Sunday's Message: Easter in Seven Words - Humility

There are many words and images that we associate with Easter, both secular and sacred. During the Sundays leading up to Easter, we'll focus on seven words that the Apostle Paul used when he described the importance of the crucifixion and resurrection. We'll consider the following:

• February 26 – Grace (Romans 5:12-19)
• March 5 – Faith (Romans 4:1-5)
• March 12 – Peace (Romans 5:1-11)
• March 19 – Light (Ephesians 5:8-14)
• March 26 – Spirit (Romans 8:6-11)
• April 2 – Humility (Philippians 2:5-11)
• April 9 – Life (Colossians 3:1-4)

During the sixth message in this series, we used Philippians 2:5-11 to consider the word HUMILITY. Below is a copy and a recording of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel at 10:00 a.m.

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Well, as I hope everybody knows, today is special for a couple of reasons. I mean, for one, it’s Palm Sunday. Of course, if you didn’t know that coming in, after seeing the children and singing the songs, I think it’s pretty obvious now, isn’t it? Yes sir, today is Palm Sunday, the day we remember how Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem as well as the last week of his earthly  life. And this is how it was described by the Evangelist John:

The next day a large crowd was in Jerusalem for Passover. When they heard that Jesus was coming for the festival, they took palm branches and went out to greet him. They shouted,

“Hooray! 

God bless the one who comes

    in the name of the Lord!

God bless the King

    of Israel!”

Jesus found a donkey and rode on it, just as the Scriptures say,

“People of Jerusalem,

    don't be afraid!

Your King is now coming,

and he is riding

    on a donkey.” [John 12:12-15, CEV]

Now that’s what happened, something about which, years later, a person might say “I was there when...” And this is one reason why today is special, but that’s not the only reason.

You see, this morning we’re also at week six in our sermon series, Easter in Seven Words. Now to this point we’ve used some passages from the letters of the Apostle Paul to look at GRACE and FAITH, PEACE and LIGHT. And last week, we talked about the SPIRIT and in particular, how the Spirit offers us a new sense of freedom and a new focus to claim and a new reason for hope. Now that’s what we’ve already done. 

And so this morning we’re moving on to word number six, HUMILITY. Of course, I recognize that this might seem a little odd to be talking about being humble on the same day we’re remembering the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. I mean, on the surface, that kind of spectacle would appear about as unhumble as you can get. But you know, before we jump to that conclusion, I think it’s important for us to remember that Jesus entered on a donkey because of this verse from the Prophet Zechariah:

Everyone in Jerusalem,

    celebrate and shout!

Your king has won a victory,

    and he is coming to you.

He is humble

    and rides on a donkey;

he comes on the colt

    of a donkey. [Zechariah 9:9, CEV]

In other words, even though everyone around him was waving palms and shouting “hooray/Hosanna,” Jesus was still humble.

And for that reason, it really does seem appropriate that humility is going to be our focus this morning. And as we’ve done before, we’re going to look at a passage from one of Paul’s letters, this time from his letter to the Philippians. And as we do that, we’ll be answering two questions: first, why was humility important for Paul and second, how can we learn to be more humble. Now that’s what we’ll be doing, and I think we can find the answers to both questions in what Paul wrote in Philippians 2:1-11.

For example, first, why was humility important for Paul? Well, according to what he said to the Philippians, humility was important because it can unite a divided community. In other words, it can bring people together and enable them to look past their own personal interests so that they can appreciate the needs and perspectives of others. Just listen to what he wrote:

Christ encourages you, and his love comforts you. God's Spirit unites you, and you are concerned for others. Now make me completely happy! Live in harmony by showing love for each other. Be united in what you think, as if you were only one person. Don't be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves. Care about them as much as you care about yourselves  [Philippians 2:1-4, CEV]

Now that’s what Paul wrote. And based on what he said, I think it was likely that the Philippians might have been facing some divisions within their church. Now granted, they may not have been as great as the nonsense that was going on in Corinth or among the Galatian churches; still, it would sure seem to be an issue. I mean, why else would Paul say, “Now make me completely happy! Live in harmony by showing love for each other. Be united in what you think, as if you were only one person.” [Philippians 2:2, CEV] No, something was causing tension among the Christians in Philippi. Of course, I think we all know that tension can be a real problem, because whether you’re talking about a church or a family, a community or a country, I believe effectiveness drops as divisions grow. 

And I think Paul understood this, and that’s why he told the Philippians to stop: to stop being jealous and proud and to stop acting like they were more important than others and to stop caring only for themselves. You see, for Paul, this kind of stuff needed to stop, a point he also made to the Galatians when he wrote, “But don't be conceited or make others jealous by claiming to be better than they are.” [Galatians 5:26, CEV] I guess, Paul was challenging them to recognize that they just weren’t as important as they thought they were. And instead of being all puffed up and pleased with themselves,  they should devote some attention and effort on being humble, you know, on being willing to consider others as more important that they considered themselves and on being ready to care about them as much as they cared about themselves. Now, that’s the attitude, the perspective Paul wanted the Philippians to have. Of course, this shouldn’t be a surprise. He wrote almost the exact same thing to Colossians:

God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient. Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you. Love is more important than anything else. It is what ties everything completely together. [Colossians 3:12-14, CEV]

You see, regardless of whether he was writing to the Philippians or the Galatians or the Colossians, for Paul, the message was clear. When faced with divisions, Christians need to put jealousy and pride on the back burner so that they could live in the kind of harmony and unity that comes from intentional humility.

And I’ll tell you, if that doesn’t apply to us now-a-days, man, I don’t know what does. Now, before I say anything else, I recognize that in some very real ways, God has really blessed us here. I mean, even though I may be missing some stuff lurking beneath the surface, during my time here in Sligo, I’ve seen a lot of unity around this church, and I’m talking about both in our faith and sense of mission. But that’s certainly not the case with a lot of other churches that are tearing themselves apart for reasons which seem to have become more important than a shared faith in Jesus Christ. And let’s get real, does anyone here believe that, as a country and a society, we’re more united now than we were twenty years ago? I’ll tell you, based on what I see happening, whether you’re talking about certain churches and denominations or about our country and society, man, I see all kinds of tension. And although the specific reasons differ from group to group, they’ve all caused us to sort of retreat into our own little groups, our own little tribes, confident that we’re right and they’re wrong and that we should focus on ourselves even though that means neglecting and ignoring others. Now that seems to be happening.

And that’s why I believe what Paul wrote to the Philippians applies to us just like it did to them. I mean, within our communities, maybe we should be helping people who don’t enjoy our sense of unity, maybe we should be helping them get past some of the jealousy and pride they might be feeling and some of the arrogance that’s led a lot of folks to see themselves as more important than they are and some of that “me first” attitude that’s caused some good and sincere men and women to care only for themselves. By our actions and attitude, we can help people see that this kind of stuff only leads to divisions and that when we’re divided, we’re not effective. Man, this we can do, along with showing what humility actually is: that it’s about listening when we’d rather be talking and putting ourselves second even when we want to be first. Simply put, it’s about doing what Paul told the Romans to do: 

When others are happy, be happy with them, and when they are sad, be sad. Be friendly with everyone. Don't be proud and feel that you know more than others. Make friends with ordinary people. Don't mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others, and do your best to live at peace with everyone. [Romans 12:15-18, CEV]

You see, this we can do when we make the decision that, in spite of the world around us, we’re going to be humble. And doing it, well, it just makes sense, because humility can unite a divided community. And that’s why I think it was important for Paul, the answer to the first question. 

And the second question we asked at the beginning of the message, how might we learn to be more humble; well, I believe Paul was also clear about that too. You see, for him, if we’re willing to look, Jesus Christ provides a perfect example of humility. In other words, he showed us how to be humble and to put others first and to care for them before we care for ourselves. In other words, for Paul, Jesus was definitive example of humility, and that’s why I think he wrote this:

...and think the same way that Christ Jesus thought: 

Christ was truly God.

But he did not try to remain 

    equal with God.

Instead he gave up everything 

    and became a slave,

when he became

    like one of us.

Christ was humble.

He obeyed God and even died

    on a cross.

Then God gave Christ

    the highest place

and honored his name

    above all others.

So at the name of Jesus

    everyone will bow down,

those in heaven, on earth,

    and under the earth.

And to the glory

    of God the Father

everyone will openly agree,

    "Jesus Christ is Lord!" [Philippians 2:5-11, CEV]

You see, Jesus personified humility, and it was shown by what he chose to do. I mean, for Paul, in the beginning and his nature, Jesus was truly God. And not only did he say it to the Philippians, he also wrote this to the Colossians: 

Christ is exactly like God,

    who cannot be seen.

He is the first-born Son,

    superior to all creation.

Everything was created by him,

everything in heaven

    and on earth,

everything seen and unseen,

including all forces

    and powers,

and all rulers

    and authorities.

All things were created

    by God's Son,

and everything was made

    for him. [Colossians 1:15-16, CEV]

Now for Paul, that’s who Jesus was. And yet, he viewed humility as so important that he gave up everything to enter our time and our space. And I believe he did it in a way by which we might understand and with whom we might identify. As he wrote in our passage, 

...he gave up everything 

    and became a slave,

when he became

    like one of us. [Philippians 2:7, CEV]

Or, as Paul wrote to the Corinthians:

You know our Lord Jesus Christ treated us with undeserved grace by giving up all his riches, so you could become rich. [2 Corinthians 8:9, CEV]

That’s how important we were in his sight. But that’s not all, because he also cared for us so much that he did something we’d never do, and I’ll tell you, it’s something we’re going to remember this Friday evening. Just listen to what Paul wrote to the Romans:

Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful. No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person. But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.

But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life's blood, we will also be kept safe from God's anger. Even when we were God's enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. [Romans 5:6-10, CEV]

You see, although he was truly God, Jesus Christ came to us, even though that meant leaving what he had, and he cared for us, even though that meant dying on a cross. Man, he humbled himself. And that’s how he demonstrated what humility was all about.

And I’ll tell you, right here and now, we can claim him as an example. Of course, none of us are leaving behind divinity and even though I lived in West Virginia for thirteen years, remember the song says it’s almost heaven. No, we’ll never be asked to give up what Christ sacrificed, but you know, humility may still demand that we give up something too. For example, it may mean giving up some of the comfort that comes from believing we’re right while those who disagree are wrong. Or maybe it’s the security that’s grounded in knowing that although there are plenty who have more than we have, there’s also all kinds of men and women, brothers and sisters who have a whole lot less. As a matter of fact, it may even involve a sacrifice that’s a little more tangible and I’m talking about something we really don’t want to make, sort of like what Jesus taught when he said this to his disciples:

When someone slaps your right cheek, turn and let that person slap your other cheek. If someone sues you for your shirt, give up your coat as well. If a soldier forces you to carry his pack one [mile], carry it two [miles]. When people ask you for something, give it to them. When they want to borrow money, lend it to them. [Matthew 5:39b-24, CEV]

You see, we may need to accept that some sacrifice may be involved, if we recognize that Jesus Christ provides us with an example of humility. And for Paul, following his example, that’s how we can become more humble, and I believe that’s the answer to our second question. 

And I’ll tell you, I think that’s an excellent reason to talk about humility on Palm Sunday. You see, the same one who was celebrated as a king was also humble as he entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey. And that humility, well, I think it’s something we might want to take seriously ourselves because, first, humility unites divided communities and that’s why it’s important. And second, Jesus Christ provides an example of humility and that’s how we can learn to do it. And next week, as we celebrate the resurrection, we’ll focus on the last of our seven words: LIFE.