Dealing with People: Foundations: Humility (Philippians 2.1-11)

Scripture: Philippians 2.1-11

Translation: ^2.1So if there is any urging in Christ, if there’s any encouragement of love, if there’s any sharing of the Spirit, if there’s any sympathetic and compassionate feelings, ²fulfill my joy, namely that you would think the same thing, having the same love, deeply united, thinking as one, ³but not according to selfishness and not according to showing off. Instead, according to humble thinking considering one another as being better than yourselves, ⁴each one of you not looking out for your own interests, but instead each of you [looking out for] the interests of others.

⁵Get this thinking in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶Who although really being in the form of God, didn’t consider being equal with God as something to hold on to, ⁷instead He emptied Himself by taking the form of a slave, that is becoming in the likeness of men, and in terms of form being found as a man, ⁸He humiliated Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God both exalted Him and graced to Him the Name—the One above every Name—¹⁰so that in the Name of Jesus every knee would bow in the heavenly places and earthly places and subterranean places ¹¹and every tongue would confess that Jesus the Messiah is Yahweh/the LORD resulting in the glory of God the Father.

Interpretation

1.      Structure

a.       Call to Unity through Humility (vv.1-4)

                                                              i.      If you have the various elements necessary for unity (v.1)

                                                            ii.      Then achieve unity through humility (vv.2-4)

b.      Call to Humility Like Jesus (vv.5-11)

                                                              i.      Call to think humbly like Jesus (v.5)

                                                            ii.      Jesus’ Example of Humility (vv.6-8)

                                                          iii.      God’s Response to Jesus’ Humility (vv.9-11)

2.      Themes

a.       Unity

b.      Humility

c.       Jesus

d.      Glory/exaltation

e.       Humanity

f.       Form

g.      Thinking/considering

h.      Divinity and Humanity of Jesus

i.        Final Judgment and Glory

3.      Doctrines

a.       Jesus is fully God and fully human

b.      Judgment Day is Coming, at which point all things will submit themselves to His Name

c.       Jesus is Yahweh, see above

Applications

1.      Outline

a.       Humility should be the basis for how we deal with other believers, because unity requires humility

b.      Humility should be the basis for how we deal with other people in general, because Jesus set that example for us

c.       What Does Humility Look Like

                                                              i.      Negatively

1.      Humility is not selfish

2.      Humility is not obsessed with glorifying oneself

3.      Humility is not focused on what is good for you

                                                            ii.      Positively

1.      Humility is thinking humbly about yourself

2.      Humility is thinking highly of others

3.      Humility is focusing on what is good for others

                                                          iii.      To see it lived, look at Jesus

1.      Jesus doesn’t even hold on to His RIGHTS as GOD

2.      Jesus WILLINGLY gives up GLORY to the point of becoming a slave

3.      Jesus became a man, truly human with all its frailties—no glory, everyone saw Him as just another guy

4.      Jesus WILLINGLY humiliated HIMSELF—He wasn’t obsessed with His image, running His own life, He OBEYED GOD to the point of DEATH, a horrible death!

d.      But why should we be humble?

                                                              i.      Well, because humility is required for unity in the church

                                                            ii.      And because Jesus humility as the pattern to follow

                                                          iii.      And because humility will one day end in glory

1.      Sometimes the glory comes here

2.      But more importantly the glory comes later at the final judgment

a.       For Jesus every knee of all times and places and types will bow

b.      But for us perhaps we will hear the praise of Jesus to us “Good Job, Faithful Slave!” and in fact we will be with Jesus when He rules the universe, we will share in Jesus’ glory  

                                                          iv.      And finally because crazy humility like Jesus brings great GLORY to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (and all true Christians are in fact obsessed and intrinsically motivated to live for the glory of GOD!)

2.      Questions

a.       How could humility help us become more unified as a community?

b.      Is there anything else besides more humility that is holding us back as a community?

c.       What rights might you have to give up to follow Jesus’ example of humility?

d.      How does Jesus’ example encourage you in situations where crazy humility might be necessary?

e.       Have you ever considered humility as having an eternal glory attached to it? How might that encourage you toward humility in situations that make humility hard to do?

f.       Whose glory are you living for? How? How might humility further the glory of God?

Illustrations/Explanations

1.      I was Selfish and manipulative as a child

2.      Right now I am going through things where it is difficult to be humble, where I am being treated unfairly and I have been called by Jesus to give up my rights to the glory of Him and the Father and the Spirit!