Learn Humbly Series

Learn Humbly

One Month To Live (week four)

1If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

6Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

7but made himself nothing,

taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

8And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to death—

even death on a cross!

9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name,

10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father. – Phil 2:1-11

All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. – 1 Peter 5:5,6 (NIV)

TODAY – is week 4 in our ‘One Month To Live’ message series. AND LISTEN – this is so much than a sermon series. IT’S – a radical and new way of thinking that is already messing (in a good way) with the lives of some people in this very room. THIS – past Friday night in our Challenge Group everyone shared how THE QUESTION - ‘what would I do If I only had one month to live…’ AND THIS BOOK – is really shaking up our world. IT’S – causing us to think about what really matters and lasts in life… AND – it’s taking us beyond merely thinking about - to actually doing what really matters. WE – talked about how this is a book we will go back and re-read, and spend more time on the ‘Make It Last For Life’ section.

I m convinced that this OMTL philosophy is going to be a tool that God will use to help us live fully the life Jesus bought for us on a blood stained cross. A life your enemy wants to steal, kill and destroy.

Quote – page 122,123

Prayer…

NOW – this weeks topic has been a really tough one for me. IN FACT – ever since I first looked into doing this series, the topic ‘Learn Humbly’ was one that I had a hard time getting my brain around and connecting with. I had no clue of where to go with this. ON – Wednesday morning at 9 am I only had 55 words typed (My average message is 5500 words). AND – Wednesday night as I taught my class on Key Principles For Understanding The Bible – I asked them to pray for me to figure out what I was supposed to say on Sunday. I told them if the message bombs – it would be all their fault.

ONE – of the reasons I struggled so much with this topic was because the PREMISE for this series is that Jesus is both the example and the model of the life we are created and called to live. REMEMBER – those 4 verses we began this series with back on March 30th?

We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him.

– Romans 8:29 (Msg)

God wants us to grow up… like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do.

– Ephesians 4:15 (Msg)

In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus. - Phil 2:5

Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. – John 14:11

YEAH – I know it’s kind of CRAZY… BUT – the life God created us to live is just like the one that His Son lived when He walked this earth…

NOW – the fact of Jesus being humble was not the issue. I MEAN – the passage from Philippians 2 that I read earlier REALLY SPEAKS to that humility…

Christ Jesus:

6Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

7but made himself nothing,

taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.