UNITY THROUGH HUMILITY (3): THE MEANS

(Philippians 2:2)
July 1, 2018

Read Phil 2:3-4 – What goes around comes around. It’s in the Bible? Gal
5:15: “But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not
consumed by one another.” You get the point. Tear down other believers and
sooner or later it’ll be your turn. What goes around comes around.

Robert Fulghum in All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten says,

““Share everything, play fair, don't hit people, put things back where you
found them, clean up your own mess, don't take things that are not yours,
say you are sorry, wash your hands before you eat, –, watch for traffic, hold
hands and stick together." Learned it all in kindergarten. And Paul’s
instruction is, “Some of y’all need to go back to kindergarten.”

Phil 2:1-11: one of the most basic yet profound passages in Scripture. It’s
theme: Unity through humility. God gives us The Motive (1): The Mission
(2): The Means (3-4): and The Model (5-11). Today – the Means. How can
we achieve unity through humility? Easy – just go against every human
inclination you have! It’s like starting over in kindergarten; relearning life.
It doesn’t come naturally. Takes the supernatural power of the indwelling HS
to pull it off. Paul gives a 5-fold means of gaining unity through humility, but
we can condense them down into two – one negative and one positive.

I. Spurn Selfish Ambition Driven by Concern for Self

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Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit.” The two greatest enemies of
unity – the need to be recognized and the need to be right – selfish ambition
and conceit! Time after time these take very ugly turns in church after church.

“Selfish ambition” – all one word (ἐριθεία). It originally meant the self-
seeking pursuit of political office by unfair means, thus came to mean selfish
ambition – the driven desire to be number one, to be recognized by climbing
over anything or anyone who stood in the way. In the church the ambition is
not usually so crudely obvious, but when someone is insisting it must be their
way – that’s what Paul has in mind, and what God is condemning. I deserve to
be an elder; I deserve to be a teacher; my expertise means I should do this or
that. I will be heard. That very attitude says you probably don’t deserve to
have the position or make the decision in the first place! It’s all about you!

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Paul used this word in Phil 1:17: “The former [Romans who were jealous of
Paul] proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to
afflict me in my imprisonment.” Selfish ambition = doing a right thing for
the wrong reasons! You may be perfectly right about what music is most
appropriate or how loud the drums should be or what cups to use or how the
money should be spent – perfectly right about the issue and completely wrong
in motive – selfish ambition – the need to be recognized! Let me put it this
way – if your attitude is causing disunity, you are wrong no matter how
right you are! Time to be like Paul. Back off and let God take care of it.

Selfish ambition – the desire to have a position or be heard – an “act of the

flesh” according to Gal 5:20 where it is translated “rivalries.” Say your piece
with kindness and humility, but if it’s become a contest, be careful!

Selfish ambition is building oneself up at the expense of tearing someone

else down. If that’s going on – even if you’re dead right, you’re dead wrong.
Remember Paul’s warning about devouring one another? What goes around
comes around. You may be the winner today, but you will be loser tomorrow.
Meantime – the real loser is the church which is riddled with disunity,
shaming the name of Jesus. We don’t want to go there, do we, Beloved?

John MacArthur says: “Discord and division are inevitable when people
focus on their agendas to the exclusion of others in the church.” Where did
he get that? James 3:14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in
your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom
that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For
where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every
vile practice.” So devastating and it sneaks up unawares. Let honor come to
you; don’t seek it out. Prov 27:2: “Let another praise you, and not your own
mouth.” You say, “But they never do praise me. Everyone gets recognized
except me.” Perhaps. But in that case, leave it to God who is very good at
making sure everyone gets what they deserve! Careful what you ask for.

Ambrose was a great teacher in the early church. So when the bishop died, and
a successor needed, a child cried out, “Ambrose – bishop! Ambrose –
bishop!” The whole crowd took up the cry. (And you thought fanatical cheers
was a recent invention!). Ambrose was terrified. To him it was unthinkable.
He fled to avoid the high office and only the direct command of the emperor
made him the beloved Bishop of Milan – and later a major influence in the life
of Augustine. No selfish ambition there, and I pray not among us either.
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Where does it come from? Paul knows. Conceit -- the compulsion to be right!
I’m right; therefore, I must get my way. That’s thinking more highly of
ourselves than we ought. The word “conceit” -- Κενοδοξία – from two words
– κενός = empty, and δοχα = glory. Empty glory – thus the KJV vainglory.
This is seeking glory illegitimately. As soon as we think we are something,
we demonstrate that we are really nothing. To seek glory is vain glory –
empty glory. Not the real thing. Any conceit falls into that category. None of
us deserve the attention we get, let alone that which we seek for ourselves!

Compare seeking vainglory to Jesus’ attitude in v. 7: “but emptied (κενος)

himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”
So, while we seek empty glory, Jesus empties Himself of real glory. He gives;
we take. That’s a bad picture. In seeking vain glory we are doing exactly the
opposite of Christ. And when people begin to do that, things get silly fast.

A church in Dallas not long ago became so divided that lawsuits were filed to
claim church property – despite I Cor 6:1: “When one of you has a grievance
against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the
saints?” The judge referred it back to the denomination who awarded to one
group over the other. The losers formed another church, but a reporter,
feasting on this scandal, traced the trouble to its source. Get this -- the trouble
began when at a church social, an elder received a smaller piece of ham
than the child sitting next to him! From there it all spun out of control!
Vainglory! They didn’t follow Jesus there, and we won’t be either.

Even David succumbed. I Chron 21:1: “Then Satan stood against Israel and
incited David to number Israel.” Forgot God was the source of his success.
Got interested in numbers. His glory, not God’s. Joab warned him not to, but
he wouldn’t listen. Read all about it in I Chron 21. Eventually 70,000
Israelites lost their lives because of David’s vainglory – God saying, “You
want to glorify yourself with numbers? Well, let me take a few away to
remind you where they came from and to whom the glory belongs.” David
forgot what Isaiah reminded the people later in 48:11b: “My glory I will not
give to another.” And when we bite and devour we’re touching glory that
belongs to Him. Sooner or later there will be price to pay. “Do nothing from
selfish ambition or conceit.” We must check our selfish ambition at the door.

II. Seek Selfless Humility Driven by Concern for Others

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Here’s the positive: 3b-4: “but in humility count others more significant than
yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the
interests of others.” Humility! There’s that word again. Literally “of low
mind.” It was considered a sign of weakness in ancient times. Not a virtue.

But humility is the core of Christian faith – required to come to faith in the
first place – and required as a continuing state of mind thereafter? It is the
supreme virtue of Christian existence – and yet often in very short supply.

The strongest leaders in the Bible were long on humility. They never pushed
themselves to the forefront except at the clear leading of the Lord. God says of
Moses in Num 12:3: “Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all
people who were on the face of the earth.” Partly that was because the Lord
had to knock the stuffing out of him to get him there, but he got the message,
and this most humble of men led 2,000,000 Israelites out of captivity in Egypt.

Twice David, after being anointed king could have killed his predecessor Saul,
who was trying to kill him. But he dared not lift his hand against God’s
anointed. He had the virtue of humility. Paul, tho he often had to defend his
apostleship, was seriously humble. I Cor 15:9 For I am the least of the
apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of
God.” This isn’t “Aw, shucks, keep it coming” humility. This is the genuine
article. He really meant it. Eph 3:8 To me, though I am the very least of all the
saints.” I Tim 1:15b: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of
whom I am the foremost.” No wonder he urges this attitude on all believers.

Peter, too! I Pet 5:5b: “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward
one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” You
want to get on the wrong side of God? Then just insist on your rights! That’ll
do it. It’s exactly what Jesus, the ultimate example, did not do that we insist on
doing. He gave away real glory. We insist on our vainglory. It’s a wonder He
doesn’t just do away with all of us in one fell swoop, isn’t it?!

Humility. How do you get humility? You can’t really work on it, right? In
C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters, head demon, Screwtape, writes his nephew: “I
see your patient has become humble; have you drawn his attention to the
fact? Catch him at the moment when he is really poor in spirit and smuggle
into his mind the gratifying reflection, ‘By jove! I’m being humble,’ and
almost immediately pride – pride at his own humility will appear.” You get
the point. Just when you think you’re humble, that thought proves you’re not!
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So the tendency is to overcorrect by looking down on yourself – to work up a
hatred for yourself, to itemize all your faults and shortcomings. But while it’s
good to be honest, self-abasement can easily be self-centeredness in another
form! So Lewis wisely concluded, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself,
but thinking of yourself less.” That gets us to the crux of the matter.

But – how do I think of myself less? The harder I try to do that, the more I
can’t. Like telling a new driver, “Don’t go off the side of the road.” You can
bet they will. Why? They get focused on the thing they’re trying to avoid.
Human nature! So how do I not think less of myself but think of myself less?!

Paul gives a beautiful response. Here’s your answer if you are really serious
about following your Lord’s example of building humility into your life. How
do I think of myself less? By thinking of others more!! Instead of thinking
about the thing I want to avoid – me – I think about others. That’s the key.

Note, he doesn’t say, “Don’t look out for your own interests at all.” Don’t
make it worse than it is. You naturally have interests to look out for. But he
says look “also to the interests of others.” Balance your self-centeredness
with other-centeredness. And the priority is in 3b: “but in humility count
others more significant than yourselves.” There it is. The key to humility.
Don’t ignore your own interests, but develop sensitivity the interests of others
– and, by the way, count them more significant than your own. Big order,
isn’t it? But we’re going to see that Jesus did it in His life, and what we can’t
do on our own, He will do through us as we allow His Spirit to fill and control
us. Count others more significant. Give their opinions precedence. Be the
first to back away from controversy, even if you’re right. Sometimes our
choice is this: would we rather be right, or righteous? Think about it. I Pet
5:5b: “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for
“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

You know, there’s a reason the Bible never urges, “Be sure to stand up for
your rights.” That’s because we have no problem with that. But it consistently
urges, “Cloth yourselves with humility” and “Count others more significant
than yourselves.” Those don’t come naturally. Gotta get back to kindergarten!
But imagine the joy we bring to Jesus’ heart when we get that right!

One of the most beautiful verses in the Bible is Rom 12:10 Love one another
with brotherly affection. [Now get this] Outdo one another in showing
honor.” Is that good or what? Kent Hughes preached at Southern Sem in
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Louisville one day where Al Mohler is pres. They got talking about ATR, the
towering genius of a Greek scholar who taught at the school until his death in
1934. His 1400-page Greek Grammar is still the standard – a monumental
work that made him the premier Greek scholar in the world. He was also the
son-in-law of John Broadus, a NT scholar and a founder of Southern who
wrote one of the finest books on preaching – still used today. Mohler
volunteered to take Hughes to ATR’s gravesite at Cave-Hill Cemetery. When
they arrived, Mohler pointed out Broadus’s grave – a towering moment
erected by his family. Then he pointed to the flat grave-marker next to it – that
of the great ATR. Mohler remarked, “Robertson wanted to be buried in
Broadus’ shadow.” What an example. Oh for more people who were willing
to live in the shadow of others. Can’t we all be one?

Conc – “Outdo one another in showing honor.” Blaise Pascal, a brilliant

philosopher and theologian once said, “what amazes me most is to see that
everyone is not amazed at his weakness” – that from a man who would have
put all of us to shame from a human standpoint. “Outdo one another in
showing honor.” I told you last week about the significant doctrinal
differences between John Wesley and George Whitefield, and of Whitefield’s
humility in deferring to Wesley. But both had the same mind – a love for the
gospel. One antagonistic prof of religion once asked Whitefield, “Do you
think you will see John Wesley in heaven?” Whitefield replied, “No sir. I
fear not. He will be so near the throne, and we shall be at such a distance,
that we shall hardly get a sight of him.’” How’s that for counting others more
significant than yourself? How’s that for outdoing one another in showing
honor? Join that club and you’re there right along with Moses, Peter, Paul
Whitefield, ATR and Jesus? Pretty good company. Let’s go back to
kindergarten and have unity through humility. Let’s pray.