This week we are continuing our joyride through the book of Philippians. As Pastor David shared last week, Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi references joy 16 times in just 104 verses, and his message shares with us how we can get the most joy out of life. It’s important to remember that Paul wrote about joy while he was sitting in prison, so joy is not determined by our circumstances. We can be chained up in all kinds of problems but still experience joy because God, who is the source of all joy, is with us.
Today we are going to talk about something that can not only help us experience more joy in life but can also make us more popular among our friends and more productive at work. And here is the best news of all - it doesn’t cost a thing and it is available to each and every one of us. Humility.
A few weeks ago, Justin gave us a great working definition for humility. Humility is not thinking less of ourselves, but thinking of ourselves less. While this might be easy to say, it can be difficult to live because in countless little ways we put ourselves first all day. For example, studies show that the average person checks their phones 150 times a day. If we spend just 60 seconds checking out the text or notification that comes, we have spent 2 ½ hours of our day simply looking at our phones.
We have become addicted to our phones. Many people now openly admit that they are addicted to their phones, and when we hear the chime telling us that we got a text message or email - we have to immediately see who is contacting us. Even if we are meeting with someone else, or spending time with family and friends, we will set it all aside to see who wants us, or needs us.
And if we can be honest for a moment, while social media is a great resource because it keeps us all connected and allows us to share our lives and interests with one another in some great ways, it can also consume us. When we start living for likes, we might not like how we are living. Because our technology has the ability to turn our hearts inward, we have to guard against this, and one way to do that is to remain focused on humility.
In Philippians 2, Paul begins to make the connection between humility and joy. 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, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 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. Philippians 2:1-4
While Paul says we will make his joy complete by being humble, the truth is that our joy will be complete when we are willing to be humble. One reason that humility brings joy is because we were made to be humble. Think about Adam and Eve, they were created to be children of God and to surrender themselves to God’s will and love. What got them in trouble, and what started to make everything fall apart, was that they abandoned humility and gave in to pride and selfish ambition. It wasn’t enough to be children of God, they wanted to be God. They wanted more for themselves.
Because we have been created to be humble, when we humble ourselves, we experience joy. And when we see humility in others we are drawn to it and feel a sense of joy. What many people lament about professional (and even college) sports right now is that so many players make it about themselves. Many athletes today don’t use their talent and natural ability to elevate a team, or inspire a city, or even lift up a nation like in the Olympics, they simply want to promote themselves. They use their position to get noticed on instagram, tiktok, and twitter because the more attention they get, the more endorsements they get, and endorsements bring money and power and position. While these people do have their following, it is often the humble heroes, and those who put team and others over self, that we are drawn to.
The Olympics are coming up and they often give us amazing stories of humility. Five years ago at the Olympic Games in Rio, Nikki Hamblin and Abby D’Agostino were competing in the women’s 5,000 meter race. When Nikki had to slow her pace at the back of the pack, Abby bumped into her and both women went down. Nikki got up and was about to keep on running when she saw that Abby was hurt so she went back to help her up. (Pic 1) She said, come on, we have to keep going. Nikki helped Abby over the finish line (Pic 2). She was not thinking about herself but of someone else. What continues to bring joy from this story is that today Nikki Hamblin is a women’s running coach- still helping others up, and Abby is on the Olympic team going to Tokyo.
It used to be that we looked for and even demanded this kind of humility from our leaders, but no more. On both sides of the political aisle it seems that the more arrogant and loud and self-serving you are, the farther you can go. Perhaps it is the lack of humility among our leaders today that has created the division and dissension we experience. In other words, what we are seeing is that without humility - there is no joy.
Even in business, studies have shown that it is the humble leader who excels and makes companies succeed. It is the humble leader who not only experiences joy but shares it with their employees helping them all do better. Several years ago, there was a great business book written by Jim Collins, called Good to Great. The book looks at several businesses that went from being good companies to truly great ones and what caused their transformation. While they wanted to exclude top leadership from this evaluation, they realized they couldn’t because what they found is that every great organization had a humble leader.
The eleven good-to-great CEOs are some of the most remarkable CEOs of the century … The good-to-great leaders never wanted to become larger-than-life heroes. They never aspired to be put on a pedestal or become unreachable icons. They were seemingly ordinary people quietly producing extraordinary results. … It is very important to grasp that Level 5 leadership is not just about humility and modesty. It is equally about ferocious resolve, an almost stoic determination to do whatever needs to be done to make the company great.
Resolve, determination, and a strong desire to succeed are good things. Ambition is a good thing. What Paul says is that selfish ambition is bad. Selfish ambition, when we only care about ourselves and getting what we want, when we are determined to put our ways and our wants first, that is what will destroy a company, or a team, or a marriage, or our nation. While it seems like we would experience more joy when we get what we want, the reality is that we experience more joy when we give to others and work to lift everyone else up.
Humility can make us more productive at work, and it can make us more popular because humility lifts others up and makes others grateful. We all want to be around humble people who work to lift us up. Thinking less of ourselves and putting others first is one thing we can all do to not only increase joy in others, but add joy to our own lives. Paul goes on in his letter to show us exactly what humility looks like, and as you might guess, it looks like Jesus.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Philippians 2:5-8
This is perhaps one of the oldest New Testament passages we have and it is called the Christ Hymn because we believe it was the words of a psalm or hymn that people used in the worship of the risen Jesus. Literally, people were singing about the virtues of humility that were seen in Jesus and they were calling upon themselves and others to embrace that same mind, heart, and spirit.
Jesus was truly humble. Jesus was God, but He was willing to limit Himself and enter into this world as a human being. He gave up the glory and power of heaven to come into this world. And even as a man in this world, Jesus was willing to not be served but to serve, and not to surround Himself with riches, but with people who needed Him.
Being humble isn’t easy. We all want the recognition of being great, and we want the accolades of others, but all of that is fleeting. Wealth and power and position don’t last, but the joy we feel when we are humble and serve others does. It not only lasts but it lifts us up. When we are humble, God lifts us up.
We were created to be humble so we can make intentional choices every day to grow in humility. Let me share three of these choices with you.
1. Sit with the lowly. This is what Jesus did. Jesus didn’t stay seated at the right hand of God in heaven, He chose to come to the earth and literally sit with us. Jesus did not consider equality with God as something to be held on to. He gave up all He had in heaven to sit with us on earth.
Once here on earth, Jesus again chose to sit with the lowly. Jesus didn’t sit with kings, high priests and religious rulers on thrones of power, He sat with children, fishermen, tax collectors, and sinners. Jesus chose to sit with the lowly and He gives us an example of humility that we can choose to follow. Who will we choose to sit with this week?
At work, is there someone who needs some encouragement or support, someone that no one else gives much time to but needs someone in their corner? How can you sit with them this week?
Who are those who are often overlooked and forgotten in our community? How can we sit with them this week?
How about sitting with some children at VBS, or sitting with some of our homebound members? If you fill out the opportunity card we can help you find wonderful seats where you will experience joy.
2. Take a back seat. While we all might want to ride shotgun through life, what might it look like to take the back seat. Jesus didn’t elevate himself, He gave everything to elevate us. He took a back seat, He died on the cross, so that our sins could be forgiven and so we could be lifted into the presence of God.
In your marriage, what would it look like to elevate your spouse's needs before your own? At work, can you help promote the work of someone else and let them shine? Even here at the church, are you willing to take a back seat for someone else? In many churches it is the back seats that are coveted, so taking a back seat might mean moving up front, or to the center of the aisles.
David shared last week how so many of you were willing to take a back seat when we returned to worship this Easter. Many of you took a back seat and moved to the cafe so that others could have a seat here, and what many of you found by taking a back seat was joy. You truly enjoyed worship in the cafe!
3. Serve beneath your status. Jesus served beneath his status. Again, Jesus was God in the flesh, He had all the power of heaven in his hands and yet it was Jesus who washed the feet of his disciples when no one else wanted to do that job. At work, are you willing to take on the tasks that no one else wants to? At home, can you do the chores that no one else wants to do? And what about the church?
At my church in Altoona, a man came to me one week and said, do you know that there has been a piece of paper under the pew in front of me for the past several weeks. Our custodian must not be doing a good job. I wanted to say to him, did you ever think of picking it up yourself? That work was below his status.
What I love about Faith Church is that so many people are willing to serve in lowly positions. When we first opened up for worship after the pandemic it was our church leaders who committed to wiping down the sanctuary after each service. When I spoke to other pastors who said their churches wanted to open up but no one wanted to clean after worship, I could say, it’s my leaders who are doing it.
Maybe this is why there is so much joy here at Faith Church, because we have learned how to sit with the lowly, take a back seat, and serve beneath our status. These practices not only bring us joy, but they spread joy and instill joy in others. We make our joy complete when we embrace humility.
If you want to experience more joy, and if you want more of the power and love and adventure of life, pick one of these three activities and practice humility this week. Humility will make us more popular, it will make us more productive, and it will provide joy in ways that nothing else can. Humble yourself before the Lord, the Bible says, and when we do, God will lift us up.
Next Steps
Joyride - Humility
Read Philippians 2:1-18
When has being humble brought you joy?
When has the humility you have seen or experienced in others brought you joy?
What stories of humility have inspired you to be humble?
The “Christ Hymn” (verses 6-8), outline the humility that is seen in Jesus. How does this humility inspire you to follow His example? What can you do this week to follow Jesus’ example and humble yourself?
Three ways to practice humility:
1. Sit with the lowly
2. Take a back seat
3. Serve beneath your status
How did Jesus set the example of humility in each area?
When have you seen this kind of humility?
What one specific way can you practice this kind of humility this week?
The promise of humility is that God WILL lift you up. See James 4:10. Thank God for this promise and the joy that comes with humility.
