Humility of Christ | Philippians 2:3-8 | October 18, 2026 | Aaron T. Colyer

Good morning, church.

If you have a Bible, open it to Philippians chapter 2.

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

We're continuing on in Philippians chapter 2.

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

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Philippians chapter 2.

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

And as you turn there, we're praying for a church plant just down the road.

It is the Well Community Church in San Marcus, Texas.

They meet at Travis Elementary School right behind Bobcat Stadium.

And oftentimes our staff will go to campus to pray for students and share the gospel.

And when they say, Oh gosh, Wimberly's pretty far, we don't know that we want to drive 25 minutes down the road.

We say, Well, there's a really great church, less than five minutes walking, if you would like to go to that church at Travis Elementary School.

The pastor there is named Chris Millar.

He's a very good friend of mine.

We talk almost weekly.

We pray for each other all the time.

And today he's preaching through 1 Corinthians, but doing their family dedications.

So we did that two weeks ago.

And I said, We'll be praying for you.

They're also getting to baptize several this evening.

So let's pray for Pastor Chris and the well, and we'll be right here in Philippians chapter 2.

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

Lord, we thank you that you've met us even in this moment.

You've met us in these moments of praise and prayer and these moments of fellowship, even as we see other brothers and sisters in our church family that do what we read aloud in Galatians chapter 6, that we bear one another's burdens, that we stir one another up, that we encourage one another.

Galatians 6 · chapter mention

And so would we get that even now as we sit on the edge of our seat eager to hear from you through the scriptures?

Lord, would would we be the kind of church that takes you at your word?

We need you, Lord.

And so the things you want to teach us today from Philippians 2, use me, help me step out of the way, and let us not leave here the same way we walked in.

And I pray for the well as they meet this morning in two gatherings.

I thank you, God, for Pastor Chris and the friendship that we have.

I thank you, Lord, that they're reaching college students and young families, that he's praying, Lord, send us some older people.

I love his vision of a healthy church being multi-generational.

I just ask God that you would help them to go out into the highways and the byways with the good news of the gospel, that you'd keep them a healthy church, that they'd continue to have baptisms and family dedications.

And as they preach through 1 Corinthians and see connections between our culture in this day and age, would it be that they could just fix their eyes on Christ?

They'd remember their greatest hope is Jesus.

And we pray that in Jesus' name.

Amen.

So in Philippians 2, we see a lot going on here.

We see this idea of we should have the mindset of Christ, a humility of Christ.

There is a word here about do nothing from selfish ambition or vain conceit.

And I don't know if we have many tennis fans.

We got some great tennis players that attend our church, and they're doing great right now.

Cheer for the Texans.

I don't know if you have the U.S.

Open in mind, but I watched Blake Shelton this past year as he was getting better and better at the U.S.

Open.

And he's done this before, but he did it even more this year, where he gets the crowd going and he goes like he makes his face like this and he goes, Come on, let me hear it.

He just points to his ear.

You know, is anyone can I get any witnesses?

I'm looking at Ed Cooper.

I know your grandson plays tennis.

He just does this thing and it it makes my skin crawl.

Because to me, it's a picture of vainglory, right?

It's about me.

You know why I noticed that?

Because I struggle with vainglory.

And I struggle with putting myself first, and I struggle with conceit and pride.

And I want to tell you, we've been in this book of Philippians and camping out in chapter two and talking about the unity that Christ gives, talking about the joy that's available for us.

And I just want to tell you at the outset today: nothing will rob your joy in Christ as quick as pride.

Nothing will get in the way of the unity of a local church quicker than pride.

And so just at the outset, we're we're reminded that all we have is because God has been gracious to us.

And everything we are in our identity is because Jesus has made us brand new, and all you might accomplish in your life, the things that God has called you to put your hand to, you accomplish because of the grace of God in your life.

That's a humbling thing.

It puts us in the right heart posture to hear a sermon on the humility of Christ.

C.J.

Mahaney wrote a book, a really small book, called Humility.

And in it, I think he's the first person that showed me at least, he might be quoting someone else, that we all understand something about humility when we compare ourselves to God.

You see, you can run and run and run, but eventually you're gonna sleep.

And if you have a healthy rhythm of sleep, you go to bed at a certain time and you wake up at a certain time and your body's refreshed and you say, Oh, that was good rest.

I'm so glad that I got some good sleep.

You know who never sleeps and who never slumbers?

The Lord.

He doesn't need rest.

We are created as a reminder that says, We could just go, go, go, go, go, but eventually we're gonna shut down.

And every time you sense yourself tired or yawn in the afternoon or wake up and say, Man, I wish I could have had an extra hour.

Just remember, that's God's little nudge in your life to say, see, you need sleep, and I don't.

You need rest.

Be humble and find your rest in me.

Amen.

I do want to read in context, uh, chapter two, all the way through verse eight.

It's a beautiful section of scripture, chapter two, verse one through eleven.

I'm gonna stop at eight.

This is what we've been focusing on these last several weeks.

So, if there's any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from his love, any participation in the spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, and being in full accord and of one mind.

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit.

But in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

Let each of you look not only to his own interest, but also to the interest of others.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.

Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but he emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

We have to remember this humility of Christ.

It motivates us to follow his example.

And the context, remember, is unity.

If you've been found with the same love and the same participation in the Spirit, stand firm, be of one mind, have this kind of unity.

So I'll remind you what D.A.

Carson says about the partnerships of the redeemed, the partnership of the redeemed, so that the entire church reflects the same precious, Christ-honoring, God-fearing, self-denying, and others edifying stance.

That we are together.

So as we address humility this week, it may be more of an individual struggle, but you're not just doing it for your individual gain.

You're doing it for our collective gain, that collectively as a church, we would strive to maintain the unity that we've been given.

So as I fight my own pride, I do that in my relationship with the Lord for the benefit of me and others.

You see how that works?

Just like joy was a community project, humility then is a community project as well.

I want to remind you of two quick verses before we really dig into Philippians chapter 2.

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

The first is James chapter 4, verse 6.

James 4:6

God opposes the proud.

Let the Holy Spirit do something there.

I don't need to preach at you, okay?

God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

And I want more of the second in my life.

I hope you do too, church.

Amen.

And Proverbs chapter 3, towards scorners, he's scornful, but to the humble he gives favor.

Proverbs 3 · chapter mention

And so there's no room for conceit in this kind of church family that we're wanting to see.

If you're taking notes, four ways to pursue God honoring humility in your life.

Four ways to pursue God honoring humility.

Here's the first flee selfishness and vain conceit.

Did you see that?

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit.

I keep saying vain conceit because I memorized this first in the NIV.

I had a family pastor when I was in high school.

He led a Saturday night contemporary service, and he said, Let's memorize the book of Philippians.

And I got through about halfway in chapter two.

But it was a good exercise for my soul.

It was a good exercise for my heart.

And I remember this verse in chapter two that we should do nothing from selfish ambition or vain conceit.

See, we we pursue selfishness when we come to church with our own agenda instead of yielding to the Lord and saying, God, what do you have for me today?

Selfishness in other translations is translated with a rivalry.

Do nothing from rivalry, just assuming that you're opposed to your Christian brothers and sisters.

I think we know a little bit about rivalry in Central Texas.

Don't we?

See, I don't even have to say anything.

I got this already.

Let's talk about the Texans.

The rivals, Canyon Lake High School or Davenport High School.

Let's talk about the fact that right now, this morning, my sweet daughter's worshiping with one of her best friends at AM in College Station.

And you know why I can be excited about that?

Even though I'm not excited that the Longhorns did not close out again for the second week in a row, I can be excited about that because I love that my daughter has a sisterhood relationship with one of her best friends that graduated Wimblery High School and is now a freshman down in College Station.

I love that.

See, the gospel takes away rivalry.

The gospel takes away selfish ambition.

Paul speaks about this in chapter one.

He says, I know some are preaching out of rivalry.

Some want to see me put down and them lifted up.

And that's okay.

If they're giving people Jesus, let them just do it anyways.

He says, I'm not in competition with anybody.

I just want to point other people to Jesus.

That sense of rivalry comes from pride.

And so we flee a selfishness.

We flee a selfish ambition.

I think it's that prideful attitude that says, I deserve first place.

I want to be famous.

I want to be made famous.

I want the acolytes, accolades in my life.

But don't you see that kind of pride kills your joy?

The scripture, the Bible talks about selfishness as being vain.

It's vain.

Do you remember Ecclesiastes?

Vanity of vanities.

It's all chasing after the wind.

You trying to make your name great is going to fail you every time.

It's empty.

It's worthless.

What's the point of having worthless glory?

What's the point of having empty glory?

That's not satisfying.

That doesn't fill us up.

I don't know if you've ever met someone that's stuck in the past of like, man, those good old days.

Remember the days?

Remember those days, man?

Our team was number one.

If you have no recollection of that, just remember an old movie, Napoleon Dynamite.

And it's Uncle Rico, man.

He was living in the past.

Don't you remember the days?

And it's funny for us when we watch that movie because we see how pointless that is.

Man, Uncle Rico, wake up, man.

You're 30 years after that.

Just live your life today.

Why are you trying to still pursue empty or vain glory?

I think we're reminded that it's an empty glory because we have to see that Jesus is the only one that deserves first place.

And we'll look at this more next week.

But I love verses 9 through 11, which I didn't read prior to that.

Jesus emptied himself, he became obedient to the point of death.

So then this passage says, Therefore, because he emptied himself, because he gave all, because he's in the garden in John 17 saying, Lord, I don't think I could do this.

Father, take this cup from me, but not my will, your will be done.

Because of that, this is what it says the Father does.

Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that's above every name, so that the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow in heaven and earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

It's foolish for us to pursue that.

So how do we pursue God, honoring humility?

We flee selfishness.

We flee vain glory.

Number two, we count others as more significant than yourself.

And so I got this from Ace Hardware.

I think the swimmers were going to the State Swim Meet last year, and we all did the send-off.

I've done many other send-offs for many other sports, for volleyball, for tennis, for all kinds of things.

But you go to Ace Hardware, follow on Facebook, and see where you can send off to Texans and say, Yeah, Texas, yeah, you're number one.

My wife is so good.

She always makes posters.

She's always got the posters.

I think in our prideful hearts, what we do is we want to wear this foam finger for us.

I'm number one.

I'm awesome.

We want to think about ourselves all of the time.

And the instruction we get here in the scripture is don't think about yourself, think about others as more important than yourselves.

The beauty of the unity that happens in Christian community is that we have new hearts.

We're new creations.

Because we are brand new and we've been remade, we can start doing things in a way that goes against the old way and points forward to what God is doing in shaping us, conforming us into the image of Christ.

And so we can obey a scripture like Romans 12.

We honor one another above ourselves, love one another with a brotherly affection, outdo one another in showing honor.

Man, I want to pursue a God honoring humility.

I just need to think of myself less and others more.

I got humility all wrong by the time I got into college.

And I was still working through some prideful tendencies and some arrogance.

And I played drums in the college worship band.

I was so overly concerned about how people perceived me.

How did I do and how did it sound?

And what about that part?

And I did that one drum fill.

And did anyone notice that?

Or was I too loud or not loud enough?

And this guy over here that plays the electric guitar is always giving me a hard time saying, bang the drums.

And so I bang the drums, and I still don't make him happy.

And other people are mad at me, and I was so concerned about how people perceived me.

And I went to our lead worship leader and I said, Man, I'm just I feel so prideful.

I feel so arrogant.

I beat myself up and beat myself up.

And he spoke some life into me when he said, Aaron, humility is not about you beating yourself up.

Humility is about making others look better than you.

So quit beating yourself up and just look to encourage others and look to compliment others and look to get the attention off of you and onto what God is doing in other people.

Do you know how life-changing that is for some of the struggles with pride?

Do you know how life-changing it is to stop beating myself up?

Saying, Oh, I'm a terrible person.

I I can't believe that I still struggle with this.

God save me.

Instead of that, say, Lord, help me just think of others more than myself.

It's a complete perspective shift.

Humility doesn't need to be about putting myself down.

Humility needs to be about putting others up.

So I count others as more significant than myself.

Ultimately, John the Baptist leads the way here when he says, Jesus, I must decrease and you must increase.

We want to do that first and foremost in our walk with the Lord, but if we practice God honoring humility, we do that with others as well.

We love God and we love others.

They're saying, It's not about me.

What are you interested in?

It's not about me.

What are you good at?

It's not about me.

How is God using you?

And I want to be encouraging you.

God is using you.

It's more about lifting others up than putting yourself down.

Number three, if you want to pursue a God, honoring humility, look to the interests of others above your own.

And it can be difficult.

Right?

Because we walk in with selfish desire, right?

But I'm telling you, Christ can change your heart.

That's how sanctification works.

We're constantly being made more and more and more into the image of Christ.

We're being burned in the furnace.

We're being refined.

This is what happens when he strips away our selfishness and he puts others' interest in our mind.

You realize it's not about you.

Some might go as far as to say it's never about me.

I remember interviewing for a pastoral position in Rosalind, New Mexico.

And my wife and I were in the hot seat, man, we were on this couch, and there was a whole committee and their spouses.

There's 20 people in the room, and they were grilling me on Bible and doctrine, and grilling me on preaching style and evangelism and spiritual gifts and everything else.

And someone thought they were really clever.

Now you have to remember this is almost 15 years ago.

Okay, so the worship wars was in full action.

I know from the history of this church that this church used to have a contemporary service and a traditional service.

Why?

Because there was worship wars happening, all right?

And we're in the thick of that in Rosalind, New Mexico, about 15 years ago.

And this guy looks at us and says, What do you think about contemporary Christian music?

And my sweet wife, she's so wise.

My sweet wife said, Well, I know that there's people in the church that want more hymns and more hymnals and more traditional.

I know there's people in the church that want to sing songs from the radio, they want to sing contemporary Christian music.

Here's what I think a healthy church looks like.

And I don't mind quoting her on this because I think it was so wise.

She said, Maybe it's the older people in the church that want it in the tradition and the hymns, and a healthy church looks like when those older people come to the church leaders and the music minister and the music team, say, Can't we just sing more of those younger contemporary songs that these families are hearing on the radio?

Because they can get so passionate about Jesus.

And I know hymns are great, and oh, we're gonna sing something tonight.

Come back, alright?

Come back at six o'clock.

Hymns are great, but can't we sing more of those contemporary songs?

When younger people in the church, out of a love for the Christian brothers and sisters that are older and want the traditional hymns, that the younger people would go to the leadership of the church.

And those leading the music and the music minister and the music team say, I just I'm so zealous to sing more of those hymns.

Not necessarily for me, but I know that it's the heart languages of some of the people in our church.

Can you please just sing more of those hymns?

You get a healthy church where that's happening across the way.

Not looking at selfish ambition, but putting others' interest above your own.

And I think we've come a long way in the last 15 years.

Actually, I'm very grateful for Brother Jake Kraw.

He does a wonderful job singing new songs, singing old songs.

You should give him a big hug and say thank you.

Amen.

But how do we put others' needs above our own?

Not everyone knows this, but I like to do triathlons.

And several years ago, these two brothers were in the Olympics.

This is not at the Olympics, but it's a similar race as they're training for the Olympics.

I want to show you a perfect example of putting someone else's interest above your own.

It's about 45 seconds.

Let's check it out.

He is 400 meters from the finishing line and he does not know where he's at.

Johnny Bradley may not make the finishing line.

He is in trouble.

It was just seconds away from winning gold.

Johnny Bradley is up to finish this race.

Is that inspiring or what?

The older brother there pushes his younger brother.

He could have gotten first.

He could have passed his brother, and then the guy that passed both of them and got first, he would have been in his dust.

He says, no, no, no, no.

My brother fought hard for this.

He made it almost to the finish line, and his body's shutting down, and I'm gonna help carry him over and push him for second place.

That is putting someone else's interest above your own.

And this is what a God-honoring humility looks like.

Ultimately, if we have this unity, it talks about in chapter one, we're striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, then we speak the good news of Christ.

We walk out of this place, understanding that if someone is far from Christ and they never hear the good news of the gospel, I'm not putting their needs above my own.

And I'm like, maybe someone else will tell them.

And I know I'm the preacher that's always going back to this vision we have to magnify Christ and share the gospel.

But what greater way can we put someone else's need above our own?

I'm gonna put my lack of courage on the shelf and just ask the Holy Spirit to give me a little boost of bravery.

I'm gonna speak Jesus.

Jesus loves you.

Why?

Because I want to put your interest above my own.

I don't want you lost in darkness and condemnation.

I want you to understand that Jesus saves.

Number four, look to Christ as our ultimate example of humility.

And this is what Paul's doing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

He's saying, have this mind among yourselves.

Other translations say, have this attitude of Christ, have the mindset of Christ that Jesus stepped down from glory into this physical body.

He became the form of a servant, right?

In full divinity, 100% God, 100% man.

He cloaked his divinity, took on the burden of carrying around this flesh and being tempted in every way, and went to the cross and emptied himself.

We look to Christ as that example.

Jesus was not selfish when he took on flesh, and he counted my interest and your interest above his own when he took on flesh.

He considered your eternal interest as more important than his own.

He wanted to glorify the Father.

We see this humility in a twofold way.

First, he took on flesh, and then he went to the cross.

Let me just address taking on flesh a little bit.

And I don't want to be overly silly, but I do think it's important just to consider.

The God who spoke things into existence, John chapter 1 and Colossians chapter 1, became a dependent baby that needed to be fed by its mother.

John 1 · chapter mention Colossians 1 · chapter mention

That needed to be wiped and cleaned.

Became a dependent baby.

Matthew 4, we see him in the desert facing temptation.

Jesus didn't need to face temptation.

He already owned the devil.

He didn't need to face temptation, but he did.

That's what it meant, that he took on flesh.

And I addressed this with our fourth, fifth, and sixth graders when I got to preach this summer at lift camp on Philippians 2.

Jesus taking on flesh meant other things.

Meant things like bathroom humor.

He had to throw up, I'm sure.

He went through the awkward stages of puberty, potentially even enduring struggles like fatigue and tiredness and pimples.

Why?

Because he wasn't looking to his own interests, first and foremost.

More importantly, humility is not just seen that he took on flesh, that he became the form of a servant, that he was burdened by our skin, right?

But that he also took the example to go all the way to the cross, giving everything he had in full sacrifice.

Jesus gave his life for us.

Humility is seen that he went to death, even death on a cross.

You want an example to follow in order to just put on a little bit more humility?

Say, Jesus, help me to follow your example.

Help me to see what you have done.

And help me just live a little bit of that.

Sacrificial living, less about me, more about you, God, less about me, more about others.

Jesus, help me just live a little bit of that.

When I don't think I have it to serve anymore, Jesus, you gave it all.

You gave it all.

This passage for me is inspiring to put off my pride and to put on the humility of Christ.

I wonder what that looks like for you.

And I have some very specific questions as we close.

Is there any pride in your life that's hindering your joy for Jesus?

Is there any pride in our church that's attacking our unity as a church?

It's a gift.

We don't have to earn it, but we do have to maintain it.

Remember James 4, God opposes the prouder but gives grace to the humble.

Are there active ways in your life by which you're fleeing selfishness or vain glory?

Right now, are you attempting to put others ahead of yourself?

Count others as more significant than yourself.

Right now, how are you looking to others' interest above your own?

Ultimately, are you looking to Christ as your greatest example of humility?

One preacher says it like this if you want to be more humble, here's a three-step process.

Number one, admit you have a problem and confess it to the Lord.

Number two, humble yourself before the Lord.

Remind yourself of God's worth, God's glory, God's awesomeness, and surrender to Him.

Say, God, you are the one that satisfies me the most.

You are my source of joy.

This is humble yourself before the Lord.

And number three, walk with Christ daily.

If you're busy obeying him, the distraction of submitting to your own arrogance or own prideful tendency goes away because you're just so worried about obeying him and other areas of your life.

Paul talks in chapter one about their progress and joy in the faith.

I want us, church family, to make progress and joy in our faith.

And it's easy for me to invite you, if you've never given your life to Christ, this humility is not possible aside from a surrender that says, I want to turn away from trying to do it on my own and surrender to you, Jesus, and say, Thank you for dying.

Thank you that you paid for my forgiveness.

Thank you that I could be brand new.

What it takes is you to actually receive that.

The Bible calls that repentance.

Turn away from something and turn towards something else.

I want to turn towards Christ.

And if you've never turned towards Christ, would today be a day that you give your life to Him?

I think we've got some business to do with the Lord.

Pray with me and we'll continue.

Lord, it's impossible to look at the example of Jesus on the cross and not be inspired.

And so I pray that all across the room you'd be showing us things in our own lives that just need some attention.

There's something beautiful about when the Spirit shows us something.

It's not a guilt written, it's not a oh, you're so bad.

Lord, I just pray uh in Jesus' name against the enemy to whisper deceitful things in this moment, that what we hear is the Spirit saying, Hey, be free.

Be free, lay that burden down, be free.

And so I ask that whether people come up to these steps and spend a moment with you, whether they come and pray with a pastor, minister, and our team, Lord, I just ask that you would do big things in this moment of response.

We pray that in Jesus' name.

Amen.