Growing up in the Body - Part 2 - Humble Obedience

Thesis: Humility prepares us for spiritual growth with God.

For Kids: Helping others first before helping ourselves.

Humble Obedience

Me

How do I get grow deep and mature in my faith?

How do you hear from God? - Alice

People can give you a handful of things to do.

Read your bible

Pray

Go to church

Read Christian books

Find ways to "better" ourselves spiritually

But God treats us like His children and finds His own way to speak to us.

It means having a growing relationship with Him

The ways to do that are not "one size fits all"

We

Growing in Faith and Growing as a disciple are not like cooking

You cannot just throw certain ingredients together in the right condition and expect the result you want

Growing spiritually is not something we do for God... it is something we do with God.

It is much more like farming or gardening

We have a role in preparation, but the ultimate growth depends on God providing nourishment.

That being said...there are two parts of growing spiritually that we have a greater role in.

The first one is humility

Blessed are the "Poor" in Spirit

Humility is one of the first pieces of spiritual growth.

Your growth up is limited by your willingness to go down.

God

Unity

Philippians 2:1–4 NRSV

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.

Be of the same mind

Be of the same mind

Look to the interests of others

Christ's Humility

Philippians 2:5–11 NRSV

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Equality with God

Equality with God

Obedient to God

Exalted by God

Lord over all creation

The Call to Follow/Imitate

Philippians 2:12–18 NRSV

Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world. It is by your holding fast to the word of life that I can boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. But even if I am being poured out as a libation over the sacrifice and the offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you— and in the same way you also must be glad and rejoice with me.

Near and Far from God's Presence

Near and Far from God's Presence

God works for you to:

Will His good pleasure

Work His good pleasure

Rejoicing in mutual investment

Lifting one another up to God.

That is what Grace looks like

Epaphroditus and Timothy

Checking up on the Philippians

In place of Paul

Because false teachers followed after Paul

They taught that starting faith is a recipe of laws

They taught that growing in faith was doing those same things over and over again

Paul sent the young men because they didn't follow those laws

But they were growing in their faith enough to nearly die for the sake for the gospel of Jesus Christ

It was an appeal to the value of their faith.

Would it make a difference to you if your spiritual teacher had risked their life to share their teaching vs those who lived comfortably?

Do you believe in your own path to spiritual growth that you would be willing to risk your life to share it with others?

You only come to a place of loving your relationship with God more than your own life through Humility.

You

Are you willing to humble yourself and admit that you are spiritually poor?

Are you willing to humble yourself enough to lift up others around you and trust that God will take care of your spiritual needs as you look out for theirs?

Who lifted you up?

Who are you lifting up?

We

The Bible calls us a building made of living stones

A tower made of people reaching up to heaven.

God's Spirit reaches down holding out a hand to lift us up

And somewhere at the bottom of this mountain of people is Jesus, holding us all up.

Will you humble yourself and do your part in letting others lift you up while you lift up those around you?