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.
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,
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,
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,
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.