HUMILITY IN ACTION = SERVICE
Philippians 2:3-4
|
THESIS: Genuine
humility always takes action in the form of unheralded service for the Lord
and others. |
In order to give practical expression to
our call to serve, we need to know how to answer three questions in a way that
demonstrates that we have humble hearts:
What satisfies me? What pleases
others? What reflects Christ?
I. WHAT SATISFIES ME?
--Perhaps the most difficult part of becoming a
servant is overcoming the compelling need each of us feels to do what we want
to do.
--In our own minds, we justify that desire by
assuring ourselves that we only want what is good and right for us, and
therefore that should be good for everyone else as well.
--The problem is that this assumption is no where near
the truth so that when you and I insist on having things our way, we nearly
always impose our will on someone else.
A. GETTING OVER MY OWN INTERESTS
--I need to get over the idea that my own interests
matter more than the interests of others.
Philippians 2:3
--If I actually come to believe that, my life will
be radically different as I will get over the notion that what I want is more
important than what others want.
B. GIVING UP MY OWN PREROGATIVES
--If I can get over the idea that I should be considered
first and what I want should have priority, then I am free to give up my
rights, my prerogatives, and I no longer frustrate myself and others by
clinging to, or grasping to what I used to think were inalienable rights to
have life go my way.
--What are you clinging to this morning, what issue
has you convinced that your way is the only right way, or at the very least the
best way?
--Are you willing to get over the idea that what you
want matters more than what others want?
the idea that because they want something different, then they must be
wrong and need you to straighten them out?
--I am certainly not talking about compromising
biblical convictions, or taking a path of relativistic toleration of clearly
unbiblical beliefs and practices, but I am talking about exercising discernment
and learning to distinguish between truth-based convictions and opinion-based
preferences.
--A healthy dose of humility would go a long way for
most of us in leading us to reconsider how much of what we want, and what
satisfies us, is really from a Christocentric attitude and how much merely
caters to our egocentric natures.
II. WHAT PLEASES OTHERS?
--If I have the heart and mind of Christ, I will
want to treat others as He does, desiring to serve them as His hands and feet.
A. GRANTING HONOR TO OTHERS
--When I represent Christ, I will serve others in
several ways granting them honor, or as the text says, “considering them as
more important than myself.”
--Throughout the NT, a word that comes up again and
again in the Greek (ajllhvlwn) is translated in English by two words: “one another.”
1. Submitting to One Another
Ephesians 5:21
--Instead
of trying to maintain the upper hand, what a difference we could make in all
our relationships if we were willing to submit to one another, yielding to one
another for the sake of Christ.
2. Preferring One Another
Romans 12:10
--What would happen if you gave way and told your
spouse that even though you would prefer to do one thing, you really want to
honor her/him by doing what he/she prefers instead?
3. Loving One Another
1 Peter 1:22
--When I fervently love you, I will count it my
greatest joy to find ways to bring you joy and in so doing offer myself to you
as your humble servant.
--Rather than concerning myself with getting what I
want, I become fervently devoted to finding out what you desire and then giving
everything I have to express my love in serving you.
4. Serving One Another
Galatians 5:13
--As a bondslave of Jesus Christ, you have been set
free from living a life of servanthood to your old nature, to your old
selfishness.
--You are now free to devote yourself to doing those
things which will benefit others and at the same time bring you to a level of
satisfaction that nothing else can because you are doing what Christ loves!
--Christ loves to grant honor to others and as His
servants, we can gain greatly by doing the same.
B. GAINING FAVOR WITH OTHERS
--The result of granting honor to others is that we
gain favor with others.
--Although that is not the motivation or the purpose
of granting them honor, it is a wonderful by-product that builds bridges for
the love of Christ to be carried over.
--Granting honor even gains favor with those who
would be inclined to be your enemies or antagonists and ushers in a new
dimension for your relationship to grow.
III. WHAT REFLECTS JESUS CHRIST?
--Since our goal is to imitate Christ, to allow His
life to be lived through us, to reflect His character in us, serving others is
the direct result of having this attitude in you which was also in Christ
Jesus: humility in action = service!
A. GROWING UP TO MATURITY
--Serving hearts lead to serving actions which in
turn demonstrate that we are actually growing to maturity in Christ.
Ephesians 4:13
--From God’s perspective, growing up to maturity
involves far more than gaining knowledge about Christ and His Word; it means
that the fulness of Christ and His character are reflected in us.
--What reflects Christ more than having the same
mind and attitude He had toward serving?
B. GIVING GLORY TO HIS NAME
--When we serve Him and thereby reflect His heart of
servanthood, we give Him glory in a way that pleases Him and serves as
attractive invitation for others to know One who loves them enought to humble
Himself on their behalf.
--He is glorified, exalted and others are drawn to
Him!
Our calling is to live for Christ in
such a way that what pleases Him dominates our priorities, demands our highest
level of attention and decides for us what course of action to take. As those who have been humbled, broken and
then renewed by the indwelling life of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, we will then
choose to be servants...whatever the cost!
July 11, 1999
Providence
Baptist Church
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