Serving
Notes
Transcript
Living in relationships with others is challenging. Conflict inevitably ensues.
Rooming with others is full of conflict. Yet we’re called to live in community.
How do we live in community well?
How do we live in relationship with other people well?
1 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. 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.
Paul wants us to be united with Christ and through Christ, with each other.
The greatest barrier to us experiencing thriving relationships with others is our self.
Axios - worthy
but we don’t live lives worthy of the gospel because we value ourselves more than others.
When we become connected to one another, Paul then encourages us to have compassion, unity of spirit and unity of mind. Yet the reason this is challenging is because of our flesh. What is the flesh?
8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Flesh three things:
Self-exalting
Score a touchdown celebration
PhD
Yesterday I had both kids solo, so I made sure V knew i did a good job solo with both kids
you can do evil things and be self-exalting: selfish ambition or you can do good things and be self-exalting: serving, tithing,
Self-gratifying
Want to be in line first
sexual pleasure
Gluttony - cookies / ice cream
Self-preserving
You ever felt the need to defend yourself?
Someone wanted to borrow my wetsuit, tempted to put my needs/desires above theirs and say no.
All of these are the result of a self-centeredness - that’s why it’s so challenging to live with OTHERS. We point the finger at them saying, well ,THEYRE the problem.
So what does Paul tell us:
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.
Don’t do anything out of selfish ambition (self-gratification/self-seeking)
Don’t do anything out of vain conceit (pride), (self-exaltation)
conceit
excessive pride in oneself. Oxford Dictionary
Instead:
value others > self.
value others > self.
Last week we talked about how, living a worthy life, requires living a life of worship to Christ - who is worthy
Today, we see that another way we live a worthy life style is by putting greater value on others than on ourselves.
Humility: is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less often.
Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less.
CS Lewis
Instead: we focus on the interests of others.
Why?
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
This is the way we live the life that Jesus lived.
If anyone has the right to be self-centered, self-exalting, self-preserving and self-gratifying it’s Jesus!
But He was constantly focused on the will of the Father.
Focused on you and I
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
If we are to be like Christ we must serve
If we are to be like Christ we must serve
How do we apply this message: SERVE
not b/c we need it but because it helps you look more like Jesus.
