“Look Not Only to Your Own Interests”
Philippians 2:3-5

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Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost—October 4, 2020

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

There is a joke about a shy, single young man who takes a course in assertiveness training.  The good news for him is, there are lots of single women in the class, and he finally learns to be assertive enough to ask some of them out on dates.  The bad news is, the women have all learned to be assertive enough to say NO.

In our society, being assertive about what YOU want is considered a GOOD quality.  The reason why people take classes in assertiveness training is because assertiveness is considered an asset, a sign of strength, and confidence, and leadership.  On the other hand, humility may be looked down on in our society, as a sign of weakness, inferiority, and even low-self esteem.

This morning we continue our Fall Sermon Series on the book of Philippians.  You are invited to follow along on the outline on the last pages of the bulletin.  In today’s Epistle Reading, Paul tells us how we should show Christian humility: “Do nothing out of selfishness or self-centered conceit, but in humility consider others above yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”

Point #1) Christian humility begins with acknowledging and confessing your SIN.

Luke records a parable Jesus told about humility and repentance: “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: ‘Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.” But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Do not, like the Pharisee in that parable, assertively deny your sin and proclaim your self-righteousness.  But, like the tax collector humble yourself before the Lord and contritely confess to him your sins and wickedness.  Confess with remorse and repentance and humility, as in the declaration that we confessed a few moments ago in our Liturgy: “I, a poor, miserable, sinner, confess unto You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You, and justly deserve Your temporal and eternal punishment.  But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them.”

Paul says in today’s Epistle Reading, “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”  Jesus put aside the “riches” of divine power and glory to humbly live in this world and humbly die on the cross, with his life and death earning for you the spiritual riches of forgiveness and eternal life.  That is why we say in our Liturgy, “And I pray You of Your boundless mercy and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor sinful being.”

The Lord is indeed gracious and merciful to you, for Jesus sake.  As also declare in our Liturgy, in the beautiful words of the Apostle John: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  James puts it this way, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”  Christian humility begins with acknowledging and confessing your SIN.

Point #2) Christian humility does NOT equal low SELF-ESTEEM.

On the contrary, John says, “This is how God showed his love for us: He sent his only-begotten Son into the world that we would live through him. . .  he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”  That is how highly God himself esteems you, so highly that he sent his own Son to bring you eternal life.  John also says, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”  That is how highly God himself esteems you, so highly that in Holy Baptism he makes you born again as his own child.

Anyone who pays property taxes knows that that property valuations are not based on what YOU think your property is worth but on how much OTHER people think it’s worth.  Apply that principle to a Christian’s self-esteem: Your value is based not based on what you think you are worth, or even what other people think you are worth, but on what GOD thinks you are worth.

Contrary to low self-esteem or low self-worth, being a Christian means you have the highest possible self-esteem and the highest possible sense of self-worth, because your valuation of yourself comes from the incomparably high value God himself places on you, the fantastically high esteem God himself has shown for you, by sending his own Son to be your personal Savior.  As Paul says in Romans, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 

That is the source of genuine self-esteem: God’s marvelous love for you in Jesus Christ.  Instead of “self-esteem” you could call it “CHRIST-esteem.” Most pop psychology assertions of self-esteem are based upon the false premise that we are inherently good.  “CHRIST-esteem” is based acknowledging the reality that we are basically sinners, but also trusting the Good News of God’s love and forgiveness and HIS high esteem for us in Christ.

Point #3) Christian humility means you give God all the GLORY and CREDIT.

First, God gets all the glory and credit for your salvation, as Paul says in Ephesians, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast,” and in Galatians, “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

God also receives all the glory and credit for everything good that you are, and have, and do.  Paul goes on in Ephesians, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  Psalm 115 says, “Not to us, not to us, O Lord, but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.”  Twice in Corinthians Paul says, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”  Christian humility means that instead of giving yourself the glory and credit, you will have the attitude of Psalm 118: “This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.”

Point #4) Christian humility means your order of priorities in life is J, O, Y: JESUS, OTHERS, YOU.

Jesus first, others second, you third.  Paul says in our text: “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”  Just as Christ Jesus gave up himself for you, you will give up yourself, your wants, your needs, your desires.

You will give up yourself, first of all, for JESUS.  Not living a self-centered life, but a Christ-centered life.  Worshipping him; serving in his church; giving of your time, talent and treasure to his work.  As Paul says in 2nd Corinthians, “He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for him who died for them and rose again.”

Secondly, you will give up yourself for OTHERS.  As Paul says in our text, “Do nothing out of selfishness or self-centered conceit, but in humility consider others above yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” 

Show Christian humility in all your relationships, but especially with your loved ones, the spouse the Lord himself has joined you together with, the children the Lord has blessed you with.

Paul says in Ephesians: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love”; in Colossians: “Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience”; in Romans: “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves”;  and in 1st Corinthians: “No one should seek his own good, but the good of others.”

J,O,Y; Jesus, Others, You—Just remember that Christian humility is not a burden but the way to true “JOY.”

“Do nothing out of selfishness or self-centered conceit, but in humility consider others above yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.”