Mac Davis wrote and made famous a song that is stilled played on some radio stations today. The songs title is Oh Lord it hard to be humble. Basically the gist of the song says that it is hard to be humble when the song singer gets better looking each day, he perfect in everyway and to know him is to love him.
The problem with this is it is not realistic, and it is far from being Biblical. However, I do believe that it is hard to be humble in our society. As humans we are naturally prideful, selfish and sometimes full of ourselves.
My sister and I had trouble being humble when it concerned each other. If there was one piece of cake and we had to share it we both would try to get the bigger piece when mom cut it. My mother in her great wisdom had ways of dealing with this. If my sister and I were going to share a piece of cake mom would have one of us cut it and the other chose what side they wanted. That way the one cutting made extra sure that both sides were equal.
In the summer of 1986, two ships collided in the black sea off the coast of Russia. Hundreds of passengers died as they were hurled into the icy waters below. News of the disaster was furthered darkened when an investigation revealed the cause of the accident. It wasn’t a technical problem like a radar malfunction – or even thick fog. The cause of the accident was human stubbornness. Each captain was aware of the other ships presence nearby. Both could have steered clear, but according to the news reports, neither captain wanted to give way to the other. Each was too proud to yield first. By the time they came to their senses, it was too late.
Because two individuals were blatantly stubborn and prideful, many lost their lives needlessly.
In Philippians we have a tremendous picture of Christ’s humility, but also a detailed description of how we shall live.
Philippians 2:1 – 11
If 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, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became 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 confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Humility is humbleness of mind, lowliness and modesty.
Did you hear about the minister who said he had a wonderful sermon on humility but was waiting for a large crowd before preaching it?
It is not boastful, it is not selfish, it is not haughtiness and it is not prideful
Humility has a concern for the other person; it reaches out and helps others in need with a cheerful attitude and sincerity
Let me ask you a question: What is our attitude to people in our community, in our circles, in our church and how about in other churches in our community? Are we in competition in any way with these people?
The text in Philippians gives us an excellent and clear example of humility, that example is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Supreme example of humility.
Verse 6 states – Jesus who being in the very nature God – Let’s explore that statement for a moment. Jesus is God, He and the Father are one – In Him is all fullness of the triune God, He was, is and will always be equal with God. John 17:11 states: I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. Verse 21 states: that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.
And in verse 22 it states: I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one
Jesus being God, He was involved from the very being of mankind and earth existence – He created all things – heaven, earth, every breathing creature and man.
Jesus is the source of all that was and is created. He created the galaxies, earth, stars, moon sun and all that is around.
Do you get the picture – Jesus who was an equal part of the triune God, He is the creator of all. He is God
We need to first understand the divinity of Jesus to begin to understand the price He paid to give us hope.
Verse 7 and 8 state: but {He} made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!
He gave up his place in heaven to come to earth in human form to redeem a lost people. He came for you and me!
Going back to verse 5 we se that: Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: The NKJ puts it this way: Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus
I. We need to have the same attitude and mind as Christ
What does this mean for us?
Remember that humility is humbleness of mind!
If our mind is to be the same as the mind of Christ Jesus, how will that look?
Again what is your attitude towards other people in the community, church and other churches?
Although George Whitefield disagreed with John Wesley on some theological matters, he was careful not to create problems in public that could be used to hinder the preaching of the gospel. When someone sarcastically asked Whitefield if he thought he would see Wesley in heaven, Whitefield replied, “I fear not, for he will be so near the eternal throne and we at such a distance, we shall hardly get sight of him.”
In verse 7 we see that Jesus humbled himself as a servant, he came to earth in human likeness, he made himself nothing. He became a servant to others
The reason that Jesus is the supreme example of humility is that He bridged the gap of a vast canyon if I can use that analogy. Jesus came from His position in heaven to be born as an infant in a manger. He made himself nothing and took on the form as a human.
Jesus was obedient to death as verse 8 of our passage in Philippians notes, however his humanity knew the severity of His situation and that is why He prayed the way He did in the garden.
No where ever have we seen a greater example of humility than what Jesus demonstrated by being born a human, dwelling amongst mankind and then dying for His creation because He knew they were on a destructive path.
Jesus left His Father, the glory of heaven, and became sin for us, He that knew no sin Himself, BUT became sin for us. This is the ultimate picture of humility. You talk about a humbling experience; there was none ever like this.
He took on all our malice, envy, deceitfulness, evil thoughts and deeds and became sin for us.
Jesus – is the one who paid the price on Calvary to accommodate you and me and give us hope. He bore yours and my sins on that Cross so that we may have hope.
I. Humility is a state of mind – Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.
How does your mind compare to that of Christ Jesus?
Andrew Murray said “No tree can grow except on the root from which it sprang” – Are our roots firmly or loosely planted in the mind of Christ Jesus?
We see throughout scripture examples of Christ humility towards others.
He took time to heal people, to listen to people, to care for people, to feed people. He even took the time to minister to a criminal when Jesus Himself was dying on the cross
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.
Do we identify with Jesus by participating in His humility? – Do we have the same love for others as he had? – do we have the same purpose as He had?
This should play out in many ways – how do we respond to those in need spiritually, how do we respond to those in need emotionally, how do we respond to those in need physically? How do we respond to those who disagree with us? How do we respond to those who confront you?
I remember 8 years ago my friend confronted me on my priorities concerning my timing and God’s timing. It was humbling for me to hear the criticism that was being dealt out to me. My stubborn self wanted to resist the advice, but in the long run I was thankful my friend took the time to speak into my life.
If we really see what Christ has done, our love, unity, purpose will blend beautifully together.
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ: When we do not cultivate the mind and plant good seed while weeding out the weeds we do not promote a good growing environment. We need to deal with the things that are in our mind that may have been there for years. We need to confess sin that maybe clouding our minds and we need to plant good seed by diving into the Word if God communing with Him in Prayer and fellowshipping with believers.
Paul would not say let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus if it was an unattainable goal. We are to strive to have a mind that is rooted in Christ Jesus. “If we strive we will be closer to the goal than if we never strived at all!”
Good book to read in this area: “Love the Lord your God with all your mind” J.P Moreland. Here is a quote from the book “He [Christ] wants us to have a child’s heart, but a grown-ups head. (C.S. Lewis)
II. The problem is – one word – pride.
There is one problem! Pride! Pride made a devil out of an angel. It was the root of the curse that Adam and eve experienced and all of mankind with them. – Pride is the opposite of humility.
Pride brings Doubt, fear, tension, confusion and judgment and it separates God from man.
A young woman asked for an appointment with her pastor to talk with him about a besetting sin about which she was worried. When she saw him, she said, "Pastor, I have become aware of a sin in my life which I cannot control. Every time I am at church I begin to look around at the other women, and I realize that I am the prettiest one in the whole congregation. None of the others can compare with my beauty. What can I do about this sin?"
The pastor replied, "Dear, that's not a sin, why that's just a mistake!"
When I look at pride I believe it is the most dangerous sin that can effect the Christian today – I am not sure if it made the Pope’s new 7 deadly sin list that was published a year or two ago, but it should have been on top.
Pride tears relationships down, splits families and destroys lives – Pride says “I have got to have my way”
Proverbs 13:10 states: By pride comes nothing but strife,
Pride splits, divides, and corrupts.
The world preaches the message of pride, self-reliance, selfishness and dominating oneself over others, but Christ not only teaches humbleness, He lived it.
My friend Dave said there is a reason God created us the way he did – He made it hard for us to pat ourselves on the back.
We need to practice humility rather than succumb to pride
Many years ago, Christian professor Stuart Blackie of the University of Edinburgh was listening to his students as they presented oral readings. When one young man rose to begin his recitation, he held his book in the wrong hand. The professor thundered, "Take your book in your right hand, and be seated!" At this harsh rebuke, the student held up his right arm. He didn't have a right hand! The other students shifted uneasily in their chairs. For a moment the professor hesitated. Then he made his way to the student, put his arm around him, and with tears streaming from his eyes, said, "I never knew about it. Please, will you forgive me?" His humble apology made a lasting impact on that young man. This story was told some time later in a large gathering of believers. At the close of the meeting a man came forward, turned to the crowd, and raised his right arm. It ended at the wrist. He said, "I was that student. Professor Blackie led me to Christ. But he couldn’t have done it if he hadn’t made the wrong right."
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus
Conclusion:
Whatever reputation we may have if it does not align with what God values we been better off without it. – Pride’s reputation will ultimately end up in judgment and hell.
On the other hand we see that as a result of Jesus humbling himself he was exalted – verses 9-11 states: 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 confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Our turn will come too. We are to live as Christ did, love as Christ loved and reach out as Christ reached out. We have a reward awaiting us at the end of this human existence that far exceeds the minds imagination. We will live eternally with the Lord.
However in the in term we need to look at verses Philippians 2:1 – 4
If 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, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
I like the way the Message translates this passage:
If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care—then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.
I really had to take a long hard look at myself in this situation.
How are you doing in this area? Are you putting other interests before yourselves? – Are you striving to live in unity with our fellow believer whether in this church or in other churches. – Are you more worried about our own wants instead of the needs of others? Maybe you need to ask God to show you where you struggle with pride in your life.
How do we react when people confront us about things they see in our lives that fall short in the eyes of the Lord?
Are you like the Pharisee that prayed: 11 ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
Or are can you relate more to the tax collector when he preayed he would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
Are we striving to have the same mind of that of Christ Jesus?
Let’s pray!
