don’t like how that church does worship or that pastor waters down the gospel or they get too political or they (FILL IN THE BLANK)”

I know. I get frustrated too when I dwell on the differences!

But where we can find unity in Christ, we ought to pursue it. And we need to show as much grace as possible.

Consider Jesus’ prayer for the church. Before his arrest in John 17. Jesus said to the Father . . .

Jn 17:20–23 (NIV)

20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

The last couple Saturdays we had a number of you serving at 1st Assemblies of God in Colton. Here are some pictures from yesterday.

Pictures from Adopt a Church Week 2

Blood, sweat and tears. Well, I didn’t actually see anyone cry . . . I did see some blood and lots of sweat.

Guess what? We may have some differences in beliefs. Their worship services look and sound a bit different than ours. We may have some disagreements over how to interpret certain passages of Scripture and about spiritual gifts and prophecy.

But what is more important is that they love Jesus, just like us. They worship the same triune God - Father, Son, & Holy Spirit. They preach out of the same Bible. They believe with us that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

So we can fellowship, we can serve them, and together we can pursue unity in Christ.

And if you want to put “pursuing unity” into practice, I want to invite you to sign up and serve their this coming Saturday.

Those who walk humbly with God, Pursue unity in Christ

Those who walk humbly with God

2. Put Others First

Philippians 2:3–4 (NIV)

3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

It is easy to serve the people that we like. Especially those who have blessed us. If all we had to deal with in life were reasonable people this call would be simple.

But that’s not all the people in our lives, is it?

Paul says “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit”

Don’t prioritize what benefits you, but what benefits others.

Wait. It’s not all about me?

Unfortunately, no. No it is not. God loves you. Your life matters. But you are not the center of the universe. Nor am I.

Paul says in Romans 12:10 that we are to honor one another above ourselves.

Last week Carrie and I were driving on the 15 fwy onramp. Two lanes merge into one. And you all know what you’re supposed to do . . . every other car takes turns, right?

Not for the driver a couple cars ahead of me who refused to let someone in! And what stood out was that he had a sticker on his car that said this . . .

Image: He > I

Have you ever seen this?

The “He” being Jesus.

If you have a sticker on your car that says He is greater than I - or a Centerpoint sticker - please don’t drive like this guy.

I told Carrie if he’s going to drive like that he should change his sticker to He > I > U

So that’s what we’re not supposed to do. How then do we put others first?

We yield! And not only when driving

Anywhere there is an opportunity to put someone first

Start with listening to what others long for and observe their needs

Again, think back to Paul’s exhortation to not look to our own interests, but the interests of others

Are you stopping when your own needs are satisfied or are you looking to see who else's cup needs filled?

We’ve seen the following quote in church before, but I want to share it again because it applies here.

John Bunyan, an author and preacher in the 1600s, said . . .

“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.”

- John Bunyan, preacher

That has been our goal with this summer of service, that we are NOT looking for anything in return. We simply want to serve and bless others

Who will you put ahead of yourself this week?

Without expecting a thank you

Without anticipating reimbursement

They may not even understand what you are doing for them.

Church, do it anyway.

Those who walk humbly with God Put Others First

Those who walk humbly with God

3. Have the Mindset of Jesus

Philippians 2:5-8 (NIV)

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

rather, he made himself nothing

by taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

by becoming obedient to death—

even death on a cross!

Jesus could have played the God card and have done whatever He wanted and it would have been just.

Yet he chose to take up His cross and ultimately die for our sins so that we can live.

Jesus made up His mind that we are worth it . . .

He had no problem washing the feet of his imperfect disciples, including his betrayer Judas Iscariot.

Jesus made up His mind to not be ashamed to humble himself for our sake. And the Bible says He did so while we were still his enemies.

Jesus made up His mind that even death was not too high a price to redeem sinners like you and me.

Incredible!

Paul challenges us to have the same mindset as Christ

When I consider who best displays the mindset of Christ, I think of the martyrs over the centuries who have been killed for their faith in Jesus.

Even TODAY, many Christians around the world face severe persecution for their faith.

Statistics vary based on several factors, but a careful estimate by TheEstherProject.com is that in 2024

Each Month, over 300 Christians are killed for their faith

And there are many more Christians facing violence such as beatings, abductions, rape, arrests and forced marriage because of their faith in Jesus

This coming Saturday, June 29th happens to be the Day of the Christian Martyr

I want to invite you to stop and pray this week for fellow believers around the world who are facing severe persecution and who have lost loved ones to martyrdom.

I also challenge you to think about what these faithful believers can teach us in regards to humility.

I picture the Apostle Paul who says in Acts 20:24

Acts 20:24 (NIV)

I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

There is much we can learn from persecuted Christians because they are the real deal.

In the book The Privilege of Persecution, authors Carl Moeller & David Hegg write

Those of us in the American church must ask ourselves, “Am I following Christ, or am I just following the crowd that is following Christ?” In the persecuted church, they follow Christ. The personal cost to follow the crowd is too expensive.

As much as our government and media frustrate us, we still have it pretty good in America.

That’s why we’re able to complain about trivial things.

The worship music - the drums were too loud. Or I wasn’t feeling those those songs today

How many of us have complained about the temperature in the room? Guilty! Would you like it 68 degrees or 72? Then will you be happy?

Or why we’ll skip out on meeting together because it is sprinkling outside or we want to stay in our pjs or the Big game is on

Meanwhile Christians in North Korea are meeting underground and believers in Somalia are walking miles to worship and in Pakistan they are being targeted for their faith.

Are we following Christ or just following the crowd that follows Christ?

Those who walk humbly with God have the mindset of Jesus

Those who walk humbly with God

4. Will Bend their Knees

After describing how Jesus has humbled himself by becoming obedient to death on a cross, Paul writes

Philippians 2:9–11 (NIV)

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus is king. He is high and lifted up. We who believe see it now . . . and ultimately every person dead and alive will know it and confess it. All glory be His!

When we walk humbly with God, we have the privilege of pointing people to Jesus this side of heaven.

I love the story in the Gospel of John when John the Baptist was questioned about Jesus’ ministry gaining momentum. John’s disciples were leaving him to go and follow Jesus and John counted that a good thing.

He said, “I must become less and He must become more.”

In the kingdom of God, it is not a gain for me - and certainly not for others - if I (Jeff) am the focus. Or if you (fill in your name) are the focus.

I’m not anyone’s savior, but Jesus is. I’m not dying for your sins, but Jesus did. I can’t take you to heaven, but Jesus can. I can’t perform miracles, but Jesus will.

He is worthy of praise. Let’s give Him all the glory He deserves!

Those who walk humbly will bend their knees before Jesus

Ending

Brothers and sisters,

How will you take a step toward walking humbly this week? Here’s a few ways you can do it.

You can faithfully pursue unity in Christ by serving with us at 1st Assemblies

You can pray for other Christians and churches outside your circle

You can put others first by yielding or by taking time to listen

You can have the mindset of Christ as you pray for the persecuted church

And you can bend your knees and confess him unashamedly as you worship him

Perhaps you are ready and willing to do that for the first time today. We want to pray with you!

Our prayer partners and I will be at the front of the stage.

If you’re thinking these things aren’t easy, you might be on your way to walking humbly.

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.

Let’s pray!