"i Want To Be Like Jesus"

“I Want to be Like Jesus”

Philippians 2:1-13

You wouldn’t think it would be so difficult.

As a matter of fact, it should come naturally.

We are all born as little babies who don’t know a thing and are completely dependent on our mothers.

We are all made of the same stuff—flesh, blood, bone.

We have arms, most of us.

We have legs.

We have fears, flaws and insecurities.

We all get lonely.

We all hurt.

We all bleed.

We all get sick.

We all die.

Why, then, is it so hard to be humble?

The call for humility is one of the core teachings of Jesus.

Over and over again in the Gospels, Jesus told His disciples that the first shall be last, the least shall be the greatest, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Most of us, I think, would nod our heads in agreement with what Christ says and yet we tend to spend most of our lives working to achieve the opposite of humility.

We strive for recognition, exceptionalism, and elitism.

We don’t want to be like others—we want to be above them.

Our societies’ value system rewards materialism, competitiveness, and prominence while humility is often perceived as a weakness.

And yet our Scripture passage for this morning tells us the opposite.

(pause)

The Philippian Church was generally a pretty good church.

They had received God enthusiastically.

They had sent Paul a gift when they heard he was imprisoned in Rome.

This is where Paul was when he wrote this letter.

The only concern or worry Paul seemed to have about this church was that some kind of dispute or feud was taking place between two women whom he mentions by name in Chapter 4.

“I plead with [them],” Paul writes, “to agree with each other in the Lord.”

That is what Paul has on his mind as he writes our passage for today:

“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 others.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…”

Wow.

That is a high calling, but it is the only way the Church is going to get along, move forward, and be Christ for our lost and hopeless world.

It’s the only way that the Church is going to avoid being destroyed by infighting and disputes:

“Be like Jesus!”

The story is told that one evening a man in a Dearborn, Michigan restaurant bumped into no less than the famous Chrysler Chairman, the late Lee Iacocca.

“Oh, Mr. Iacocca,” the man exclaimed, “what an honor to meet you!

Say, my name is Jack and I’m having a business dinner with some colleagues over there at that corner table.

It would really impress my friends of you could come over in a few minutes and say, ‘Hi, Jack,’ like you know me.”

Generously, Iacocca agreed to do it and so a few minutes later he went over to the table and said, “Hello, Jack! How are you?”

Jack looked up and snapped, “Not now, Lee.

We’re busy!”

(pause)

This story underscores the essence of pride and selfishness: we want to look more powerful and impressive than we really are, no matter who we might hurt in the process.

Or at the very least we want to take what we already have in life and use it as a pedestal from which to look down on as many people as we can.

Why do we do this?

It’s a lack of humility.

Why do we fight and demand our way?

Why do we hold grudges?

Why do we find it hard to forgive those who hurt us?

It’s a lack of humility.

The great irony and beauty of the Christian faith is the gospel truth that the One Being in the universe Who really is more exalted, more lofty, and more powerful than anyone is the same Being Who, far from using His high position as a platform for pride, stooped lower than low so as to humbly save us.

Philippians Chapter 2 reminds us just how much Jesus gave up in order to join us on this fallen planet.

At a minimum, He gave up the glories and splendors of heaven in favor of a world of indigestion, stubbed toes, dirty fingernails, and backaches.

Day after day Jesus looked into the eyes of the people He created only to see not even the faintest glint of recognition that their Sovereign Creator was standing in their midst.