BIG IDEA:
THE SECRET TO HUMBLING OURSELVES LIES IN MAKING OTHERS
GREAT -- BOTH IN OUR PERSPECTIVE AND IN OUR PURSUITS
INTRODUCTION:
Most valuable secrets involve something people long to know and try their hardest to discover. Unless someone carefully conceals such a secret it reproduces rapidly until it cannot be labelled a secret any longer. Here we have a secret that God is trying to reveal, but no one seems to want to discover it or put it into practice.
I. THE TWO ENEMIES OF HUMILITY
A. Selfish Ambition
"Do nothing from selfishness"
B. Vanity, Empty Conceit
"or empty conceit "
Gromacki: "Someone has said that vainglory is the disease whereas strife is the symptom. The former is inward and the latter is outward."
II. MAKE OTHERS GREAT IN OUR PERSPECTIVE BY VALUING THEM MORE HIGHLY THAN OURSELVES
"but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself"
Martin: "This consideration of the excellencies in another’s character, and especially the picture of One who was ’meek and lowly (tapeinos) in heart’ (Mt. xi. 29) will check any tendency to ’vainglory’, i.e. pride in our own moral attainments, on the one hand, and
merciless fault-finding with someone else’s failings, on the other hand."
III. MAKE OTHERS GREAT IN OUR PURSUITS BY MAKING THE
PROSPERITY OF OTHERS A HIGHER PRIORITY THAN OUR OWN
PROSPERITY
"do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the.interests of others."
* * * * * * * * * *
DEVOTIONAL QUESTIONS:
1) What makes pride so "empty"? Why is the pursuit of selfish interests characterized as "vainglory"? How are the Pharisees a good example of the pursuit of religious activities from a motivation of "selfishness and empty conceit "? Do we take time to allow the Lord to search our hearts to expose our selfish motivations?
2) How did the Roman citizens of Paul’s day view this Christian concept of "humility of mind"? How do our friends and co-workers mis-interpret this spirit? Why can’t they see straight in this area?
3) How would we use our time and money and resources and talents differently if we truly regarded our brothers and sisters in our local church as "more important" than ourselves?
4) How can parents use verse 4 with their children to help foster a spirit of unselfishness in the home? What are some practical ways younger children can
implement this truth?
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