This is the final part of a three part series called The Worthy Life. I did this sermon for VLI.

1. Maintaining Unity through Humility (Philippians 2:1-4)
2. Be Like Christ (Philippians 2:5-8)
3. Exaltation (Philippians 2:9-11)

Series: The Worthy Life
Title: Exaltation (Philippians 2:9-11)
Thesis: Those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Introduction:
There is a summer tradition at our church called the Vineyard Family Reunion. For one weekend we shamelessly throw a big party. Out of that tradition emerged something we’ve done over the past few years called the “Not So Amazing Race”. It’s this city-wide scavenger hunt that has 20+ teams doing crazy stuff all over Grove City. One summer, my wife joined up with 3 other high school students from our H.S. ministry to form a team for this race. Week after week as they got closer to competing in the race they got really psyched up! They went out and bought white T-Shirts and decorated them with their team name. They were constantly talking about how they were going to win first place because they were the BEST team ever! They were really talking the talk! They thought they were smarter, faster, and stronger than any other team.

So finally the day of the race came and they were convinced they were going to win. So the race began, they do the scavenger hunt activities, and they finally cross the finish line. To their surprise, they were not first place, or second place, or even third place. They came in DEAD LAST. They were shocked and probably a little bit humbled.

I heard about the results of the race when I got home and I tried to sound upset and disappointed and being a supportive husband. But, in the back of my mind I was wondering, “Was this, in a sense a kind of DIVINE VINDICATION?” Was God enforcing the principle we see in the Bible that says “Those who are first will be last.” Or “the greatest will be the least.” Or “Those who exalt themselves will be humbled.” This is actually the principle we are looking at today as we continue our series of “The Worthy Life”. Those who exalt themselves, will be humbled. Those who humble themselves, will be exalted.

Re-contextualize:
Before we jump into today’s passage, I want to briefly give you an overview of The Worthy Life series so you can see the continuity of Paul’s thought. First, we saw that we are to live a life that is worthy of the gospel. Second, the church must have unity to advance the gospel. Third, humility is necessary in order to have unity. Fourth, Jesus Christ is our supreme role model of humility. Lastly, today, those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Passage:
Turn in your Bibles to Philippians 2:9-11. I’ll read it to you.

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Therefore:
Right of the bat, Paul uses the word “Therefore”. So if we see the word “Therefore” we need to find out what it’s “There for”. In verse immediately before this passage, we see Jesus humbling himself in obedience to the Father. This obedience led to his death, and not just any kind of death, the most humiliating kind of death. To the Jew, if you were executed on a cross you were bearing the curse of God. Death on the cross was the most shameful form of execution. If we were to illustrate this death with a modern day equivalent, it would be like having someone on death row only— to be executed by the electric chair. It’s a horrify death reserved for the most sinful criminals. In the New Testament, nobody wore a fashionable gold cross around their neck because that would be like wearing an electric chair around ours.

So Jesus was killed in the most shameful way imaginable. Let’s say that was the end of the story. We turn to the last page and Jesus is dead. If that were true, we could all go home right now and order a pizza. Seriously, what would be the point in meeting together? Why would we pray to someone who is dead? Why would we be crazy enough to bear the name of a criminal? BUT, the story didn’t end that way! In fact, there is a strange turn of events.

Divine Reversal:
In verse 9, the subject of the story changes from Jesus to his Father. Jesus now takes the passive role and the Father takes the leading role. Point 1 in your outlines says, “God, the Father, initiates a ‘Divine Reversal’.” The Father sees the scandal involving his son and initiates a two-fold plan to reverse every false accusation against Jesus. The Father essentially overturns the world’s verdict.

Firstly, God elevates Jesus from the very lowest place to the very highest place. The world’s death sentence against Christ was reversed by God when he raised his son up from the grave. And, the honor bestowed upon Jesus was God’s outright rejection of the world’s judgment and shame. The world vilified Christ so the Father vindicated Christ.

Secondly, God gives Jesus the highest name. So what was this name? When we look throughout scriptures we see dozens of names ascribed to Jesus. Christ, Son of Man, Son of God, and Immanuel (just to name a few). So which name is above every name? Verses 10 and 11 reveal a bit more about this name. It is a name that will cause all knees to bow and will cause all tongues to confess that Jesus Christ is LORD! The name above every name is LORD. In the Greek language and culture, the word lord has special significance. The Caesar of the Roman Empire was called lord Caesar. Not because he had lots of political power, but because they believed he was divine. What’s also interesting about the word Lord is that it’s used within a passage that is adapted from Isaiah 45. Isaiah 45 is about the sovereignty and power of God. When Paul used this passage from Isaiah 45, along with the Greek word Lord, he was doing nothing less than ascribing full deity to Jesus. In contrast, the world slandered Jesus’ name and dug it into the ground. The Father rendered their slander null and void by bestowing his own name upon Jesus.

The Divine Reversal is truly an awesome act of the Father.

The Implications
From this passage we can find three implications.
1. Our obedience will be rewarded.
Our future reward from God is directly related to what we do in this age. Colossians 3:23-24 reads, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.”

2. Our sufferings will be vindicated.
We live in a world that has so much chaos and wrongdoing and injustice. We naturally and rightfully get upset when we’re wronged. When we see something that is dreadfully wrong we cry out to God saying, “How does THAT glorify you? Where is your justice? When will you make it right?”

This passage from Philippians 2 makes it abundantly clear that God has not overlooked our pain. God stooped down from heaven to become a man and then suffered more than any other human being. He shared in all of our sufferings and he deeply desires to make things right. In fact, he has appointed a time to deal with all of the wrong and to bring vindication and justice.

3. Bow down willingly or bow down grudgingly.
This passage makes it clear that there is coming a day when every knee will bow. If we bow down willingly in this age, we will experience everlasting life in the age to come. Those who do not humble themselves in this age will be forcefully brought under the authority of Jesus Christ and eternally separated in hell. This applies to all intelligible beings whether they are angels, demons, or humans. ALL knees will bow and ALL tongues will confess that JESUS IS LORD! 1 Corinthians 15 says that Christ will bring all enemies under his feet and that the last enemy to be destroyed is DEATH itself. There will be no more enemies and no more death when Jesus consummates his Kingdom.

Altar Call:
1. Death of Loved One
Some of you experienced a recent death of a loved one. You’re still experiencing the pain of that loss, and some of you might even be angry with God.

2. Obedience
Some of you are struggling with obedience. Pride has gotten in the way of your relationships and God has been convicting you to humble yourself in those relationships.

3. Salvation
Some of you have not begun a relationship with Jesus yet and you’re feeling this strange stirring in your chest. God is working on your right now and we want you to come forward for prayer.

This was the second installment of The Worthy Life series for VLI. A big improvement from Part 1 – Maintaining Unity through Humility!

The Worthy Life:
1. Maintaining Unity through Humility (Philippians 2:1-4)
2. Be Like Christ (Philippians 2:5-8)
3. Exaltation (Philippians 2:9-11)

Series: The Worthy Life
Part 2: Be Like Christ (Philippians 2:5-8)

Thesis: In order to have humility, you must be like Christ.

Introduction:
How many of you remember the Gatorade ad campaign from 1992? C’mon, that was only 16 years ago! Let me give you a hint: It featured the basketball player Michael Jordan. Let me give you another hint: It had a catchy tune called “Be Like Mike”. I would like to share with you that commercial on the big screen.

Movie: Gatorade – Be Like Mike. (Short Version)

Movie: Gatorade – Be Like Mike. (Long Version)

In 1992, I was in 8th grade and this commercial had a tremendous impact on me. I didn’t play basketball nor did I care to watch it much on television. But somehow I was drawn into wanting to become more like Mike. Not in the sense of actually practicing basketball. But I would wish that I could jump like him, dribble like him, and shoot the ball like him. I even went so far to stand in front of a mirror and practicing smiling like him. How silly is that?

But at such a young age, we want to be exactly like our favorite role model. We’ll want their shoes, their clothes, and their hair style. We’ll want to talk like them, walk them, and in every sense be like them. In 1992, everyone wanted to, “Be Like Mike”. He was the supreme model of coolness!

I think the Apostle Paul understood the value of a role model. As we’ve been working our way through Philippians 2, Paul has been encouraging the church to have humility in order to maintain unity. In our passage today, Paul is essentially saying to the Philippians, “You must look to Christ to learn humility.” In order to have humility, you must be like Christ. Jesus Christ is the supreme model of Humility.

Philippians 2:5-8
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a human being, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death- even death on a cross!

Preface – Verse 5
1. Uncomfortable, yet Essential.
A. Combats Natural Tendencies – Flies in the face of “Self”. I have so much room for improvement with humility. I battle with pride daily. So today I’m going to preach to myself, and you’re welcome to listen in.

B. Foundation of healthy relationships – In verse 5 it reads, “In your relationships with one another?”

C. Ultra-Idealistic – Dreamy eyed, “Be One, Unity, Community.”

D. Paul lays it out there and says, “You need to be like Christ”.

E. What does it mean to “Be Like Christ?” Verse 6 tells us.

Unselfish – Verse 6:
2. Verse 6: “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage” This verse tells us 2 things about Jesus:
A. Jesus is God – Jesus was God before he came to Earth, Jesus was God while on the Earth, and Jesus was God when he left this Earth. His divinity followed him wherever he went.

B. Jesus didn’t exploit his divinity – Jesus didn’t use his Godly attributes for his own advantage. Jesus had the power to do anything he wanted on earth. He could have proclaimed himself King, angels would have swept down from heaven, and he could have built himself the world’s most powerful kingdom with just a few words.

C. The first point Paul is making for us is, “If we want humility, we must: Be Unselfish”.

D. When we wake up each morning, our first thought isn’t on other people. It’s: “I’m tired. I’m hungry. I’m thirsty. I don’t want to go to work. I need a shower. I need to brush my teeth.”

E. Seriously, when we wake up our first thoughts have to do with ourselves. Our morning prayers may even sound like, “God, bless me. Give me a good day today.” We usually sustain this inward-focused mentality throughout the rest of the day. If something doesn’t go our way, we’ll think to ourselves, “How dare they do that to me! Don’t they know who I am? I’m going to get even with them!”

F. No, we should be like Christ. When Christ was wronged, he didn’t exploit his authority to get even. When Christ wasn’t recognized as the King, he didn’t forcefully assert his authority. Instead, he looked out for our best interests rather than his best interests.

Servant – Verse 7:
3. But, Christ’s Humility didn’t stop with unselfishness. In verse 7 it reads, “Rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” This verse tells us two things about Jesus:

A. First, Jesus became a man – This begs the question, “How can God became a man?” This is the mystery that people have debated for 2,000 years. If thinking about God becoming a man doesn’t hurt your head, you haven’t thought about it long enough! I’m going to do my best to give you an illustration. Play doe illustration. Different form, same substance.

B. Second, Jesus made himself nothing – Some literal translations say, “he emptied himself”. Many people logically conclude, “If Jesus emptied himself, then what part of himself did he empty?” Then people start naming divine attributes that Jesus didn’t exhibit. To go this direction would be a grave error! It would imply that Jesus was somehow less than God! No, he didn’t empty himself OF anything, rather he emptied HIS ENTIRE SELF through being a servant!

C. So, the second point Paul is making for us is, “If we want humility, we must: Be a Servant”

D. So what does it mean to be a servant? It means that we “Give our self away for the sake of others.” We essential pour our entire self into the lives of others.

E. Being a servant is a pretty radical thought. We like sitting on our throne. We like being king of the hill. We like being served by others. We like calling the shots. We like being the boss.

F. Now, if Jesus Christ could put aside the rights to his heavenly throne, take the form of a man, and then become a servant among men; couldn’t we get off our high horse for a little while to serve someone else?

G. Let’s get practical here. Husbands: wash the dishes and take out the trash. Wives: Give your husband a little free time to do something fun with friends. Teens: Help out with the chores. And if you have a neighbor: Scrape off the ice on their windshields or shovel the snow off their driveway.

H. Being a servant isn’t terribly complicated. You simply pour your life into someone else’s life.

Obedient – Verse 8:
4. Christ wasn’t just a servant. In verse 8 it reads, “And being found in appearance as a human being, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death- even death on a cross!” This verse tells us two things about Jesus:
A. First, Jesus really is a man – Paul restates Christ’s humanity. Jesus really was human.

B. Second, Jesus was obedient to the Father. – Jesus was not only a servant, but an obedient servant. He willfully obeyed the Father even though he knew it would lead to death. What’s interesting is that this passage says, “He humbled himself.” It doesn’t say, “Jesus was humbled”. The Father didn’t have to force His Son to die. The Father requested it and His Son obeyed. Jesus humbled himself.

C. So the third point Paul is making for us is, “If we want humility, we must: Be Obedient”.

Conclusion:
This begs the question, “What parts of my life am I refusing to give over to the will of the Father?” In what parts of my life am I being disobedient? In what parts of my life am I rebelling against the Father’s will?

A. Maybe it’s your Pride – God is asking you to do something, but it’s not a glorious job. In fact, it might be a difficult job, a dirty job, a job that you don’t think you deserve. Do you want to be like Christ? Humble yourself.

B. Maybe it’s your Money – Every time you drive past a particular intersection, and you see a homeless person with a sign that says, “I’m hungry”. Or maybe God has been asking you to give money to a particular ministry or mission, yet you cannot part with your fortune because you feel consumed by a selfish spirit. Do you want to be like Christ? Humble yourself.

C. Maybe It’s your Time – People ask you to come early to setup or stay late to tear down for an event; or maybe your spouse wants you to do something around the house, yet you feel unable to give anyone else your precious time. Do you want to be like Christ? Humble yourself.

If you need prayer, come forward now. The Lord gives grace to the humble.

This is a sermon I wrote for VLI last quarter. We were required to do at least one sermon from Philippians 2, but I’m a series kind of guy, so all three of my sermons are from Philippians 2. This first sermon was probably my weakest one. I made the mistake of utilizing too much text for a 15 minute sermon. The end result was a very dense sermon that actually lasted 22 minutes. This would have been MUCH better as two separate sermons.

The Worthy Life:
1. Maintaining Unity through Humility (Philippians 2:1-4)
2. Be Like Christ (Philippians 2:5-8)
3. Exaltation (Philippians 2:9-11)

Series: The Worthy Life
Part 1: Maintaining Unity through Humility (Philippians 2:1-4)
Thesis: We must have humility to maintain the unity needed to advance the gospel.

Introduction:
I learned of a man who was out on a walk one day when he saw another man about to throw himself from a bridge into the river. He ran over to save him.

“Why are you killing yourself?” he asked.
“I have nothing to live for!”

“Don’t you believe in God?”
“Yes I do”

“What a coincidence – so do I! Are you a Jew or a Christian?”
“A Christian”

“What a coincidence – so am I! Protestant or Catholic?”
“Protestant”

“What a coincidence – so am I! Baptist or Charismatic?”
“Baptist”

“What a coincidence – so am I! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?”
“Southern Baptist”

“What a coincidence – so am I! Premillenial or Amillenial?”
“Premillenial”

“What a coincidence – so am I! Pre-Tribulation or Mid-Tribulation?”
“Mid-Tribulation”

At this the first man pushed the suicidal man into the river shouting “Die heretic, DIE!”

We’re starting a three part series called “The Worthy Life”. Today we’re going to be looking at the book of Philippians and learning about what the Apostle Paul says about how maintain unity through humility.

Passage:
We’ll be focusing on Philippians 2:1-4 today, but I’m going to expand our reading to include the end of chapter 1. There is an unfortunate chapter break. The end of chapter one sets the context for chapter two. It actually serves as a springboard from which chapter two gets its significance. Let’s read it together starting in verse 27.

27 Whatever happens, as citizens of heaven live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together with one accord for the faith of the gospel 28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved-and that by God. 29 For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him, 30 since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.

1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

Mandate of Unity: “The Why” (1:27 – 1:30)
A. Why are we to have unity?

B. We are citizens of the Kingdom of God. (vs. 1:27)
1. Verse 27 “Whatever happens, as citizens of heaven?”
2. Philippi was part of the Roman Empire and they were Roman Citizens.
3. Paul adopts their understanding of Roman citizenship to show them that through Christ they have entered into a greater citizenship.

C. We are live in a way that is worthy of the gospel. (vs. 1:27)
1. Verse 27 – “live in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ”
2. What is the gospel? It is the Good News of Jesus Christ. It is all that HE IS and all that HE HAS DONE.
3. You guys are citizens and you need to live in a way that is worthy of your citizenship.
4. In other words: By what you do, demonstrate who you are.

D. Since we have strong opposition from without, we must have unity from within. (vs. 1:27-28)
1. Verse 27-28 “Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together with one accord for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you.”
2. Basically what Paul is saying, is “Since we have strong opposition from without, we must have unity from within.”
3. Paul knew first-hand the price that they were paying for the gospel in Philippi. Let’s read Acts 16:22-24: “The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.”
4. What do you think? Do you need a support system for that kind of treatment? A little unity wouldn’t hurt.

Model of Unity: “The Who” (2:1)
A. Who looks like unity?

B. Verse 1, “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion”

C. If … Then … Before we get any deeper into this verse, I just want to clarify the meaning of the If … Then. Paul isn’t setting up an actual If … Then. If these things are true, then the following is applicable. Paul is framing his argument for unity with a rhetorical question. We should actually read the passage like this:

D. “SINCE you have encouragement from being united with Christ, SINCE you have comfort from his love, SINCE you have common sharing in the Spirit, SINCE you have tenderness and compassion”

E. Paul has no doubt that they are recipients of these things.

F. Now, what makes this verse the model of unity- Paul has incorporated all three persons of the trinity.

G. Encouragement from being united with Christ. (2 Cor. 1:3-7)

H. Comfort from the love of God the Father. (2 Cor. 1:3; 1 Thes. 2:10-12)

I. Fellowship with the Spirit.

J. What he’s essentially saying is, “When you received the good news of Jesus Christ, you were brought into a perfect preexisting tri-unity (or trinity). And not only that, you have experienced encouragement, comfort, and fellowship from this unity.”

K. Paul’s point is that they now have the capacity for maintaining unity among themselves because as Kingdom Citizens they are perpetually experiencing the unity found in the tri-unity.

Marks of Unity: “The What” (2:2)
A. What is unity?

B. Verse 2, “then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.”

C. Like-Minded. Literally it says “mind the same thing.” Let me give you an illustration.
1. Conductor/Band.
i. In a band, you have one conductor and several musicians.
ii. The musicians share the same music, BUT they all have different parts.
iii. There’s melody, there’s harmony, there’s rhythm, there’s all sorts of musical effects going on. When all of the musicians play their part in sync with the conductor, it’s beautiful!
iv. Now let’s say the person who wrote that beautiful song rewrote it with every musician playing the same melody at the same time for the entire song. If we all play the same notes at the same time all the time, we would have Uniformity, not Unity.
v. When Paul says, “mind the same thing” he doesn’t mean we should think the same thoughts all the time. It means we have the same mindset. Different thoughts, same song.
vi. Let’s say that one person didn’t want look at the conductor and they just buried their head in their music and never looked up to see what the conductor was doing. Sooner or later, this person will become a huge embarrassment for the entire band. The conductor may abruptly stop the music for dramatic effect, and anyone who isn’t looking to the conductor will stick out like a sore thumb.
vii. When Paul says, “mind the same thing” he’s saying that we need to keep our eyes on the Christ and follow his lead. Christ is the conductor.

D. When Paul says “mind the same thing” he is both pointing back to Philippians 2:1 in which we are “united with Christ” in the tri-unity AND he is also pointing forward to Philippians 2:5ff where he talks about the Mind of Christ.

E. Secondly, we are to have the “same love” Again, this attribute of unity points back to verse 1 on the tri-unity. Since we are the recipients of love from God, we have the capacity to love others. In 1 John 4:19 we read, “We love because he first loved us.” We have the capacity to love each other because we first received love from God in our acceptance of the gospel.

F. Love was first DONE to us so we could DO IT to others.

G. One in Spirit and Mind – Literally “minding the one thing.”

H. Illustration: Allow me to continue my previous illustration with the band and the conductor.
1. The conductor gives everyone a piece of music to the same song.
2. The conductor raises his baton and at the last second I decide that I don’t want to play that song because I wanna play a different song. So I put aside the song that the conductor has given everyone to play and proceed to play my song. What do you think will happen… Disaster.
3. When Paul said “minding the one thing” what he was talking about here was the song that Christ has given us to play. That obviously begs the question, what is the “one thing?”

I. Let’s check out a few verses in chapter 1 to see if we can’t figure out the “one thing”
1. Phil 1:4-5 – “In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your PARTNERSHIP in the GOSPEL from the first day until now”
2. Phil 1:7 – “It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or DEFENDING AND CONFIRMING THE GOSPEL, all of you share in God’s grace with me.”
3. Phil 1:12 – “Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to ADVANCE THE GOSPEL.”
4. Phil 1:14 – “And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL WITHOUT FEAR.”
5. Phil 1:16 – “I am put here for the DEFENSE OF THE GOSPEL.”
6. Phil 1:27 – “Whatever happens, as citizens of heaven LIVE IN A MANNER WORTHY OF THE GOSPEL of Christ.”

J. The “one thing” is undoubtedly The Gospel.

K. Unity is when we work as a team to keep our eyes on Christ, abounding in love that is given to us by the Father, and (with our whole being) live in a manner worthy of the gospel.

Means of Unity: “The How” (2:3-4)
A. In closing, we’re going to look at the Means of Unity. This is where the rubber meets the road. If you follow these means, your end will be unity.

B. Verses 3-4, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

C. The “How Not”
1. Must not practice selfishness – Well what’s that? The Friday following Thanksgiving is Black Friday and it’s the biggest shopping day of the year. People are literally camping outside in a line just to get into the building first. Have you ever seen a Black Friday stampede? It’s like a wave of people pushing and shoving and yelling at each other trying to find the sale item. Geez, you might hurt someone. Who cares? It’s what I WANT!
2. This can also happen in ministry with good intents. You might have a particular idea but the rest of the team doesn’t agree. You keep asserting your idea because you really want to see it done a particular way. You may have even convinced yourself that God is on your side and if your team is against you, they’re against God. Watch out, that attitude puts unity at risk. Instead, submit to your team, sustain the harmony, so you can effectively proclaim the good news.
3. Vain Conceit – What’s that? It’s also known as Vain Glory. Vain Glory goes beyond personal ambition. It’s actually wanting people to applaud you and recognize you. So I can make a name for myself. If I toot my own horn enough, I’ll get noticed by the pastoral staff and maybe even get a position at the church. Watch out, that attitude is definitely putting unity at risk because it’s no longer about glorifying Jesus; it’s about glorifying myself. Instead, cast off your pride, protect the unity, and become a partner for the gospel.

D. The “How To”
1. Practice Humility of Mind – What’s that? Proper estimation of oneself. To use my introduction as an example, the suicidal man’s view of the End Times was “Mid-Tribulation” and the other man’s view was “Pre-Tribulation”. Without going into detail, these views cover the various scenarios of the tribulation period. Each viewpoint has numerous scriptures to support their claim. Practicing humility of mind would not be attacking the other person. Rather humility is engaging in open dialog to better understand where they’re coming from. Lower yourself, find common ground, and let your actions be worthy of the gospel.
2. “Interests of the others… ” I like how the NASB phrases this one, “Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” Paul recognizes the tension that exists with humility. Without this final sentence we could have taken humility to the extreme of self-degradation and self-hatred. There is a balance between meeting our needs as well as the needs of others.

We must have humility to maintain the unity needed to advance the gospel.

Response:
1. I’ve been living my life for myself. It’s been all about me.
Get Healing from Pride.

2. I’ve been letting my particular view about non-core beliefs create division in the body.
Humility of Mind

3. I’ve been rudely pursuing my agenda in ministry and without considering the needs of others.
Looking out for the interests of others.

4. I’ve been facing persecution because of the gospel and I really need some encouragement and comfort. Maybe your marriage is broken over a religious matter. Perhaps your family has rejected you because of Jesus. First, I want to thank you for standing firm in gospel. Come up to receive prayer for encouragement and comfort.

5. I want to know more about this good news and what it means to be a citizen of the Kingdom. We want to tell you more about Jesus and what it means to begin a relationship with him.