July 28, 2024 Service
Philippians 12:1-11
The Gospel is Humility.
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Paul began his letter to the church in Philippi establishing that the Gospel is a foundation for sanctification which leads to a life of transformation in Christ. That process is furthered within community where we partner together for the gospel. In Chapter two, Paul emphasizes that humility is the key virtue as it was fully demonstrated through Jesus Christ having “emptied himself”, that is lowered himself to be humiliated on a cross for the sins of all men and women for those who believe. Paul is commissioning the church to proclaim this gospel “because” they have received it themselves and experienced encouragement in Christ, the comfort of His love, the work of the Spirit in their lives, and have grown in affection and sympathy. From this, Paul says, “be of the same mind, having the same love…”
Humility is not something we can fake or simply just “put on” and “take off” as we live out our lives. Humility is formed first and foremost by recognizing our neediness and receiving the depth of humiliation Christ went through on our behalf and how His life of humility led to profound love, kindness, compassion, and serving. As we receive Christ in this way, His humility is seeded in us and begins to grow. We can then cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying work by regularly examining our hearts for pride, acknowledging and confessing the pride that we have. Consider this a weeding of the garden on a regular basis. This spiritual work makes space for the seed of humility to be nurtured and grown. When we see our sin, in this case pride, for what it is and its harmful impact, we will naturally long for its corresponding virtue, humility. This is the place for honest prayers of confession and longing, both of which God delights in.
Without humility we will not turn to our face and hearts toward God. We will not confess and repent. We will not seek God first. We will not grow spiritually. We will not be able to bless our brothers and sister in Christ. We will not be the witnesses God has called us to be.
The chief sin of man is pride. From pride, all other sin flows.
The chief virtue of man is humility. From humility, all other virtue flows.
The core question we have to answer as we look at these next to each other is – what do I desire?
The Gospel is humility! May our hearts long for this virtue to be formed
Reflections
Let’s reflect and pray about this.
James 4:6 - “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
“Pride is an immoderate and exaggerated love of self. Prideful people feel they are better than others because of their superior skills, knowledge, achievements, and position. They feel contempt for those beneath them. Pride shows up as being unteachable, argumentative, increased self-confidence, non-repentant, demeaning others and their successes and making claim to one’s own achievements. It puts trust in one’s self or something else and not in God. Pride seeks to obligate God instead of receiving from Him. Pride destroys relationship and ultimately, God says, He resists those who are prideful. Pride, at its core, is self idolatry. “
-7 Sins and Virtues Examen by Chad Hollowell © 2020
What form of pride is God asking you to acknowledge and confess right now? Take some time to do this prayerful work.
How is pride harming or damaging relationship, community, your own heart and mind? Ask God to heal and restore you and these places and people.
James 4:10 - “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
1 Peter 5:5 - “Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.’”
“Humility is seeing God for who He is in holiness, righteousness and love. Seeing Him in comparison to who we really are, in our frailty without Him - our lack of holiness, righteousness and love. Humble people are dependent on God, not themselves, and have a God-centered faith. They seek to be honest and transparent, viewing others and the community as more important than themselves. Humble people recognize their inadequacies, failures, and need for growth and maturing. They are teachable, non-argumentative, don’t “have to be right”, forgiving, approachable, repentant, gentle, seek advice, listen to others with care, and seek the good of others. Humility emerges when the person sees that the problem is not “with someone else” but “within me”. This humble recognition leads to a heart and life surrendered to God for His work of grace at all times and in all things. Humility opens the door for growth in all other virtues such as Brotherly Love, Patience, Diligence, Generosity, Abstinence, and Purity of Heart which gives life to us and others, thus glorifying God. It is the foremost quality of a disciple of Jesus.”
-7 Sins and Virtues Examen by Chad Hollowell © 2020
1. Consider how Jesus demonstrated humility on your behalf and give thanks.
2. What forms of humility does your heart long to be more formed in? Offer these to God as a prayer of spiritual growth.
3. What might it look like if humility were the key virtue demonstrated in your life? How would this impact your family, communities, our church?
Share what God has done in your heart this week with your community group and/or friends.
Grace and peace on this journey together,
Chad Hollowell
Executive Pastor