Joyful In Serving
Today we’re continuing our teaching series on a book of the bible called Philippians, and it’s a series that’s about finding Joy In Everything. It’s about finding joy in daily life, and what we’re talking about specifically today is finding joy in serving. We’re talking about finding joy in serving others in your family, your school, your work, your neighborhood, your city. But let’s be real, we don’t always find joy in serving others. We don’t always like serving others, and the evidence of this can be found within our own homes. I mean some of us hate doing dishes, so we let the sink get stacked with dirty dishes looking like the Leaning Tower of Pisa...Some of us hate taking out the trash, so we turn it into a trash compactor constantly pushing it down instead of taking it out...Some of us hate picking up after others, so we leave things on the floor instead of picking it up. In fact my wife played a little game in our house without anybody knowing it, where she put a paper plate on the floor with money under it. She literally put a cash reward under the plate for anyone who picked it up. The plate sat on the floor for 6 months!...There could’ve been $5 or $100 under the plate, but we’ll never know since nobody humbly served and picked it up. It’s a convicting game I didn’t even sign up to play. But it proves the point, which is that we don’t always like serving.
But the truth is when we humbly serve others, it helps relieve their stress instead of adding to their stress. It helps bring them joy instead of taking away their joy. If it isn’t your day to do the dishes or take out the trash, but you humbly serve and do it anyway. The person you did that for isn’t going to be like, “It really stresses me out and takes my joy away when you do my chores. So don’t ever do my chores again!” Nobody says that when you do their chores. It’s because when you humbly serve others it relieves their stress instead of adding to their stress. It helps bring them joy instead of taking away their joy. Since that’s the case, imagine what it would do for your marriage, if you humbly served each other?...Imagine what it would do for your family, if everyone humbly served each other?...Imagine what it would do for your school, your neighborhood, your city if everyone humbly served each other in those places?...This is what we’re talking about today. We’re talking about finding joy in serving, so let’s turn to Philippians Ch. 2 and get into it. You can find Philippians in the last quarter of the bible, and we’ll be in Philippians 2:1-18. The title of the message is Joyful In Serving, and the big idea of the message is being a humble servant isn’t thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less...Being a humble servant isn’t thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less, and thinking of humbly serving others more like Jesus...
Here’s your context. The Apostle Paul writes this letter while sitting in a Roman prison facing the death penalty not for a crime, but for his faith in Jesus. So he’s innocent, sitting in prison, facing the death penalty, and one of the primary things he writes about is joy. The reason he’s able to write about joy in this situation, is because he’s found a joy and purpose in life that can’t be taken away by any suffering situation in life. In Ch. 1 he says that joy and purpose is found in Jesus. He says to live is Christ, and to die is gain. So his primary joy and purpose is found in Jesus, but in Ch. 2 he’ll teach us to find joy in humbly serving others like Jesus. Let’s check it out.
Philippians 2:1-18 states, “If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. 4 Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.” Back in Ch. 1 Paul mentioned his deep affection for the Philippians, and that he prayed for them always with joy. Here he mentions his desire for them to be united with him in expressing their love for Christ and their love for others, especially when it comes to being humble servants. What he’s describing here is what it takes for the Philippians and us, to have unity and joy in our relationships and in the church. He says in humility consider others as more important than yourself. This is where we get our big idea from. It isn’t to think less of yourself; it's to think of yourself less, as you think of humbly serving others more like Jesus. When Paul says to consider others as more important than yourself, he isn’t saying to think less of yourself, degrade yourself, walk around acting like Eeyore from Winne the Pooh. He’s simply saying to think of yourself less, and to think of loving and serving others more. In vs. 4 he says we shouldn’t just consider our own interests, instead we should also consider the interests of others. This is a completely different way of life than our me-centered selfie cultural way of life. In our me-centered selfie cultural way of life, we often consider our own interests, instead of considering the interests of others. We’d rather be served, than be the one who’s serving. We’d rather have someone else do the dishes, take out the trash, pick up the paper plate, instead of being the one who’s humbly serving and doing those things. What Paul’s teaching us here is a different way of life than our me-centered selfie cultural way of life, and the question we should be asking ourselves is which way of life is better for our relationships?...Which way of life is better for bringing unity and joy into our relationships, our marriages, our families, our friendships, our church, city, and society?...It’s the humble servant way of life, not the me-centered selfie cultural way of life. Both skeptics and believers would agree that the humble servant way of life is far better for bringing unity and joy into our relationships, than the me-centered selfie cultural way of life.
A Selfish Person + A Selfish Person = A Conflict Relationship
A Selfish Person + A Servant Person = A Cruel Relationship
A Servant Person + A Servant Person = A Closer Relationship
The humble servant way of life will always bring more unity and joy to our relationships, than the me-centered selfie cultural way of life. This is such a critical teaching for our lives and relationships today, especially because our digital world and algorithms are designed to keep us looking at our own interests instead of the interests of others. Our digital world and algorithms are designed to keep us looking at ourselves with our heads buried in our phones, while ignoring the interests of others, and it’s hurting our relationships. The better way is the humble servant way of life, and Paul’s about to point us to the greatest example of a humble servant, which is Jesus.
Vs. 5, “Adopt the same attitude as that of Christ Jesus, 6 who existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be exploited. 7 Instead he emptied himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when he had come as a man, 8 he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross. 9 For this reason God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—11 and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” These verses are often referred to as The Hymn of Christ, and it’s rich with so much theology we could spend hours talking about it. But the main thing to realize is Paul’s pointing us to Jesus as the greatest example of a humble servant. In vs. 7 he says Jesus emptied himself to take on the form of a servant. When he says Jesus emptied himself, he’s talking about how Jesus chose to humbly veil his glory and divine attributes to become a servant with human attributes. He didn’t void his deity, he veiled his deity to become fully human and fully divine. So he didn’t lose his divine attributes, he chose to limit his divine attributes to enter the world and take on human attributes like us, which takes a lot of humility. It takes an infinite amount of humility, to be an infinite God who enters the world as a finite human servant. I mean if you could live in the joyful perfection of heaven or the painful suffering of earth, you’d much rather live in the joyful perfection of heaven. But let’s imagine you’re already living in the joyful perfection of heaven. Let’s imagine you’re already in that place where there’s no pain, no suffering, no sadness, no sin, no death. Would you want to leave that place to come to the painful suffering of earth? Of course not! There’s only one reason that could motivate you enough to leave. It’s to save the people you love...You’d leave, if it meant saving the very people you love so they could live in the joyful perfection of heaven with you.
Well this is exactly why Jesus left! He left because he loves us and he came to save us! He left because he loves you and came to save you! He could have lived separated from us in the joyful perfection of heaven, but instead he chose to live with us and to die for us in the painful suffering of earth. In heaven he was wealthy and seated on a throne, but in humility he came to be in poverty and was given a crown of thorns instead of a throne. In heaven creatures bowed at his feet, but in humility he came to be a servant who washed people’s feet. In heaven he was worshiped as God, but in humility he came to be crucified as a criminal on a cross. He’s our infinite God who became a finite human servant to save us, to give up his life for your life on the cross. There’s no greater example of a humble servant than Jesus, because he’s our infinite God who became a finite human servant, which takes an infinite amount of humility. What Paul’s saying in these verses is to look at Jesus! It’s to look at Jesus as the greatest savior and greatest example for our lives.
Vs. 12, “Therefore my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, so now not only in my presence but even more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God who is working in you both to will and to work according to his good purpose.” In vs. 12 when Paul says we need to work out our salvation, he isn’t saying we need to earn our salvation. He’s saying we need to live out our salvation. He doesn’t say work for your salvation, he says work out your salvation. So we don’t earn our salvation, but we do need to live out our salvation. In vs. 13 he says it’s God who’s working in you, but you need to respond by living out the work God’s doing in you. God works in your life, but you need to respond by living out the work God’s doing in your life, which entails living as a humble servant like Jesus. God’s working in your life to help you become more like Jesus, which entails becoming more of a humble servant like Jesus.
Vs. 14, “Do everything without grumbling and arguing...” What Paul’s focusing on here is our attitudes. He’s teaching us that being a humble servant like Jesus isn’t just about what you do, it’s also about how you do it. It isn’t just about what you do, it’s also about how your attitude is when you do it. Are you serving others with love, or with grumbling and arguing?...Are you serving the people at work or at school with love, or with grumbling and arguing?...Are you serving the people in your family, your spouse, your children, your siblings with love, or with grumbling and arguing?...Middle and high school students, when your parents ask you to do something to help out around the house are you serving them with love, or with grumbling and arguing?...Paul’s teaching us that being a humble servant like Jesus isn’t just about what you do, it’s also about how your attitude is when you do it. He’s teaching us we need to serve with love, like Jesus served us.
Again vs. 14, “Do everything without grumbling and arguing, 15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world, 16 by holding firm to the word of life. Then I can boast in the day of Christ that I didn’t run or labor for nothing. 17 But even if I am poured out as a drink offering on the sacrificial service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. 18 In the same way you should also be glad and rejoice with me.” Notice in vs. 15 Paul’s encourages us to shine like stars in the world. But how do we do that? How do we shine like stars in the world? We shine like stars by being humble servants like Jesus, and by doing it with love like Jesus. We shine like stars by living out the humble servant way of life, instead of the me-centered selfie cultural way of life. Paul’s doing this in a dark prison, and he’s encouraging the Philippians and us to do this in our dark world. He’s encouraging us to shine like stars in our dark world, and so what’s that look like for you?...How can you be a humble servant like Jesus, so you can shine light into your marriage and family?...How can you be a humble servant like Jesus, so you can shine light into your school, your work, your neighborhood, and city?...In what ways can you humbly serve others, like Jesus humbly served you?...Who in your life is Jesus wanting you to change your attitude towards?...Who in your life is Jesus wanting you to serve with an attitude of love, instead of an attitude of grumbling and arguing?...How can you shine like a star in our dark world?...
Be a humble servant like Jesus, do it with love like Jesus, and shine light into our dark world like Jesus, so you can help relieve stress and bring joy into your relationships. Our vision at City Awakening is to see people seek truth, find joy in community, and live with purpose in our city. Part of that purpose entails us fighting the tendency to go through daily life consumed by our chaotic schedules and situations. To live with purpose we have to be aware of what’s happening to others around us, and seize the opportunities God gives us to be shining stars for his kingdom.
The big idea of the message is being a humble servant isn’t thinking less of yourself; it’s thinking of yourself less...Being a humble servant isn’t thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less, and thinking of humbly serving others more like Jesus...Listen I know serving others can be challenging, and I certainly have days where I’d much rather sit on my La-Z-Boy throne than serve others. I mean we had a paper plate on our floor for 6 months! It’s because sometimes my attitude’s like “Well I’ve worked hard all day, and it isn’t my paper plate. It isn’t my Cheez-it bag that’s on the floor. So why should I have to pick it up?” I certainly have those days where I’d much rather sit on my La-Z-Boy throne than serve others. But when I think about Jesus leaving his heavenly throne to serve me, it’s a reminder that I need to leave my La-Z-Boy throne to serve others. It’s a reminder that I need to be a humble servant like Jesus and serve with love like Jesus.
But the reality is I’ll never grow in this by looking at myself and my own interests. You’ll never grow in this by looking at yourself and your own interests. The only way for us to grow in the humble servant way of life instead of the me-centered selfie cultural way of life, is to look at the interests of others and look at the greatest example of Jesus. Paul says you have to look not at your own interests, but at the interests of others. You have to look at someone other than yourself, and there’s no better person to look at than Jesus. He’s the greatest example of the humble servant way of life, and if we follow his way it’ll always help bring much joy into our relationships. We already admitted the better way of life for our relationships is the humble servant way of life. So if you want to grow in that life, then stop looking at yourself and look at Jesus. Don’t think less of yourself, think of yourself less, and think of humbly serving others more like Jesus...Let’s pray...