"The Humility of Christ"

A few years ago, it was commonplace to see Tim Tebow, a football player and outspoken Christian kneel in prayer on the field. Tebow would wear eye blacks, often with a reference to Scripture written on them like “John 3:16.” A champion at the college level, Tebow is probably better known for his faith in Jesus Christ than any athletic ability. And because of his faith, some people mocked him, some people copied him, and many more were inspired by him. But whether people loved what Tebow did or hated it, one thing was clear - everyone was watching. It wasn’t just about football. It was about faith. And all the people watching Tim Tebow were watching to see if his life matched his words.

The same thing happened with the former CEO of Chick-fil-A, Dan Cathy. Cathy’s stance on Christian values drew both criticism and praise. How many of us haven’t made a critical comment about our inability to buy the Lord’s chicken on Sundays? Even Cathy’s calm demeanor and respectful tone in the middle of controversy was scrutinized. Why? Because the world watches Christians closely. The world is looking for hypocrisy…and yet, the world is also hungry to see something real.

And I got news for us in Devine, Texas this Palm Sunday 2025: Whether we like it or not, the world is watching. The question isn’t ‘Are they watching?’ It’s ‘What are they seeing?’

Last week we began wrestle with the tensions we feel about the image we project and how that influences the opinions or perceptions that others may have of us. So, when I invite us to consider the question of what others see in us, I recognize how incredible a challenge it is to avoid just playing the part, but to authentically reflect Jesus as we follow him. It makes me want to invite us to reflect on this question:

What if our true worth wasn’t found in what others see, but in the King who humbled himself for our sake?

This is an important question for us to wrestle with this morning. It’s important because we live in a culture obsessed with influence and image, and yet, the calling to follow Christ is radically different. As we work through this passage in Philippians 2, we’re going to see some of the radicalness of following Jesus outlined for us here, the first aspect being

Having the Mind of Jesus

In fact, we might say that if any one of us are to reflect Jesus to this world, it begins with having his mindset. Let’s remind ourselves that our passage first says:

Philippians 2:5 ESV

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

Now, when we see in God’s word a call like this for followers of Jesus to “have this mind,” we need to know that this is not God making a call to simply imitate Jesus. God is not saying to us, “Just read the Bible and focus closely on what you see Jesus doing and when life happens, do exactly what Jesus would do.” This is a call to be transformed inwardly by Jesus Christ. In the original Greek that this was written in, the word in the Greek for “mind” means more than just thoughts. The word used here is a broader sweep of the mind. It captures the sense of purpose, the sense of attitude, and the sense of values. To help us, we can expand this to say, “Have this attitude, purpose, thoughts, and values among yourselves.” That’s a pretty encompassing list for us to each have, when you think about it. It’s so encompassing that when you think about how your attitude and sense of purpose and your thoughts and your values weigh in on you, you realize that they set the direction of your entire inner life.

What you and I are challenged to right here is significant. We are being called to something more than just performing like Jesus. We’re being challenged to be like Jesus. We’re invited to be transformed.

Think about the actor Robert Downey Jr. for a moment. Maybe some of you don’t even know him by his name, but you’ll know him by the movie character he’s best known for. Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man. Or perhaps I should say, he was Iron Man.

But if you were alive and paying attention to the headlines in the late ‘90’s, there wouldn’t have been many people who thought that Robert Downey, Jr. had much of a future. He’s always been a brilliant actor but he had a very troubled soul. His life was unraveling. Some of us may remember that he struggled with addiction. He was in and out of jail. He nearly got blacklisted in Hollywood. He reached a point where it was more common to see him in a mugshot than a movie.

But something changed for him. He got help. He got healthy. Over the years, he committed to recovery. He repaired relationships. He didn’t worry about rebuilding his public image, rather, he focused on changing what was broken underneath. He worked his way back slowly and humbly, eventually landing the role that would redefine him in the public eye: Iron Man. And now Robert Downey, Jr. is considered one of the great comeback stories in Hollywood. You say his name and people associate him with things like resilience, redemption, and even generosity. But here’s the key: it wasn’t talent that got Downey Jr. out of the trouble he made for himself and turned his image around, it was transformation. Slowly, as he worked his way through things, people began to see someone different. Not someone perfect, but someone who was changed.

And that’s what Paul is talking about here in Philippians 2:5. The mind of Christ isn’t a brand, it’s a transformation.

On this subject of transformation, how do you answer this question? What do people see when they look at your life? Do they see a polished image or do they see a person being changed by Jesus?

You and I may not have a Hollywood spotlight on us, but we are being watched nonetheless. A world of watching eyes is comprised by our friends, our coworkers, even our kids. And the world isn’t asking for you and I to be perfect, but the world is looking for authenticity. They want to see if what we say about Jesus really changes the way we live. So, having the mind of Jesus…it’s not about protecting your reputation. Do you know what it is about, though? It’s about surrendering your rights. It’s about choosing humility. It’s about receiving God’s grace over and over and over again that results in God shaping your character. Jesus did these things. And when we follow Jesus, our lives start to reflect something more powerful than success. We reflect him.

Here’s another radical aspect of following Jesus for you and I this morning: We should be

Marked by Humility and Sacrifice

What we see in Jesus is a life that is not consumed by influence or image management, but rather a life that is marked by humility and sacrifice. This is Palm Sunday, a day that Christians mark as the beginning of Holy Week that invites us to remember an event in the life of Jesus known as the Triumphal Entry. That first Palm Sunday, Jesus who is King of all, drew closer to the cross by making his way into the holy city of Jerusalem. And despite the fact that Jesus is God in flesh, despite the fact that Jesus is the perfect King entering into Jerusalem, he approaches Jerusalem in the most unexpected way. A way that we might say that, when compared to the world’s way of receiving any other king, wasn’t befitting of this King. Jesus the King was welcomed by the praise of people, but he rode in with incredible humility. Listen to what God’s word tells us:

Matthew 21:1–11 “Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.” This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ” The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!…”

It’s on Palm Sunday that we remember the humility of the Lord Jesus Christ and we remember the sacrifice he made for us. We get a sense of his mindset and , if Philippians 2:5 teaches us that we are to have the mind of Jesus, what we see then in what follows in Philippians 2:6-8 shows us what Jesus’ mindset looks like in action. We understand better why he rides upon the back of a donkey rather than a great stallion. And we see also, what that mindset costs.

Read with me once more from

Philippians 2:6–8 ESV

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.

Now think about this—Jesus had every right to grasp for glory. He was, and is, fully God. No one would have faulted Jesus for demanding recognition. Consider the significance of the Christ event, the significance of God coming to earth in this way. How many times in history has God added to himself humanity? How many times has God put on a human body? Just once, in Jesus. And Jesus did this for our sake. Because it was humanity who brought sin into the world and in Jesus, God is carrying out his plan of saving the entire cosmos from sin. God’s plan of redemption is a cosmic-level act of salvation. Yes, Jesus saves sinners and yet, we might overlook the fact that in Jesus, there’s a cosmic-level renewal coming. Everything will be made new. I don’t want to lose anyone right now, but I just want to observe that entire earth, from the highest of heights to the depth of the seas - will be made new in Jesus. The Milky Way and all that lay beyond will be made new in Jesus. Maybe it’s mind-numbing to think about things on such a grand scale but I think it’s to our own harm to not stretch ourselves to do so.

It’s to our own harm because we run the risk of not fully appreciating the profound humility and sacrifice in the gospel. We miss out on how easy it could’ve been for Jesus to have taken some victory laps at any point in his life and certainly after his resurrection. But instead, the Bible says that Jesus “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.” That word “grasped” literally means clung to. That word means to hold onto for advantage. And it’s saying that Jesus didn’t hold on to the power and status and safety of being God so he could hang that over the heads of others. So if you and I work this out, we can draw some conclusions about Jesus. Conclusions like:

Jesus didn’t cling to power—He laid it down.

He didn’t cling to status—He stepped into servanthood.

He didn’t cling to safety—He embraced a cross.

And in this, we see the mindset of Jesus Christ. We see the heart of humility. It’s not just thinking less of yourself, alright? Humility isn’t looking in the mirror and repeating back to yourself how you’ve failed so miserably in life. Humility is choosing to make yourself less for the sake of others. That’s the mind of Christ.

A few years ago, a small Christian university in the Midwest held its spring commencement. The president gave a great speech, the graduates were excited, and families filled the auditorium. But when the ceremony was over and the crowd had cleared, something unexpected happened. Several students and their parents stayed behind—not to take more pictures, but to speak with one man: the janitor.

This janitor had served the school faithfully for over 30 years. He prayed quietly for students while he cleaned. He encouraged faculty behind the scenes. He often slipped gift cards into the mailboxes of struggling students without ever attaching his name. Most people didn’t even know what he was doing—but those who did said he reflected Jesus better than anyone else on campus.

No spotlight. No platform. Just humility. Just service.

He never stood behind a pulpit, but he lived Philippians 2: He made himself nothing. He took the form of a servant. And those students saw Christ in him—not because he was loud about his faith, but because he was low in posture and big in love.

That’s the kind of humility we’re talking about. Not pretending to be small—but choosing to go low because that’s what Jesus did.

If Jesus willingly stepped down from heaven to serve others, how can we reflect him while constantly trying to build our own platforms to promote ourselves? How can we claim to follow a crucified Savior while fighting for comfort, credit, and control?

Let’s be honest—sacrifice doesn’t sell, and humility doesn’t trend. But these are the things that mark the life of Christ. And if we’re serious about reflecting Jesus in a watching world, these should mark us too.

The world isn’t watching to see how impressive we are. They’re watching to see how humble we’re willing to be. And when we live like Jesus—marked by humility and sacrifice—we don’t just talk about the gospel. We put the gospel on display. And all this is challenging, I know. But we need to reflect. We need to ask ourselves things like, “Where in your life is God calling you to serve when you’d rather be seen?” Or, “What would it look like for you to choose the low place this week—in your home, in your workplace, in this church?”

The humility and sacrifice of Jesus weren’t just temporary postures. They were acts of obedience. And because Jesus chose that path, God lifted him up.

We’ll see in the next verses that God responds to a life laid down in this way:

God Glorifies the Humble

Let’s remind ourselves of the final verses of our text for this morning.

Philippians 2:9–11 ESV

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The word “therefore” at the beginning of Philippians 2:9 is doing heavy lifting. That “therefore” serves to connect us directly to what we just saw in Philippians 2:6-8, which outlines the mindset of Jesus that demonstrates his humility, his obedience, and his suffering. Jesus was willing to leave the throne of heaven. What sort of King leaves his throne? Jesus was willing to take on the form of a servant, to be lower than anyone else. What sort of King becomes the absolute least? Jesus was willing to humble himself from the highest of heights to the humiliation of a death on the cross. What sort of King sends himself to the frontline of the battle in the face of certain death?

And the message is clear in Philippians 2:9-11… Because Jesus humbled himself, God exalted him.

And, we find what is the movement of the gospel: down, then up. Doesn’t the way of the world try to teach us that the only acceptable direction is up? Wherever you are in social standing or wealth or power, the world teaches to fight tooth and nail to preserve where you are and claw your way up and up and up and up. Climb higher. Push your way to the top. Make your name great.

And yet, Jesus descended into humility and therefore, God highly exalted him. And what we discover here is one of the most powerful truths in all of Scripture: God glorifies the humble. Humility precedes glory and obedience to God opens the door to honor.

Think about this:

Rome was the mightiest nation on all the earth when Jesus walked among us. And yet, it was not the power of Rome that lifted Jesus up.

The Jewish religious system was well-established and the religious leaders in the days of Jesus were well respected and men of great influence. And yet, it was not the approval of religious leaders that crowned Jesus with glory.

Who lifted up Jesus? Who crowned Jesus with glory? It was God the Father—who saw the humility of the Son and lifted his name above every name.

That name, Jesus, was as common as the names James, John, Robert, or Michael are today. But, the name Jesus became uncommon through the cross and the resurrection. God took the name of a suffering servant and placed it above every name. There is no greater name than the name of Jesus. And now, at the name of Jesus, kings and presidents will kneel. At the name of Jesus, the demons of hell tremble. At the name of Jesus, every heart will one day acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord! This is the glory Jesus receives. And Jesus receives this glory not just because he’s powerful, but for being humble.

So, the world says, “Exalt yourself, and you’ll be someone.” And, Jesus says, “Humble yourself, and God will lift you up.”

Down, then up.

It’s a complete reversal of how image and reputation work in our culture. We work to promote ourselves. We chase being the person that everyone in our circle or everyone in Devine needs to come to or go through because it makes us important. But the kingdom of God operates on a completely different economy: Honor comes to those who go low.

This is all absolutely opposite how the world’s wired. I bet most of us have been on an elevator. We know how it works. It’s common sense. Imagine you walk into a very simple elevator that only has two buttons. Up and down. Naturally we know that if you want to go up, you push the up button. And if you want to down, you push the down button. But in God’s kingdom, the wiring of the buttons are reversed. When you push down, that’s when he lifts you up. When you push up, you stay where you are, or worse, you fall flat.

And this what Jesus has done, for us. He took the downward path. The path of obedience, humility, and giving himself. And because Jesus did, the Father has lifted Jesus to the highest place.

This is good news for us and it’s also showing us what it means to follow Jesus. It’s good news because Jesus went down and so salvation is made available to each of us through him. The invitation to follow Jesus is open to each of us this morning. And following Jesus means that when we live with Christlike humility and when we simply serve rather than seeking credit and when we lay down our pride, we become reflectors of the glory of Jesus.

Isn’t that what it says in James 4:10 ?

James 4:10 ESV

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

This doesn’t mean seeking glory through false humility—it means letting go of our obsession with being seen, so that Christ can be seen in us. It means spending some time with the Lord so that with God’s help, you can answer questions like, “Where am I tempted to build my own name instead of lifting up the name of Jesus?” Or, “What’s one area where I can practice humility this week—in my home, my workplace, or at school?”

The world is watching, my brothers and sisters. Sometimes it’s watching with curiosity. Sometimes with skepticism. They’re not just looking at our beliefs. They’re watching our posture. In other words, they’re watching how we’re held together. So when the world sees genuine humility, sacrifice, and a life centered on someone greater, they begin to glimpse the glory of God. So, our take away this morning is that

In a world obsessed with self-image, Christians are called to reflect the Savior who emptied himself.

That’s how we reflect Christ in a watching world. That’s how we glorify God with our lives.

The world is watching, so why don’t you and I give them something eternal to see. Church, may we be people who:

Lay down our rights like Jesus did.

Live with quiet humility.

Serve rather than shine.

And when God chooses to lift us, may the glory always go back to him. Because one day, every knee will bow—not to us, but to Jesus the humble King.