Following Christ into Humility

following Christ in the humility believing and knowing a little boy one cold morning like it was cold in here this morning. I was fascinated by the electric heater. That is Dad brought out and he just stared at those red glowing coils.

Those coils are hot. dad dad And for a while he was careful about that but his dad had to go do something a little boy. He stared at those coils and he tried his best to reach in there and touch them and ouch finger hurts He went from believing his dad that the coil was hot to knowing that the coil was hot before someone becomes the Christian. They go from unbelief to believing that there really is a God.

But after they've repented of their sins and ask Jesus in they should go from believing there is a God to knowing god. Today's scripture passage will see that Paul called The Believers at Phillipi. That's what we're going through right now the book of Philip. I Philippians. Sorry the town of Phillipi. Will see the part called The Believers to a deeper level of knowing god. So here's the passage Philippians chapter 2. Therefore. If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love if any, sharing in the spirit, if any tenderness and compassion then, then make my joy complete by being like-minded having the same love being of one spirit and of one mind do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit rather in humility value others above yourself 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 who being in the very nature. God did not consider equality with God something to be used to his Advantage rather. He made himself Nothing by taking the very nature of the servant being made in human like this and being found in appearance as a man. He humbled himself he became obedient to death even death on a cross therefore God exalted him to the highest Place gave him the name that is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on Earth and under the Earth and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

if any so Paul began this passage chapter 2 with it a series of if any's therefore if you have any encouragement from being united in Christ if any comfort from his love if any, sharing of the spirit if any tenderness and compassion

What were all those if any if any encouragement from? Christ if any comfort from is love if any common sharing in the spirit it is and if any tenderness and compassion we can see Paul is leading up to a big then, you know, if then I get to go this way for you guys then Frazee. Do you think Paul is really wondering if they have any of these things? Or is Paul pointing out? Things that are normal things that Believers should have if they have received Christ. Paul is pointing out real things that should be normal in Believers life. If you today are in Christ, you should already have some encouragement from Christ. If you are in Christ, and you should have course have some comfort from his love. Hey, he died for you and me he saved you and he's forgiven you. if you are in Christ, then you should have the wisdom in the guidance and many other things that just come from the holy spirit being a part of your life and you should have tenderness and compassion to what follows the van is a challenge to move on to the next level then make my joy complete by being like-minded having the same love and being of one spirit and of one mind you like minded Same Love One Spirit one mind. This is a call to Christian Unity like The community Unity that we saw out there with all that worship yesterday. I was talking to one of the pastors about that looks funny. I've never seen him, you know where the hood on before there are many different styles and expressions of worship, but we should all have a desire to worship god. There are many ways to organize a church, but we should all have a desire to come together with other believers. There are many ways to show compassion to the floor and the needy yet. We should all have a measure of compassion. You're one advantage and a small churches. There are fewer opinion. So Unity is East little easier to reach. In Christ, we should all feel. That abortion is wrong except in the cases where it is saving the mother's life like it a tubal pregnancy where that child that baby is going to die and needs to come out before the mother dies as well. God of course and forgive any of our choices when we come to him, but yeah, so in general questions Christians should agree should be against abortion because it's taking of an innocent life if the Philippians would move up from encouragement and comfort and sharing of The Same Spirit to the next level to Unity that will make Paul's Joy complete fall is going to follow up. With more instruction and then a huge example from Christ's life. So the call the humility do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit rather in humility value others above yourself not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of others.

Now notice that Paul didn't stay do nothing out of ambition because ambition can be a good thing. You can be a bad thing you we can. Paul had the ambition to preach Christ where no one had freaks before that was a preference of his that's why he was always going out and extending the range of the Gospel ambition might drive one person to build a hospital for a community and vision can drive us to grow in Christ, but selfish ambition Will Keep Us From rejoicing when God uses your brother or sister to do something that you were hoping to get praised for selfish ambition will drive us apart. Daenerys I was riding this. Deal Olympic skater Tonya Harding came to mind and her ambition to get on the Olympic team. for skating drove her to organize for someone to attack her closest rival. I wrote her name down. Yep. You got it, January 1994.

Some of my facts don't know I have to Google and I write them down.

How many I wonder with?

with bad ambition I wonder just how many accidents in unrelated attacks have happened.

What are the real cause was rivalry between one athlete and another I'm pretty sure that most of our rivalries in church don't end up with someone being hired to rough up the other guy or gel at least. I hope not but people do get hurt. It's hard enough. Really? Yeah, they're a group of diverse people and get them all to get along and agree.

But if we're not united through Christ, it is even harder when selfish ambition keeps us from playing nice together Church doesn't grow why shouldn't let's focus on verse for for a minute. So from the NIV not looking at your own interest, but to the interest of the others the translation of fears to have You are not looking at your own interest. but the other interest ESV version has Let each of you look not only to your own interest. So it allows looking at your own interest, but also to the interests of others.

and you know the different Bible verse version seem kind of split on whether it's okay to look to your own interest as well as looking at others and my my Bible verse that I got from Pastor appreciation last year or the year before four verse before says Do not merely look out for your own personal interest but also for the interests of others, but the word merely you can see there is italicized. That is because it's not in the text, but the translators believe it would make sense to put it there.

so At this point I've got some ambiguity about it.

What exactly the scriptures trying to say? You may ask.

Will Dave your what's the difference between looking after? Others interest and just being a doormat. Now if you're a doormat. Then you've given control of what you're going to do with your life your time your resources to anybody who asked you. But if you can look at your own interest as well, if you're Guided by the Holy Spirit, there's kind of a pick and choose and you can have a bit of balance than you like. In a recent post from Gordon Elliott shared that is hard to know who to help and how much to help how much to give just before leaving Liberia. They were starting having a problem of people showing up at the gate to the mission compound. And guys would be there begging give me money. I will come to your church. Give me money. and the even roughed up yo Mission compound to a guard at the gate that even roughed up the gate the guard at the gate the guard one night or day or one time.

Now all has a huge example of what he means by humility. The humility of Christ in your relationships with one another have the same mindset as Christ. What is that mindset over six who being in the very nature? God did not consider equality with God something to be used to his advantage.

when mankind needed saving The godhead so I usually don't like that word that Trinity relationship of God the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. They never had argument. They never had a conversation like this for the father said hey, son.

They need saving you go save them you go suffer and die and save them and the sun saying now you go save them send the Holy Spirit to save them. I don't want to do it. I don't want to be so degraded your they never had that conversation cuz they're in unity. So yep pre incarnate Christ didn't feel it was beneath his dignity to empty himself and be born a human being he must have been secure in his relationship with the father that the father loves them. So so Where's the 68 who made in the very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be used is Advantage rather. He made himself Nothing by taking the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness being found in appearance as a man. He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death even death on a cross. Let me tell you that's a lot of humbling for from God. The infants in the womb that's a lot of obedience from baby. Through 33 years of life to death on a cross. And that's the kind of mindset the Paul want to see in the Philippians. That's the kind of mindset. God wants to see an ass The Humble mindset but cheer up. It's not all lost when Jesus live to please his father and to save us he had a huge reward and therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on Earth and under the Earth and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father our motive should be to please Christ, but by example here, I assume that if we humble ourselves putting others interests ahead of us. God will see God will reward. Don't expect it to be money. Don't expect some big reward now because of how wonderful you humble yourself. Not in this life. You may have noticed that the text changed. Well, it's not real obvious. They're in my Bible. It's quite obvious. It looks like how the songs are laid out because they're pretty sure from verse 6 2 verse 11 wasn't early song in the church. They use that phrase and worship and when we're all done with church, you just might hear a song that uses that puts those verses to music. Yeah the day they would have. Perhaps has a chant. As they gather together to some of the early worship was was chanting. Which sound pretty but monotonous what the little boy learned the little boy. We began with moved from believing that electric heaters are hot to knowing that coils are hot. I trust and hope that you have already gone from unbelief to belief in God. And let me just ask. Are you a Christian? Do you need Christ in your heart today. Are you encouraged by Christ? Comfort is love. Do you share the Holy Spirit? Do you have any more tenderness or compassion in your heart for the King James has it. Do you have any tenderness in your bowels?

That's what it says. If not, then actually the Greek the word is more towards bowels. It's just you know, like in some cultures though. The natives will talk about you. Instead of us saying my heart is breaking. They'll say you're my throat is breaking her different parts of the body associated with all those feelings that we know belong to the heart. If not seek him if you don't have those things if you don't have much in Christ will see him in prayer meet him in his word. But if you already are encouraged comforted have the spirit of tenderness and compassion then what about moving to a deeper commitment consider putting others interest before yours through humble service to others is sell them to people line up and cheer when we serve but heaven will notice and be glad won't you make a deep commitment to God today? Let's pray.

father, you know all of our hearts and where were each one of us is that Compass right now

the nail where we're at with you as well. And to deepen our commitment to you. Know you better through your word through prayer and through Fellowship. I trust these things in Jesus precious name. Amen. You're dismissed and pretty.