Hello and welcome
to this message from Skip Heitzig of
Calvary Albuquerque. We pray that God
uses this message to strengthen your faith. And hope he does, we'd
love to hear about it. Email us at
mystory@calvaryabq.org. And if you'd like to support
this ministry financially, you can give online securely
at calvaryabq.org/give. Relationships take
a lot of work. And every person in the
world is incompatible with every other person. Enough time together
reveals this truth. Every friendship, marriage,
family, and organization, including every Church,
has relational challenges. In the message, being around
people while still being sane, Skip considers the basis of
successful relationships. Now, please turn in your
Bible to Philippians, chapter 2, as he begins. Our Father, we now want to
just put our thoughts and life on pause and open up our hearts
and ask you to speak to us. We feel like little Samuel
who said, speak, Lord, your servant hears. We're listening. Our ears are wide open. Our heart is wide open. And I pray, Lord, that
you would ready us for what we need to hear so
that our lives might bring you the ultimate glory. We want that. We need that. And we need you. And we confess that freely. And we pray that we might
glean even more of your truth so that our families
would benefit, our friends would benefit,
and the cause of Christ would be furthered. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. I want to begin by asking
you a question as you look up at the screen. Do you ever feel like this? I love mankind. It's people I can't stand. So this comes from
a Peanuts cartoon where Lucy says to
Linus, you a doctor? Ha. That's a big laugh. You could never be a doctor. You know why? Because you don't love
mankind, that's why. To which he replies,
I love mankind. It's people I can't stand. So the reason I think that
was a successful cartoon and why people
resonate with that is because we've had our own
frustrations in life from time to time with people. We'll even say things like,
those people, or you people. We understand that
people can be hurtful. They can be prideful. They can be spiteful. We understand that
people can be careless. They can be heartless. They can be thoughtless. They can be tactless. And we discover that many
of our problems in life come from our
interaction with people so that, it's a
threat to our joy. People can rob us of joy. And we have discovered that
the book of Philippians is about joy. It's dubbed the epistle of joy. Paul uses a joyful tone
throughout the entire book, even though he's in jail. He says circumstances
cannot rob me of joy. Even though people
talk smack about Paul and try to ruin his
reputation, he has said, they can't steal my joy. But he also knows that
people can be the biggest challenge to our joy. Having said that, we must
also quickly turn the page and realize that we're
part of the problem. Because we're people too. So we might say those people. These people. You people. People rob my joy. We're a people. We're a person. And have you ever thought that
you might be the person robbing somebody else of their joy? So we all have to realize
we are all fallen creatures. And we are part of
the greater problem. You may have heard of
the psychiatrist who walked into his patient's
room doing morning rounds. The psychiatrist found two
of his patients in the room. Patient number one
was sitting down on the ground pretending
to saw a board in half. And patient number two was
hanging from the ceiling by his feet. And he said to patient number
one, what are you doing? Patient number one said,
well, can't you tell? I'm sawing this board in half. And then he said, well,
what's he doing, referring to patient number two. And patient number one said,
oh, well he's my friend. He's a little crazy. He thinks he's a light bulb. And so the doctor
looked at patient number two hanging upside
down noticed his face is getting redder and redder. And he said to patient number
one, well, if he's your friend, you better tell him to
get down soon because he's going to hurt himself. And patient number one
looked up and said, what, and work in the dark? So it's not like
he had the problem. They both had some issues. So what's a person to
do with problem people? In fact, what is
a Christian to do? And the reason I ask that
question is because sometimes we think, well, I
thought Christians should be different than just people. Christian people should be
much better at getting along with others than outsiders. And they should be. But often we are not. And here's why. Because a Christian
is somebody who is going through an internal
struggle with the flesh. That's what a Christian is. He's going through,
she's going through, an internal struggle
with the flesh. Remember Paul said that? The flesh wars against
the spirit and the spirit against the flesh? And do you remember
that Paul said, I know that I should be doing things. But I'm not always doing them. And there's other
things I shouldn't do. But I find myself
doing those things. So we're in this
battle with the flesh. And sometimes the flesh wins. And when the flesh wins,
relationships get strained. Now, Philippi, the
Church at Philippi, it's a good Church, a growing
Church, a loving Church, a mature Church. Paul had a very close,
intimate relationship with the Philippians, perhaps
greater than any other Church. However, there were
tensions within this Church as we will see going
through the letter. And it's not the first
time that there are tensions among God's people. You remember the
Twelve Apostles? Did they always get
along with each other? Did they not argue from time to
time more than once as to who would be the greatest
in the kingdom? Didn't they have a disagreement
as when the Messiah sits in the kingdom in
his glory who's going to be at his right hand? Who's going to be
at his left hand? And then, Paul and Peter,
they had a disagreement about the law. And then the
council at Jerusalem didn't agree on the
requirements for salvation. There was a disagreement
between them. So pretty quickly when we
read the New Testament, we discover that the church
is not a perfect people. They are a redeemed
people working through all of
their imperfections that are a part of their
fallen human nature. And the Bible recognizes that
this can sometimes be tough. In Romans 12, Paul
writes, and I love how he writes it, if
it is possible, as much as depends on you,
live peaceably with all men. I'm glad he said,
if it's possible. Because frankly sometimes
it's impossible. There are some
people who just don't want to be gotten along with. They make it impossible. But as much as is possible,
as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. So sometimes we feel like
Linus in that cartoon. And that's why I've
given this message title, Being Around People
While Still Being Sane. Being around people
while still being sane. Because you know what? You can't run away from people. You might feel hurt in life. And you just say, those
people, man, I'm just going to get away from people. And I suppose you
could become a recluse and buy a house in
the middle of nowhere and not deal with any
people, live off Amazon Prime your whole life. But I got to guarantee
you at some point you're going to be staring
another human in the eyes and have to have a conversation
where you gel together. So let me throw this out at you
as we read through our verses and we consider these
things together. Imagine this. What if you were to decide
to become really good at interpersonal relationship? What if you thought, I'm
going to become an expert at getting along with people. It is possible, you know. Now as we consider
our text, and we're going to look at Philippians
2, verses one through four. You may want to
just glance at them. This paragraph verses one
through four of Philippians 2 has several
sentences in English. But here's what's interesting. It's one single, long,
complex sentence in Greek. In fact, if you have a
literature background, you will recognize this. It is written in a literary
format called protasis and apodosis where you have
a conditional clause followed by a main clause and
if, then, relationship. If this is true and if that is
true and if the other is true, then this ought
to be the result. That's how it's written. It's a very long,
complex sentence that forms the basics
of relationships and the basis for
good relationships. So let's look at Philippians
2 and read verses one through four before we jump in. Therefore, verse one, if there
is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if
any fellowship of the spirit, if any affection and
mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded
having the same love, being of one
accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through
selfish ambition or conceit but in lowliness of mind
let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out, not
only for his own interests, but also for the
interests of others. Now what I'm going to do,
and every text sort of demands its own approach,
its own outline, I'm going to look at this by
beginning with verse three and four, because
that's the main clause. And then I'm going to go
back to verse one to two. So I want to begin
with the basics. Here's the basics
of getting along with people, the basics
of great relationships. Think of it as the
do's and don'ts. And we're going to begin
with the don'ts and then go to the do's. And there are two don'ts and
there are two do's, things you ought to do. We're going to begin
with the negative. These are things not to do. And you make an interesting
discovery right off the bat. The two things he
says we shouldn't do are the same two reasons why
Satan got kicked out of heaven. The very reasons Satan
didn't get along with God was because of selfish
ambition and conceit. You remember,
perhaps, in Isaiah 14, it tells us that the devil
Satan, Lucifer, said, I will descend into heaven. I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God. I will be like the most high. That's selfish
ambition and conceit. So think of it this way. You are never more
like the devil then when you display the first
two negative characteristics we cover. And you are never
more like Jesus then when you display the second
two positive characteristics. So the first two will
ruin relationships. The second two will
remedy relationships. So let's look at what not to do. Number one, don't be selfish. Don't be selfish. Verse three. Let nothing be done,
through selfish ambition. Or you could just translate
that, selfishness. Now I think
everybody understands what selfishness is. And if you don't, it's
because you're really selfish. But I think everybody
here understands what-- if you have kids, you
understand what selfishness is. Or if you have
parents, you understand what selflessness is. If you know any
other human being, you understand what
selfishness is. Interesting quip I found
from Newsweek Magazine. They said, and I
quote, "If Americans could have their wildest
dreams come true, 38% would choose to win
the lottery and only 1% would pick world peace." That's part of our nature. We want our lives comfortable
and laden with good things. Oh, yeah, world peace,
yeah, yeah, yeah. Selfishness. Don't be selfish. Let nothing be done
through selfish ambition. You know a popular
form of photography these days is the selfie. Twenty-four billion selfies were
taken and uploaded to Google last year, 24 billion of them. Did you know that in
2015 death by selfie was greater than death by
shark attack worldwide. You know we have
Shark Week every year? They could have selfie
week every year. It would be just as
dramatic, if not more so. So the idea is that
people are taking selfies and they're not always
aware of their environment. They might get too close
to the edge of something and fall down. Death by selfie greater
than death by shark attack. So you see selfishness
is at the very heart of our fallen human nature. And it's the root
of every other sin. Satan placed his will
above God's will. That's where it all
started, self- ishness. And then Adam placed his
will above God's will. Selfishness. Then Eve placed her
well above God's will. Selfishness. And every time you and I place
our will above God's will, guess what that is? It's selfishness. Let nothing be done
through selfish ambition. Selfishness is the
me first philosophy. That seed is implanted in every
single child who is ever born. And it grows with that
child until one day that child becomes a
full-fledged adult who, unless checked or redeemed,
that adult will be very, very self-centered. It's in every person. There was a mom, she was
driving her five-year-old son to McDonald's. And there was a
traffic accident. And as they were getting closer
to McDonald's, and mom always taught the kids in
the family, whenever we see an incident
or an accident by the side of the road,
let's just stop and pray for those people. And the very least,
let's just pray that God would send somebody
to protect them, et cetera. So she sees the accident. And she says, we ought to pray. So from the back seat, the
little five-year-old boy could be heard praying, please God,
don't let those cars block the entrance to the McDonald's. Amen. We understand that. That's human nature. And yet Paul says on the
don't list, don't be selfish. Here's the second thing
we shouldn't do if you want a great relationship. Don't be prideful. You'll notice the word
conceit in verse three. Let nothing be done through
selfish ambition or conceit. Now, if you happen to have
brought with you an old King James version, the original
King James, probably few of you have it, if any. But if you have one,
it's a different word. It's translated vain glory. And I remember, I was
weaned on that translation. And so I remember
reading this text, let nothing be done through-- and it said vain glory. And I remember
going what is that? Well they've updated
it since then. And now it's translated
here conceit. But I discovered that
vain glory is actually a better and more
accurate translation. Because the original
Greek word kenodoxia comes from putting two
Greek words together. Kenos, which means empty,
and doxa, which is glory. So conceit means empty
glory or vain glory. And it was a word that
was used to describe a person who had
exaggerated ideas of his or her own importance. They puff themselves up. I'm awesome. That's conceit. That's kenodoxia. That's vain glory, empty glory,
exaggerated ideas of one's own importance. If you've ever gone
fishing in the ocean, you know what a blowfish
is, a puffer fish? So it's unexcited
state, it's just sort of a blobby
little thing, very unattractive with a big mouth. But if you get close to this
fish, if it gets threatened, it will puff itself up. It fills itself up. And it becomes really this
empty but round spiked creature. And the idea is, oosh,
size is important. I'm going to ward off any
creature who wants to get me with my size and my spikes. Well, there are people
who, like that puffer fish, blow themselves up with pride. They're conceited. That is vain glory. This is why Paul
writes in Romans 12:3 that we should not think
of ourselves more highly than we ought to
think, but soberly. I said before that
there's always two ways to enter a room. Way number one is
to come in a room with the attitude that
says, well, here I am and that swagger
of self-importance. The other way to enter a room
is with the attitude, ah, there you are. Question, how did
Paul enter the room? The second way. He introduces himself
in chapter one, verse one, Paul a bond
slave of Jesus Christ. I'm a servant of Christ,
thus, your servant. So on the negative
side, don't be selfish. Don't be prideful. Now let's flip the coin. On the positive side,
the do's, the things we ought to do in a
relationship is this. First of all do be humble. For he says, let nothing be
done through selfish ambition or conceit. Now he turns the coin
to the positive side. But in lowliness of mind. Stop right there. Lowliness of mind. That's humility. One translation says, with
low thoughts of yourself. With low thoughts of yourself. I don't like that translation. Because I don't think
humility is having low thoughts of yourself. I think humility is having
no thoughts of yourself. You see, humility isn't
thinking badly about yourself or thinking poorly
about yourself or thinking meanly
about yourself. Humility is not
thinking about yourself. You come humbly. So the secret to
having joy, in spite of people who are problems
around us, is humility. So he talks about unity. But he talks about humility. You know why? Because unity is always
born out of humility. That's the secret. Do be humble. You want to know something? Pride will make God your enemy. I want you to think
about that statement. The quickest way to
get God against you is to go, oosh, and puff
yourself up with pride. You will have God set against
you quicker than any other way. And, if you want to
get God on your side, quickest way to
do that, humility. You say, preacher,
can you prove that? Yes. Twice in the New Testament,
once in the book of James, once in the book of
Peter, they write this. God resists the proud but
gives grace to the humble. So if you want the resistance of
God in your life, be prideful. If you want the favor of
God in your life, grace of God in your life, be humble. Lowliness of mind. Lowliness of mind. Now here's an interesting
little addendum to that, 2000 years ago, when
this was written, there was the Roman culture. But then there was
the Greek culture. They had been around
a little longer. In the Greek culture,
lowliness of mind, or humility, was not a virtue to be desired. It was a bad quality to be
dispensed with, pushed away. The Greeks really thought they
were superior to everybody else in the world. Everybody who wasn't a Greek
was called by them a barbarian. And slaves, the ones
who grovel in the dirt and grovel on the ground,
those were the ones they said were humble-minded. So when the Greeks would take
over somebody in a battle, they would turn those
into humble-minded people, make them into slaves. Isn't it interesting
the very quality that the Greeks thought was so
bad, the Bible says is so good? And the Bible pushes up
and ex tolls and says, you ought to do that. You want to know why? Because that's what Jesus did. Jesus was humble. Jesus was lowly-minded. I want you to see it. If you to go to
verse five, and I'm taking a little thunder
away from next week, that's where we'll be. But look at it. Let this mind be in you, which
was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of
God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God. But he made himself
of no reputation taking the form
of a bond servant and coming in the
likeness of man. And being found in
appearance as a man, he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death, even
the death on the cross. So let me sum this little
point up by saying this. Humility is the grace
that becomes the grease so that the gears of
relationship can turn smoothly. Humility is the grace
that becomes the grease so that the gears
of relationships can turn smoothly. Do be humble. Second on the do list. Do be respectful. You'll notice that
Paul says, let nothing be done through selfish
ambition or conceit but in lowliness of mind. Let each esteem others
better than himself. Now he qualifies that
in the next verse. Let each of you look out. Be on the lookout, not
only for his own interests, but also for the
interests of others. I like the way the message
translation renders this. Forget yourselves long enough
to lend a helping hand. Here's how it works. Let's say we're together. If when we're together I
always put myself first and you always put yourself
first, we're going to collide. We're going to have problems. But if, when we're
together, I put you first and you put me first, we're
going to get along just fine. We're going to be
preferring one another. We're going to be
esteeming one another. Our relationship is
going to flourish. I heard about a youth pastor
who went to a Special Olympics for children. And these handicapped kids will
compete in different events. Well, it was the 220 yard dash. And the race began. And a boy named
Andrew took the lead. He was 50 yards out in front
of everybody else in the pack and kept gaining more
and more as he went. Until he turned the final
round for that last little leg of his lap, as he was
making the final turn, little Andrew ahead of everybody
else, looked down on the track and noticed his good friend
had fallen in the race and was hurt on the ground. At that point Andrew stopped. And he looked at
the finish line. And he looked down
at his friend. And everybody in the crowd
said, run, Andrew, run. But Andrew didn't run. Andrew walked over to his
friend hurt on the ground while people passed
him by, lifted up his friend, more people passed
him by, and took his hand, took his arm, and
walked with his friend and came in dead last. Now, everybody in
the stands, they understood what was going on. And they applauded for him. But he came in last
walking his friend just so he could finish at all. What Andrew discovered is what
a lot of us so often forget. And that is that
sometimes finishing first isn't the most important thing. Helping somebody
finish at all is. I bet you've heard the
name Leonard Bernstein. You've heard of him
because he was really the first American conductor
and musician that achieved worldwide acclaim on his level. He was a conductor. He was a director
of an orchestra. In fact, he was the conductor
of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. He wrote the musical score
for many Broadway plays. If I mentioned the all,
you'd be familiar with them. But Leonard Bernstein
was once asked one day, what is the hardest
instrument to play to which he said, the second fiddle. The second fiddle. And he explained. He said, I can get plenty
of first violinists but to find somebody
who can play the second fiddle with
enthusiasm, that is a problem. That is a problem. So let us-- let
each esteem others. Let's look out for
others interests. Now, as I say these words,
and as I studied this, I thought of something. I thought, this is a good
point and this preaches well. But it doesn't practice easy. I mean, you and I are going
to go out in a few minutes, go out and get busy with our
lives and do other stuff. And chances are, we're
all going to forget this, even if we take a few notes. Because esteeming other
people greater than ourselves is so against
our human nature. How are we even going
to pull that off? I mean, who does that? Who lives that way where
we esteem others better? We're always looking
out for other people. I mean, it's good. It's what we're commanded to do. But how do we do that? It's awfully difficult to do. It's extremely difficult.
How do we do it? Let me give you a little
help, a little hint of what might be helpful. The one person in all the
world that you know better than any other person is whom? Who do you know better? Yourself. You know you better. You know how you think. You know what you're tempted by. You know what you like
and what you hate. You know what you really
feel like, even though you might look good on
the outside, you know who you are on the inside. So I'm looking at you all. You're all beautiful. You look good. You have Bibles. Your hair's done
nicely, most of you. Just kidding. You all look good. But I don't really know you. Now I know me. I know me. And I know what I'm made of. And I know my failures. And I know my temptations. And I know my own
crud and my own junk. So if I approach
people while I'm cognizant of my own
shortcomings, failures, and sin, I'm going to
approach people differently. I'm going to approach
people humbly. Because here's why. Based on firsthand
experience only, who's the worst person you know? You. You are the worst person in
the world that you know of. And I am the worst person
in the world that I know of. I'm the worst. And so when I approach
people cognizant of my own baggage, my own sin,
I'll approach them differently. And that is exactly
what Paul did. In the New Testament he
writes things like this. I am the least of
all the apostles. And I am not even worthy
to be called an apostle. Now, I think Paul, you're
like the greatest dude ever. You're like the greatest
Christian I know of. Because I'm the least
of the apostles, not even worthy to be
called an apostle . And then he writes
in another place, I am the least of
all the Saints. Because I persecuted
the Church of God. He's approaching them carrying
what he knows about himself. And as he does,
that deflated him. That's how you can help esteem
others better than yourself. So don't be selfish. Don't be prideful. Do be humble. Do be respectful. Those are the basics
of great relationships. Those are the do's and don'ts. Now, let's look at
the first two verses and consider the basis of it. It's the why for all the
what that we just covered. And here's the first reason. The reason that we should
be humble and not prideful, the reason we should esteem
others better is here's the reason. Number one, because the
world won't provide that. What's the first word in
verse one of chapter two? What's the first word? Shout it out, what is it? Therefore. Therefore. Now, who begins a
chapter with that word? I mean, the first
conversation you had this morning with your
spouse or your child or parent or whatever, the first thing
did you say, therefore? You don't begin
that day that way. Therefore connects
a previous statement and brings it into
the present tense. You say therefore when you're
talking about something and you want to use that
as a reference for why you should do something now. So he begins with a therefore. And we need to find out
what it's there for. So we go back to verse 27
where we were last time. Chapter one, verse 27,
only let your conduct be worthy of the
gospel of Christ so that weather I come
and see or I'm absent, I may hear of your affairs that
you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind, striving together
for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way
terrified by your enemies, your adversaries, which is
to them a proof of perdition but to you of salvation
and that from God. For to you it has been
granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but
also to suffer for his sake. Having the same conflict,
which you saw in me, and now here is in me. Therefore. In other words, here's
what Paul is saying. You in Philippi are
already suffering because of all of the
selfishness of the unbelieving world around you who
hate the gospel message. And they are attacking you. And they are persecuting you. And you are experiencing
that conflict. So the people of this
world are consumed with their own agendas,
their own desires. Paul is saying
don't add to that. Don't add to that. Since the world is
persecuting the Church, the Church shouldn't
persecute the Church. You see, Jesus said this. In this world, you
will have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. This is the reason
it is so awkward when Christians fight each other. Because we're copying the world. It's the world
that persecutes us. Let's not add to that. Paul's whole point
in the therefore is since selfishness
is all around you, it certainly shouldn't
be among you. Therefore. So reason number one, the basis
of these great relationships is because the world
will not provide it and the Church should. Number two, because
you belong to Christ. You should be humble
with other people because you are a Christian. And so he says, if,
therefore, there is any consolation in Christ. Now you see the little word if? It could be better
translated since. Because the idea is
if, and it's true, or since it is true,
since you are consoled by belonging to Christ, right? You belong to Christ. Philippians 1:1
says, the Philippians are in Christ Jesus. You're in Christ Jesus. He loves you. He forgave you. He washed your sins away. He promised you heaven. One translation
puts it this way. If you've gotten anything at
all out of following Christ, then you ought to be humble. Then you ought to esteem
others better than yourself. So here's the deal. I can get along with you,
even though you're imperfect. You can get along
with me, even though I know I am so imperfect. You know why? Because Jesus can get
along with all of us. And we're all imperfect. That's the idea of this thought. So because the world
won't provide it and because you
belong to Christ. Here's the third reason. Because His love
is the catalyst. Because His love
is the catalyst. Please notice it. If there's any
consolation in Christ, if there is any comfort of love. Whose love? Well, we spoke about
Christ a few words back. So this is Christ's love for us. In other words, if
Jesus loving you has made any difference
at all in your life, then it will show up in your
humility, which by the way brings up a good question. What difference has Jesus
loving you made in your life? It's a good question
to think about. What difference has all the love
that Jesus has given your way, what difference has
it made in your life? Has it made you more loving? John 3:16, for God so loved
the world that he gave-- has his love for you made
you more giving, more loving? So that's the basis
of our relationship. I can accept you because
Jesus has accepted us. I heard about a lady. She works in a nursing home. And she has made it
her mission to sit with people who are dying
if there is no family member present. She feels that life is
sacred, a gift from God. And she believes that
nobody should die alone. And she wants to demonstrate
that love for the dying so that they leave the world
in the presence of somebody who cares and loves them. That's powerful. So if Jesus is in me, then
His love will come through me. And there's a fourth
and a final reason. Because we're a
spiritual family. In verse one again, if there's
any consolation in Christ, if there's any comfort
of love, here it is. If there's any fellowship
of the spirit-- and then he amplifies that,
if any affection and mercy. Now in Philippi, I mentioned
that things were not perfect. They weren't. There were problems that
they were experiencing. There were two dividing
forces in Philippi that are true of
every single Church. First of all, there were
false teachers on the outside. Second, there were fighting
members on the inside. The false teachers will be
discussed in Chapter three, verses one and two. Paul calls them dogs
and evil workers. It's going to be a lot of fun
when we get to chapter three. Paul is just going to
kind of come unglued. Then we get to
chapter four and we discover the fighting members. There's two gals,
one named Euodia, the other named Syntynche. These two gals in the
Church at Philippi have gotten a lot of
people on their side. And they're creating a
division, a party spirit. So the fellowship is being hurt. It's always being hurt
when that happens. Now here's the deal. There's always pressure from
the outside for the Church, always, every Church,
every place in the world, every generation. For the last 2,000
years, the world has always been
against the Church. Unbelievers will always
mock Christian's belief. Unbelievers will always
challenge our faith. But if that is compounded when
our own spiritual family is dysfunctional, it makes
matters much worse. So here's Paul's point. We are a fellowship
of the spirit. We're in Christ so
we're related by blood, His blood has washed all of us. We're a fellowship
in the spirit. So the same Holy
Spirit that lives in me is the same Holy Spirit
that lives in you. As Paul said in 1
Corinthians 12, by one spirit we are all baptized
into one body. You know, we have
all heard of reports of families who quarrel amongst
themselves until somebody from the outside
attacks the family. Then they all somehow
galvanized together. Because don't you say that
about my mom or my brother. And they'll resolve the conflict
to fight the greater conflict. I just want you to know that
everybody needs a family. Everybody needs a
group where they can be loved and accepted and
taught and held accountable. So, to sum it all up, be humble. Be helpful. Be noble. For the sake of the Church
of Jesus Christ, which He purchased with His own blood. He did it. It's His. It's not ours. It's His. Now if that were to
happen in Philippi, that would just push
Paul's joy over the top. Look what he says in verse two. Fulfill my joy by
being like-minded, having the same love, being
of one accord, of one mind. That's interesting. Paul already said he was
joyful, no matter what. Paul already said, you
can lock me in prison. I'm joyful. You can beat me up. I'm joyful. Because my joy is in the Lord. You can have people
talk smack about me and try to slur my
reputation around town. I'm joyful anyway. But now he says, but here's
a way I could actually be more joyful. Fulfill my joy, or
complete my joy. So Paul is saying,
man, if you guys were humble with each other
and you esteemed others better than you
esteemed yourself, that would be the icing
on the cake for me. I mean, that would be
the cherry in the Coke. That would be the whipped
cream on the apple pie. That would fulfill, that
would complete my joy. And by the way, if we
were to live that way, you know who else would
be really, really, really, really joyful? You would be. We all would be. All of us would be. You've heard me say it
before that the more you do as you please, the less you
are pleased with what you do. Think about that statement. The more you live as
you please, the less you will be pleased with what you--
if you live for self, if it's all about you and your
agenda and your comfort and you being happy,
you getting your way, you will become a
miserable person. I'm going to close with
an illustration of that. And I will close. It's by Bernard Rimland. Bernie was the director
of the Institute for Child Behavior Research. He conducted a study. And at the end of the
study, he concluded the happiest people in the
world are the humblest people in the world. So he did a study. I'll read it to you. Each person in
the study involved was asked to list 10 people
that he knew best and label them happy or unhappy. So you think of 10 people
you know and label which one, happy, unhappy, unhappy,
unhappy, happy, happy. You do that with 10 people. Then you go through the list
again and label each one as selfish or unselfish. Using the following
definition of selfishness. Here's his definition,
and I'm quoting. "A stable tendency to devote
one's time and resources to one's own interests and
welfare and unwillingness to inconvenience
oneself for others." In categorizing the
results, Rimland found that all of the
people labeled happy were all so labeled unselfish. And he wrote, and I'm quoting,
"Those whose activities are devoted to bringing themselves
happiness are far less likely to be happy than those
whose efforts are devoted to making others happy." And then he concluded
with a remark that I thought you
would find interesting. He said, do unto others as you
would have others do unto you. Now who said those words? Jesus said those words in
the Sermon on the Mount. He had to go through a whole
study to figure that out. And he found it out. And he said, do unto others as
you would have others do unto you. So listen, the quickest road
to joy is Humility Boulevard. The quickest road to unhappiness
is the Freeway of Self. And if you get on
that freeway of self, you know it you're
going to discover? Its packed. It's bumper to bumper. There's people who are nasty. They'll give you gestures. They'll cuss you out. And there's a lot
of people on it. You get on Humble Boulevard,
it's pretty lonely out there. It's the quickest road to joy. Let's pray. Father, we're going to see
these principles unfolded and unpacked in the next few
verses concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. But for now, we consider simply
these two things, the basics, the do's and don'ts, and
the reasons, the basis. We've been told by Paul,
it's your Word us that, that we ought not to
be selfish people, that we ought not to puff
ourselves up with pride. You've told us to be
humble, lowliness of mind. And in that humility to be
looking for and thinking about and pushing up other people
and serving other people. It is so counter to
our human nature. It would take a move of God, a
work of God, for us to change. And that work of God has already
taken place at the cross. We belong to Christ. We're your possession, Lord. You've loved us with
an everlasting love. And we're a spiritual
family so that we should be able to
provide, among us, what we'll never get from the world. It should be in
abundance among us. Would you turn us, Lord,
into loving, humble, serving individuals? For our own joy's sake,
but more importantly for the glory of God. In Jesus' name. Amen. As believers, we're
a spiritual family and have the love of
Jesus to unify us. Did this message encourage
you to make changes in your relationships? Let us know. Email us at
mystory@calvaryabq.org. And just a reminder, you can
give financially to this work at calvaryabq.org/give. Thank you for joining us for
this teaching from Calvary Albuquerque. [MUSIC PLAYING]
