Introduction

Good morning, my dear church family. It's such a delight to see each of your faces here this morning, gathered in the house of the Lord, ready to receive His word and His wisdom.

Today, we turn our attention to a passage from the book of Philippians. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the believers in Philippi, provides us with a profound insight into the life and character of our Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 2:5-8 says:

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!

This passage is a call to each one of us. It's a call to humble ourselves, to serve others, and to trust in the sovereign reign of our God. It's a call to embrace the erosion of our self-centered expectations, to exemplify Christ's servant-heartedness, and to entrust ourselves to His sovereign reign.

Charles Spurgeon once said, "Humility is to make a right estimate of oneself." And isn't that what Paul is asking us to do in this passage? To make a right estimate of ourselves, not by the standards of the world, but by the standards of Christ. To see ourselves, not as the world sees us, but as Christ sees us.

So, what does it mean to exemplify Christ's servant-heartedness? What does it mean to entrust ourselves to His sovereign reign? These are the questions we will seek to answer today.

Let's bow our heads in prayer.

Dear Heavenly Father, we come before you today with open hearts and open minds, ready to receive Your word. Help us to understand what it means to humble ourselves, to serve others, and to trust in You. Guide us as we seek to live our lives in a manner that is pleasing to You. And may the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Let Go of Expectations

In the world we live in, expectations are a constant.

We expect things from ourselves, from others, and from life in general. We have dreams, ambitions, and goals that we strive to achieve. We have a certain image of who we want to be, what we want to do, and where we want to go. But what happens when these expectations are not met? What happens when our dreams remain just dreams, our ambitions unfulfilled, and our goals out of reach?

This is where the wisdom of the Apostle Paul comes in. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul gives us a glimpse into the mindset of Christ. He tells us that Christ, despite being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage. Instead, He made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.

In other words, Christ let go of His expectations. He let go of His rights, His privileges, and His status. He let go of the expectations that come with being God and chose instead to become a servant. This is what we mean when we talk about letting go of expectations. It's about letting go of our expectations, our rights, our privileges, and our status, and choosing instead to serve others.

Now, you might be thinking, "But I'm not God. I don't have the same rights, privileges, and status that Christ had. How can I let go of something I don't have?" That's a valid question, and it brings us to our first sub-point.

Firstly, we need to understand that we all have expectations, rights, privileges, and status, whether we realize it or not. We may not be God, but we are created in His image. We are His children, and as His children, we have certain rights and privileges. We also have a certain status in society, whether it's based on our job, our family, our education, or our wealth. These are the things we need to let go of. These are the things we need to erode.

Secondly, we need to realize that by letting go of expectations, we’re not giving up on our dreams, ambitions, and goals. It's not about settling for less or being content with mediocrity. It's about aligning our dreams, ambitions, and goals with God's will. It's about seeking His kingdom first and trusting that He will provide for our needs.

Thirdly, we need to remember that letting go of expectations is a process. It's not something that happens overnight. It's something that requires time, effort, and patience. It's something that requires us to constantly check our hearts and minds, to constantly surrender our expectations to God, and to constantly seek His will in all things.

Lastly, we need to recognize that this isn’t easy. It's not something that comes naturally to us. It's something that goes against our human nature. It's something that requires us to deny ourselves, to take up our cross, and to follow Christ. But as difficult as it may be, it's also something that brings us closer to God. It's something that deepens our relationship with Him. It's something that transforms us into the image of Christ.

Servant-Heartedness

In the heart of Christ, we find the epitome of servant-heartedness ... View this full PRO sermon free with PRO