Observe: Humility

Tyler Minogue

Man Challenge • Sermon • Submitted 4 years ago

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Observe, interpret, apply - Observe Humility

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Give a disclaimer, this message could hit some of us square in the face. Could cause some anger, anxiety, may even cause you to throw some judgements on me. My ask is that you would not. The ask this morning is that we would all humble ourselves, we would lay down our opinions for the person sitting next to us. The second ask is that if I say something that gets under your skin take note of that and reflect on why.

- Karl Barth, a famous theologian, has a quote that says “Only Christians sin.”

o His point is that at the heart of following Jesus is acknowledging that I am fallen, I am a sinner, the things within my heart are jacked up. So instead of pushing opinions, putting on a nice exterior, acting superior, why don’t we just move forward understanding that some of my opinions, some of my thoughts are jacked up at the root and they all need to bow to a crucified and rise King.

o Phil 2:1-11

- 2 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.

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

- 6 Who, being in very nature[a] 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[b] 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!

- 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

§ PRAY

Where does meaning lie? Where does truth come from?

- Think about that question for a second. Where does meaning come from?

o Confusing question but let me give you some examples.

§ The two schools of thought are whats called a Philosophy/Hermeneutical Realist and a Hermeneutic Non Realist. To simplify for this morning because it's to early for big words we will call them realist and non realist.

- Realist – Meaning, truth exists my job is simply discovering it. I do not create meaning

- Non Realist – Would say meaning, truth is not in the text but it is all about my opinions, experiences, etc.

o The thought is that I, as a human being, bring so much to the table that there is no way someone else could tell me the meaning of a text. Author, authority has an agenda.

o This non realist view is a part of post modern thought, so it is a more liberal way of thinking.

§ Now right there some of us in the room are thinking, oh yeah those millennial Gen z idiots, of course they would do that, of course they would be soft and all feely.

· Two things

· Let me remind us if that’s how you feel, be careful in degrading an image bearer of God. They have value as an image bearer, who are we to remove that from them because of an opinion

· Second thought is, it's real easy to attack that but have your ever asked the question to yourself or in a bible study “What does this mean to you?” That is dangerously close if not right on track with this thinking.

o So as I said at the beginning lets all humble ourselves. I have been on the “What does this mean to you” train before

The reality is that scripture is the word of God, it is truth, it is God inspired. That means, there is truth within it, it creates it's own meaning.

- IMAGE

o As one professor puts it “We don’t create meaning, we discover it.”

§ So as we read the Bible we are on a journey of discovering meaning, discovering truth. The question of how we discover, the tools we use, is what we are walking through with the rest of the semester. But if we don’t get this first part right none of it matters.

§ Therefore our first thing we need to Observe is to Observe Humility before the text.

In a book title, After Doubt, the author is helping people to wrestle with their faith in a healthy ways. In one of the chapters he gives the practice of “Practice being wrong”

§ “Need to practice being wrong so that we worship Jesus not our ideas. Be humble enough that God can destroy our ideas.”

· Too often, even within my own heart, we have such a desire to be right that those who are evil and wrong are out there. He gave the great example of in Forest Gump, Jenny gets beat up by her boyfriend one night and then the next day they are going to get on the bus and he says this is all the presidents fault. As followers of Jesus we come to this text saying no, the issue is within me, God help me.

· As the author says “A biblical conviction is that God is right and I am wrong.”

So as we wrap up and go into our table times I want to walk us through a quick example in Ephesians 1, which is what you guys will be walking through at your tables. I am going to jump to verse 15 because I think Max covered 1-14 last weeks.

- For context remember Paul is talking to the church reminding them about their identity in Jesus, they belong to the King and all the implications of this.

- He then says:

o “For this reason, bcause I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you…”

o Pause. So Paul is saying I am so thankful for you because I have heard of your faith and love. What does Paul mean by faith and love? For this quick example we will focus on love.

§ Now what does love mean to you? What comes to mind? I think of hug, compassion for, affection, etc.

§ Is this what Paul means? Maybe, but how can we know for sure? Well Jesus taught on love and Paul is a follower of Jesus teaching others to follow Jesus. So we should look at what Jesus says.

· John 15:12 Jesus says “My command is this: love each other as I have loved you.”

o How did Jesus love them and us? He laid down his life. Jesus commands them to do this. Paul is saying I am thankful to this church because you have displayed this. So somehow this church has loved others in the church and outside by laying their life down.

o Jumping ahead but then an application piece would then be what would it look like for me to love my neighbor, coworker, my enemy?

§ This is usually where we get responses of ill be friendly, ill wave to them, add them on facebook. But Jesus says lay your life down for them, serve them, display the Kingship of Jesus to them by giving them value.

“Good interpretation begins with good interpreters. We need to humbly come before Gods word ready to receive and be transformed no matter what. Even if it means Jesus isn’t a what I want or Jesus isn’t this.”

- actually the thing you love to do the most playing softball every night of the week insight properly loving your wife. “