3. Humility
Notes
Transcript
Welcome to part four of our series, The One Thing. In it we are exploring core verses from the apostle Paul’s prison letters. If you have missed out on any of the previous sermons, you can catch them online at iowacitychurch.org.
What is greatness? There are so many different measurements of greatness! Right now on the world’s center stage we have the Olympics. How do we define greatness in the Olympics? Medals, World Records, or what country has the most medals.
According to the apostle Paul, for a follower of Jesus to achieve greatness, they must live a life of humility.
If you have a Bible or device, turn to Philippians chapter one. If you are using the YouVersion Bible app, go to Events, and look for Iowa City Church, and all of the sermon notes and scriptures will be available for you.
Philippians is a letter written by the apostle Paul while he is in prison. It is written to the the church in Philippi, which is actually the very first church Paul started in eastern Europe.
The main idea of the letter centers on this statement: As Christians, we are participants in Jesus’ example of how to live life.
When Jesus came, his mission had three parts to it: Die an atoning death on the cross, defeat death through the resurrection…and teach/demonstrate what it looks like to live as a new human. Paul writes often about Jesus being this second or last Adam, or even this idea of Jesus being the perfect human. Paul’s teaching is that Christians are to model their lives after Jesus. If you are here this morning, and you claim to follow Jesus or define yourself as a Christian, your example or the model that you follow is in fact Jesus. This is Paul’s point early in the letter:
Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel
Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. This is a common phrase with Paul, which makes sense if he is urging Christians to follow the example of Jesus. He is saying that we should live our lives in a comparable value with the good news about Jesus. Think of it this way: If Jesus is good news to you, then live a life that reflects that good news.
So at the center of the Christian life is Jesus. Our redeemer, our savior, and our example of how to live. This truth is the epicenter of Paul’s letter and the description of Jesus’ life rests at the beginning of chapter 2. Let’s take a look at what Paul writes and discover why Jesus was deemed great/successful.
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, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who is Jesus to you? This is really a great point Paul makes. Is Jesus a good moral teacher? Is Jesus your “get out of Hell free card”? Or, have you really truly experienced his love, compassion and joy? If you have experienced the true essence of Jesus then there should be drive to continue a life that looks like his.
As this point I would challenge you to take a moment and evaluate your relationship with Jesus. What is it that motivated you to follow him?
Paul states, that if you have found unity with Jesus, that there is one trait that made Jesus great, that we must in turn emulate: Humility. He even gives a helpful definition - Not looking to your own interests but each of you looking to the interests of the others.
What makes Jesus great? Why is Jesus successful in his mission? Humility. Putting the interests of others ahead of his interests.
Humility is actually one of the grand themes of the entire Bible. It’s found in 1 Samuel, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Isaiah, Ezekiel. In Jesus’ own words, here is how humility works
For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Here’s the Bible’s formula for living a life of humility. If you look to pursue your interests at the expense of others, at some point…you will be humbled. However, if you choose to put the interests of others first, God will exalt you.
Now, let’s be honest, this is completely counter intuitive with our current culture. We live in a culture which says that you must build your own brand, you have to get likes and followers. You need to get noticed, you need to promote yourself to get anywhere life. However, we must remember, to follow Jesus means that we are a part of the upside down kingdom where to find life we have to lose it and where to be great we must be willing to serve, and to find success we must pursue humility.
Listen, I know this is hard to not only believe, but to trust. So Paul does something brilliant, he demonstrates how Jesus lived this life of humility and how God exalted him. This poem sits as the centerpiece of this letter, however it should also sit as the centerpiece of our minds and hearts as we live our lives. This is why these next verse are our core verse for this week, they most definitely deserve to be committed to memory!
Let’s read through it and see how this formula of humbling and exalting is played out.
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!
The opening section of this poem echoes this mind boggling truth, God became human. The greatest force in the universe was willing to humble himself and position himself as a servant of his creation. Just stop and ponder that for a moment. His birth in a barn and his excruciating death on a Roman cross. Between those humbling moments, you find a life that modeled humility. I began to think about which one of those events we should highlight, but there are so many! However, there is one which really stands out as a perfect example of true humility. Ironically, what motivated Jesus to do what he does is the definition of greatness. In the weeks leading up to Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, all of his disciples have been clamoring for the best position in Jesus’ cabinet. James and John, along with their mother, have asked for prime seats…and it erupted into an argument. For the disciples, greatness equaled the one who was the closest to Jesus.
The theory about what happens as the group climbs the steps to the upper room to share in the Passover is that an argument has broken out over who gets to sit closest to Jesus. Though we don’t know for sure, this seems to make sense. So as the arguing continues over position, Jesus quietly gets up and removes his outer garments. He picks up a basin of water and a towel and begins to wash his disciples feet. So, a couple weeks ago, when we were on the mountain at NYR (think Christian Woodstock), there was a young lady walking around without any shoes on…and her feet were not just dirty…they were hardly recognizable as feet. When I think of Jesus washing his disciples feet, I think of him washing her feet. When Jesus is all done washing his disciple’s feet…even Judas Iscariot’s. He says this.
“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Jesus defines greatness in this powerful moment of service. To his point, he is clearly the teacher and Lord. Titles, positions of leadership mean nothing if we don’t hold those positions with humility, and a desire to think of others before you think of yourself.
Mark Moore gives this helpful definition of biblical humility.
“Biblical humility is not so much how you feel about yourself; it has much more to do with how you treat others.” ~ Moore
Your humility is displayed by how you treat others.
Humbling ourselves is part one of the formula. However, Paul is not done, look at verses nine.
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.
Paul points to how the Father exalted Jesus to remind us that as we choose this pathway of humility, it will end with God exalting them. What does it mean for God to exalt someone. It means to raise up or give a high position to. If you go back to what Jesus says in John thirteen, he says that you will be blessed if you pursue this lifestyle of humility. So what does this being exalted if we choose humility look like?
Here are a few examples to consider. Do you enjoy being around people who talk only about themselves or do you enjoy people who want to know how you are doing? What type of boss do you want to work for, one who tells you what without lifting a figure or one who is willing to roll up his or her sleeves and help you reach the deadline? Do you want to have a great marriage? Think of the needs of your spouse before your own. Do you want to have a successful team? Model humility. Do you want to be a great parent? Demonstrate humility. The examples go on and on. God blesses our humility. Our greatest successes in life will follow on the pathway of humility.
Here are some obedience challenges to consider this week:
How can you demonstrate humility in these three areas this week?
In Your Work.
In Your Marriage/Family.
In Our Church.
Here is what I know to be true:
When we put the interests of others ahead of our own, we are following Jesus’ pathway to success.
Some of you are still a bit skeptical, am I right? Does humility really work towards success in our modern, cutthroat environment? Check out this article by Sue Shellenbarger, “The Best Bosses Are Humble Bosses,” The Wall Street Journal (10-9-18)
An article in The Wall Street Journal notes that many corporate employers are realizing they’ve missed one of the most important traits of leadership: humility. According to several recent studies, humble leaders inspire close teamwork, rapid learning, and high performance in their teams. The article defines a humble leader as someone who tends “to be aware of their own weaknesses, eager to improve themselves, appreciative of others’ strengths, and focused on goals beyond their own self-interest.” They can be highly competitive and ambitious. “But they tend to avoid the spotlight and give credit to their teams … They also ask for help and listen to feedback from others, setting an example that causes subordinates to do the same.”
Humble leaders have linked to lower turnover and absenteeism. Another research study found that teams with humble leaders performed better and did higher-quality work than teams whose leaders exhibited less humility.
The article notes one company in particular that values humble leaders—the apparel company Patagonia. They start scrutinizing job applicants for humility as soon as they walk through the door for interviews. Managers screening new recruits follow up by asking receptionists, “How did they engage at the front desk?” If staff members report disrespectful or self-absorbed behavior, “that can be a deal killer,” he says.
The company also asks potential leaders to talk about their failures. “If they say, ‘Wow, let me think about this, because there are a lot of times when I’ve messed things up,’ that says a lot,” he says. “If they have to pick among a lot of humble learning moments, that’s good.”
When we put the interests of others ahead of our own, we are following Jesus’ pathway to success.