Joyful Humility

no, you can't do that.

You're not good enough.

You will stuff it up again.

I don't have the time to teach you how to do that.

You are just not worthy of my time.

Have you ever had someone speak to you like that?

Have you ever felt pushed down,

like you were the last one chosen?

Don't you hate it when other people think less of you

and treat you like scum?

We would call people in these positions toxic.

They're arrogant.

They don't understand people's value.

In year six and early in year seven,

when I was a young man, old boy, one of those two,

I was quite short and quite round.

And I was always the last picked for any team.

And then puberty hit and I just put on like a foot and a half.

But we so hate it when this is done to us,

when people don't consider us,

when we are pushed down, when we are humiliated.

And yet I wonder if we do it to other people

and we don't even realise it.

Friends, come and ask us for help

and we just say,

oh look, I'd really like to help you,

but I'm sorry, I just don't have time.

Kids, come and ask for attention.

No, I'm busy.

Go away.

Here's a screen.

People at work.

I need help with this.

Oh, look, that's your job.

I don't have time for that.

And in effect, are we saying,

I'm more important than you.

You are not good enough for my time.

Do we count others as more worthy?

Or are we good at making excuses and conditions

as to why they don't deserve our time and attention and money?

This week we come to Philippians chapter 2.

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

Paul, the author of the letter,

has called us to be united by joy.

And the key here for us is humility.

If we are arrogant and we are putting others down,

we will not have unity.

But if we value others like we want to be valued,

like Jesus valued us to go to the cross and die for us,

then we can have unity.

So today, as we look at Philippians chapter 2,

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

we will see how humility leads to unity with joy.

And I'm going to pray and I'm going to ask my dear wife,

actually, if you can grab that clicker that I think is on my chair

and just send one of the children up.

Oh, yourself, that'd be wonderful.

I thank you.

What a humble servant my dear wife is.

Thank you.

Let's give her a round of applause.

Yes.

Thank you, my dear, my dear wife.

Let me pray.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for partners in ministry.

Like my wife, I thank you for partners in ministry

that we've seen like the Sandtiches, the McGrathes, and the Lowe's.

And Lord, I thank you that we get to have church partnerships.

Lord, as we look at Philippians chapter 2 this morning,

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

I ask that you would help us to understand how to be humble

so that we can have unity as a church and with church partners

and more broadly as well, Lord.

And we pray this in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Now, I've got the clicker.

Let's see if the clicker works.

Yes, there we go.

First of all, we're going to see that we are to be humble.

So before calling the Philippians to humility,

Paul reminds the Philippians of why they should be humble.

And he uses the word if four times here.

And these questions assume a yes answer.

It's like when a child is complaining that their parents never do anything

and the parent says something like,

I don't ever do anything for you.

Well, the answer is, of course, yes.

I do many things for you.

And so the answer to all of these if questions is a positive yes.

These do happen.

So therefore, if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ,

because you are,

if you have any comfort from his love,

if there is any common sharing in his spirit,

if there is any tenderness and compassion,

if there's an encouragement from being united with Christ,

if the Jesus who left heaven to come alongside us to bring salvation,

but also now continues to strengthen and lift us up when we are discouraged and downhearted,

if we have this Jesus,

if we have comfort from his love,

comfort, the sense of lessening of anxiety,

a comfort for a trembling heart,

comfort for a heart worried about the future,

about children's future,

if there is common sharing in the spirit.

And this language is the same business term we saw last week.

If there is a partnership with the Holy Spirit

to bring the comfort of Jesus to the very depths of our heart,

if there's any tenderness and compassion,

the spirit causing the blessings of Jesus to be experienced,

if there is these.

And do you know what church?

I'm sure that if I sat down with each of you for a couple of moments,

you would be able to think of a time when God has picked you up.

That his love came to you at the very right time.

That his fellowship and faithfulness have been real when everyone else has deserted you.

If there is this experience of love and comfort from the Lord Jesus,

and there is,

we should share it.

We should share it.

We should be united in this love and comfort and sharing.

Verse 2,

Then make my joy complete by being like-minded,

having the same love,

having the same spirit,

and the same mind.

Paul says,

share this experience of love that you've got from God,

and Paul will get joy.

He will get joy because he's seeing the work of God in the church.

It's not just thinking the same thing or doing the same thing.

It is the full body.

Their hearts and their affections are going in the same way.

This is a picture of true church partnership.

And so on the basis of Christ's love and affection and comfort,

we are called to share love and comfort and affection.

The challenge to this, though, is how we view other people

because some people are hard to show love and affection and unity to.

So Paul says in verse 3,

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.

Rather, in humility, value others above yourselves.

Last week, we saw that Paul's ambition was to see the gospel go out,

to see as many people come to know and love Jesus as possible.

And now he says, watch out for a selfish ambition

about building up our own little kingdom instead of God's kingdom,

a kingdom that is self-seeking and self-promoting,

pride that says, I am worth promoting.

Instead, have humility.

We can often think that humility is about lowering ourselves,

but that's not a good biblical definition.

Humility is considering ourselves right.

Doing some math on who we are and understanding who we are before God.

And so firstly, we would understand that we deserve nothing good from God.

And yet, because he is good, he chooses to value us and love us.

In relationships, we cause problems.

We cause conflicts.

We are prickly.

We are exhausting.

We're people who only talk about ourselves.

We need to know who we are.

That is what humility is.

Knowing who we are and what we deserve.

To view ourselves rightly.

And so Paul is calling on us to have humility where we understand who we are,

but then to value others.

To view others.

And so he has this mathematical language, to value others.

It's as if, I'm not sure if anybody here is particularly good at math,

but it would be considering your value

and considering somebody else's value

and seeing that somebody else is actually quite significant.

Seeing that, do you know what?

I don't deserve anything good from God and yet he chooses to love me.

This other person, do you know what?

They're loved by God too.

And so I need to consider them highly.

So verse four,

Paul is stressing here that Christians must take the concerns for themselves

and apply it to others.

To look out for the interests of others.

C.S. Lewis has a wonderful quote about humility.

Humility is not thinking less of yourself,

but thinking of yourself less.

We are very good at thinking of our own needs.

What do I need to do today?

What do I want to do for me?

But what would it look like for us to think about others' needs

more than ourselves?

Everything in the Christian's life

is to bring humility

and greater care for other people.

Jesus' death on the cross

tells us that all we bring to salvation

is our need for it.

It's impossible to enter the Christian life with pride.

The cross sends us to our knees

with open and empty hands.

Now I'm sure all of us here would say

that we are pretty humble.

I know you all,

you're all very nice people.

None of you would go around

saying how great you are.

I'm just checking.

I don't think there's anybody who I know here

who would go around saying,

do you know what?

I'm really excellent.

And I wonder how cultures do humility differently.

Americans,

they have a different way of doing humility

which has positives and negatives.

they are very good at self-promotion.

They like to talk themselves up.

And this can be a bit jarring for Australians

because we don't like to talk ourselves up.

But Americans like to talk themselves up a lot.

And so it can appear that they don't have humility.

However, one thing they do

is they will talk up other people very well.

They will actually say,

you are great,

you are excellent at this.

We don't self-promote.

Australians,

in Australia,

if we compliment somebody,

we have false modesty

and say,

oh no,

I'm not that great.

So, you know,

if I was to say,

oh,

who can I pick on?

I'll pick on James Cason.

You know,

there's James Cason.

He's,

oh,

James,

I saw you do this

and that was really excellent.

Now,

what's the normal response going to be?

No,

no,

it's not.

No,

it was,

I'm just okay at it.

Even if he knows that he is excellent.

So,

let's just say James Cason runs a running race

and I say,

James,

you ran so well today.

He's not going to say,

yes,

I did so well.

The Australian culture

must have a false sense of modesty,

which is,

no,

even though I came first,

oh,

I've got room to improve.

This is just how Australian culture works.

As I've been learning the Chinese language,

I've been learning about the Chinese culture as well.

And so,

I often have this strange thing

where I try and speak Chinese

and people say,

oh,

your Chinese is so good.

And it's,

that's a strange thing.

But one of the things I've been told to say,

instead of just saying,

oh,

thanks,

you say,

gnarly,

gnarly,

where?

Where is this?

Again,

I think it comes back to,

it's,

it's not humility,

it's modesty.

Australians and Chinese

are far more modest than Americans,

but neither of these are humility.

So we can think as a culture,

we're very humble,

we're not self-promoting

compared to say the Americans.

We're very unassuming,

but humility is actually valuing someone else more.

Understanding my value

and understanding someone else's value.

Modesty is not shouting about your greatness,

but humility is celebrating someone else.

And so Paul here,

he's not calling on Christians to be modest.

No,

this is real humility.

Understanding that I am not great

and anything great is a gift from God,

but to value my neighbor.

We have a wonderful example here.

Jesus.

Real humility

and valuing others is hard.

Paul gives us

one of the earliest descriptions

of the awesomeness of Jesus,

his life and death and resurrection

summed up in a couple of verses.

And it calls us to humility.

And so verse five,

in your relationships with one another,

have the same mindset as Christ.

No greater model.

This humble Jesus,

who being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God

something to be used to his own advantage.

Again,

Jesus is not modest.

He never says he's not powerful.

Jesus doesn't walk across the water

and get on the boat

and go,

oh,

actually,

it was mostly ice.

It was pretty straightforward.

It was just really shallow.

He knew who he was

and he would say,

I and the Father are one.

But he was humble.

God himself was made nothing.

Not literally nothing,

but a human.

He took on the nature of a servant

or more literally a slave.

And one of the defining characteristics

of a slave

is that they are worth nothing.

They have no rights.

They are no bodies.

Slaves can be bought or sold.

But this is the eternal son

who has all the rights to deity.

But he valued us more than himself.

Jesus,

the son of God,

who had always existed

with the father and the spirit,

took on the limitations of humanity.

Staying fully God,

he takes on humanity.

He was a man who hungered

and thirsted,

who got tired,

he worked,

he was tempted

and he was pressured.

And he humbled himself.

Verse 8,

being found in appearance

as a man,

he humbled himself

by becoming obedient

to death,

even death on a cross.

the Jesus that we are called

to follow

and to worship

and to serve

made himself a nobody,

becoming a slave

to death for us.

And then humbled himself

even further

by becoming bound

to a body

for us,

us sinful,

rebellious,

worthless people.

He said,

I will give you worth.

He obeyed his father

and valuing us so much,

he died on the cross.

Verse 9,

therefore God

exalted him

to the highest place

and gave him the name

that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bow

in heaven and earth

and under the earth.

And every tongue

acknowledge that Jesus Christ

is Lord

to the glory

of God the Father.

This Jesus is amazing

who now sits

at the right hand of God.

It challenges

our thoughts

of pride

when we think,

do you know what?

I deserve better.

Everyone around me

needs to know

how great I am.

The people at work,

they should be paying me more.

How dare they treat me

like this?

That the Jesus

who was in heaven

for eternity

allowed himself

to be treated

the very worst.

And he did it

because he valued us

more than himself.

And so then,

we start with humility

and we move on

to obedience.

Jesus in humility

obeyed his father

and Paul calls us

to do the same.

My dear friends,

as you have always

obeyed,

not only in my presence

but now much more

in my absence,

continue to work out

your salvation

with fear and trembling.

For it is God

who works in you

to will

and to act

in order to fulfill

his good purpose.

The call to obedience

here is twofold.

God is working

to change our will

so we can press on

in obedience.

obedience.

There is no fight

here in these verses

about what people

do for salvation

versus what God

does.

We do not work

at all for our salvation

but we are working

out what God

has already worked

in.

It's a call

to obedience

and holiness

that requires work.

Every Christian

is called

to resist temptation,

to avoid sin

and to pursue

the love of others.

We do it

not out of

dread to God

but reverence

and a sober realization

that we need to take

this God seriously.

Maybe you have been

following God

for a long time

and you were once

a more serious Christian.

Maybe you sought

to get to know him,

to obey,

read his word

and now maybe

you're feeling like

you're going

through the motions

and the fear

and awe of God

have gone

and God has just

become sanitized

and he is in a box

and he's more

like a teddy bear God,

one who just

brings comfort

or he's a kind

grandfather

who helps

or he's a puppy dog

to give you comfort.

This is a reminder

that our God

is far beyond us

and it calls

for a serious devotion

to faith

and our walk

but this is also

a book about joy

and so it's a serious faith

but it's also

a joyful faith.

It is a joyful

trembling

following God

and this humility

leads to obedience,

leads to unity

in the church

so do everything

without grumbling,

without arguing

so you may become

blameless and pure.

grumbling

and arguing

are the products

of contentious spirits

that feel need

to constantly question

what is being done.

Do you know what?

My ideas aren't being

listened to.

I'm not catered here.

Everyone is wrong

except me.

It's the attitude

of heart

and the tone

of voice

that lifts

themselves

above everyone else.

But these behaviours

can't exist,

can't coexist

when there's humility.

These are the

secret displeasures

not spoken about openly.

Maybe you

complain at community group

or you whinge

about that person

on the way home

from church

grumbling about people

oh they don't,

they don't get it

how dare they do that.

Grumbling about people

and complaining

won't happen

if we value

other people

more highly

than ourselves.

Paul has called

on the church

to have humility.

Humility that leads

to obedience

which leads

to unity.

He's given

the life-changing

example of Jesus

and now he gives

the example of Paul

and Timothy

and Epaphroditus

because it's almost

as if

the example

of Jesus

is too hard

to follow.

He's too perfect.

He's too God

and so I

can't really

follow his example.

I recently heard

someone talk

about

WWJD bands.

I'm not sure

if you were

a young person

in the late 90s

or early 2000s.

I definitely

was

and I had

this bit of fabric

that I wore

on my wrist

that had stitched

into it

the letters

WWJD.

What would

Jesus do?

And I'm concerned

looking at some

of the young faces

in the room

scratching their heads

because it makes me

feel very old

that you don't

know what that is.

And this was a fad

for a little while.

I'm pretty sure

I actually still

have one at home.

I couldn't find it.

The idea was

that you wore

this on your wrist

and as you went

to sin

you would be

reminded

oh hang on

what would Jesus

do in this situation?

Oh I won't do

the sin.

And that worked

for about 38 seconds

and then it just

became another thing

you wore on your wrist.

Jesus' example

is wonderful

and helpful

but it's almost

like his example

is too hard

and so Paul

gives us

another couple

of examples

of Christians

having humility

that leads to

obedience

that leads to

church unity.

Paul, Timothy

and Epaphroditus.

Paul was sending

Timothy to the church

in Philippi

and he says

of Timothy

I have no one

else like him

who will show

genuine concern

for your welfare.

Paul would value

the Philippian church

over himself

so he would

send Timothy.

Remember Paul

is in jail

he's in prison

at the moment.

He has very little

and he has

Timothy and Epaphroditus

and he's going

to send Timothy

back because

Timothy

has genuine

concern

for their welfare.

he is valuing

them more

than himself.

And they also

the Philippian church

have sent to him

Epaphroditus.

I think it is

necessary to send

back to you

Epaphroditus

my brother

my co-worker

and fellow soldier

who is also

your messenger

whom you sent

to take care

of my needs

so that when

you see him

again you may

be glad

and I may

have less

anxiety.

Paul sends

back Epaphroditus

he was there

to care for

Paul

but he values

them more

than himself.

He would send

Timothy back

he would send

Epaphroditus

back

Timothy had

genuine care

Epaphroditus

would bring

joy to them.

Humility

or valuing

others

leads to

obedience

before God

and it

builds unity

in the church.

Which of

these

is getting

in the way

for you?

Which of

these is

your real

challenge

today?

Is it

the humility?

You need

to be

practicing

and asking

God to

help you

to value

others

more than

yourselves?

Or is it

the obedience?

Or is it

the church

unity?

I wonder

if for most

of us

the real

issue

is

humility.

I wonder

if it's

possible

that we've

gotten so

used to

the idea

that Jesus

died for

me

that we've

internalized

it

and the

world view

around us

that we

earn things

has so

crept in

that we

start to

think that

we deserve

our position

as a

Christian.

We'd never

say that I'm

saved by

what I do

but I

think

I wonder

if we've

become so

used to

this world

view that

we earn

our good

things that

we start to

think we

have some

value

and it

can lead

us to

looking down

on others.

Are we

valuing

people

based on

what the

world says

about people

or are we

valuing people

based on

how God

has valued

us?

If we are

lacking humility

before God

and other

people there

is no way

we can obey

God's call

to love

them.

How can

we love

our neighbours

as ourselves

if we

don't value

them?

It's a

challenge to

view others

highly

and to

have

humility.

And so a

couple of

thoughts for

us today.

This morning

take real

time to

get to

know people.

You can't

value them

more highly

than yourself

if you

don't know

them.

And so

the very

simplest thing

we can do

is value

time with

them to

get to

know people.

So a

challenge this

morning.

Talk to

somebody you

don't know.

Talk to

someone you

don't know.

Another thing

to do this

week,

sacrifice time

to help

someone.

Time is

very precious

in our

society.

We are

busy with

work,

we are

busy with

our rest,

and when we're

not busy

with those,

we're busy

looking at a

screen.

And so to

actually choose

to sacrifice a

chunk of time

to help

someone else

is a

practical way

to value

someone more

than ourselves.

Third thing

is to ask

what is

taking your

attention?

What is

grabbing your

attention?

And I

wonder if

for many

people it

is technology

or phones.

I read

about a

study done

recently that

was targeted

at teenagers

asking teenagers

about their

parents.

And the

majority of

responses came

back and

teenagers said

they wanted

more attention

from their

parents because

their parents

are looking at

their phones

too much.

Have you

ever had a

conversation with

someone and

they're looking

at their phone,

they're doing

these ones?

This is not a

phone, but what

does that say?

I value this,

and I don't

value you.

It says it

immediately.

You are not

important.

Me and my

time and this

thing is more

important.

Now I know

we're busy, I

know we've got

to do things, I

know phones are

a useful tool,

but they can

say so much

about how we

view other

people.

Imagine if

Jesus came and

he's standing

there at the

foot of the

cross going,

oh sorry, I

don't have time

to get on

that.

I've got to

do this.

And so take

one step in

humility this

week, one step

closer to loving

other people.

Our great God

who loves us

has valued us.

Jesus didn't

just take one

step to value

us, he took

every step to

that cross to

show his love

and value for

us.

Let me pray.

Dear Heavenly

Father, I thank

you for your

word and for

your reminder

reminder about

the humility

of Jesus

that he would

humble himself

by taking on

humanity, by

obeying you

and going to

the cross and

dying in our

place.

Lord, I thank

you for the

unity that

brings, that we

get to be a

church together.

Heavenly Father,

I ask that we

would not be a

church in name

only, but that

we would value

each other over

ourselves, that

we would show

real Christ-like

love, that we

would be growing

more like him

and growing

closer together in

love for each

other today, Lord.

I ask this in

Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.