BLESSED HUMILITY

March 28, 2021

Rev. Mark F. Bartels

 

 

Old Testament Lesson; Zechariah 9:9-10

Psalm of the Day:  Psalm 24

Gospel Lesson; Mark 11:1-10         

Sermon Text; Philippians 2:5-11

 

Today is Palm Sunday.  It is traditional on Palm Sunday to have as the Epistle Text, the text from Philippians chapter two, verses five through eleven.  This is one of the deepest texts in all of scripture.  And so today, at best I can do is just scratch the surface.  Let's hear this text, in Jesus' name.  It talks about Jesus' humility.

 

Indeed let this attitude be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.  Though He was by nature God, He did not consider quality with God as a prize to be displayed, but He emptied Himself by taking the nature of a servant.  When He was born in human likeness, and His appearance was like that of any other man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross.  Therefore God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

 

These are your words, Heavenly Father.  Lead us in the way of truth.  Your Word is truth.

Amen

 

There were two little brothers.  One named Kevin, and the other named Ryan.  They were sitting at the kitchen table.  It was Saturday morning, and Mom was cooking breakfast.  She was making pancakes.  Kevin and Ryan could smell the pancakes.  They smelled amazing.  

Kevin said to Ryan, “I am going to eat the first pancake”. 

Ryan said, “No, I am going to get the first pancake”. 

And then, they started to bicker with each other.  Pretty soon, they were in an all out fight, as to who was going to get the first pancake. 

Mom, who was standing at the stove, cooking the pancakes thought, “I am going to use this as a moment to teach something about the Christian faith”. 

And so, she said to the boys, “Stop!  Stop fighting.  Boys, if Jesus were your brother, and He would be sitting at the kitchen table right now, what would He do?  What would Jesus do?” 

And then, she answered it for them.  She said, “Jesus would let his brother have the first pancake”. 

Both boys were quiet.  Then, Kevin looked at Ryan, and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus”.

In our hearts we all know we should have this attitude of humility.  We know that.  But, we don't always act in an attitude of humility. 

Humility 

The Bible talks a lot about it.  Humility is not going around with your head down, thinking, “I am the worst person in the world.  I am worthless.  I am nothing.”

The Bible describes, right before our text for today, describes humility.  It says,

“Think not only of your own interests,

but also the interests of others.” 

Then, it says,

“In humility,

consider others better than yourself.”  

It is putting other people's interests more important than our own.

C. S. Lewis put it really succinctly, when he said it this way.  “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.” 

Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but it is thinking of yourself less, and thinking of others, more.

One time St. Augustine, who lived back in the 300's was explaining the Christian way, and the way of God.  He said, “The first thing to know about the way of God is humility.  And, the second thing to know about God is humility.  And, the third thing to know about God is humility.” 

Martin Luther, 1,100 years later was asked, “What do you think are the three most important, Christian virtues?”
Martin Luther said, “Well the first most important Christian virtue is humility.  And the second is humility, and the third is humility.”
They were both saying the same thing.  Humility is such a critical thing in the life of a Christian faith. 

But, we have a problem with humility, every one of us has a problem with humility.  You see the flip side to humility is pride.  Pride is the basic, basic sin we all struggle with, and deal with.  In fact, if you were to look at all of these stones on our front wall, and say you are one of these stones, pride wants to put itself above the other stones.  Pride wants to get on top.  Pride is competitive.  Pride compares itself to other people.  That is what we are like in our hearts, whether we want to admit it, or not.  Deep in our hearts, we want to look at somebody else, and say, “I am smarter than he is.”  “I am faster than he is.”  “I am stronger than she is.”  “I know more than that person.”  

We like to take satisfaction in saying, “I am better than that person”. 

If we see somebody who is better looking, or smarter, or stronger, do you know what we do?  We say, “Yeah, but they think they are so special.  I don't think that about myself.” 

And, we pull them down.  We say, “I am better than them, because I don't think so much about myself.”
Pride always wants to get itself higher than the next person.  Pride would be happy if everybody would look at me, put the spotlight on me, and say, “Man, does he know a lot!” “Man, is that person fast!” “Man, is he smart!” “He is super important at work.” “Man, does he know all of the answers!” 

Or, whatever.  Pride wants to put itself on top.  It wants to put itself in the center.

Did you know The Bible, (and we think about all kinds of sins, but I don't think we often think about the sin of pride), but do you know what The Bible says about God's attitude toward the proud of heart?  It says,

“God detests the proud at heart.” 

Those are powerful words.  Did you ever look at somebody, and just detest them?  Wow! 

“God detests the proud at heart.”  

We all know we should have this heart of humility.  So, how do we get what this text says? 

“Indeed, let this attitude be in you,

which was also in Christ Jesus.”

How do I get that heart of humility?   What our text for today is going to do is it is going to take us sinners, us proud sinners right to Jesus.

Here is the first thing it does.  (It is talking about Jesus.)

“Though He was by nature God...”

So, let's compare.  Pride likes to compare.  So, let's compare.  If you want to compare yourself to somebody, just compare yourself to Jesus.  It says,

“Though He was by nature God...”  

OK, now you look at all of the stones on this wall in the front of the church, and think, “how high you could get up the stack there”.  Jesus, by nature was God.  That is the top of the stack, and beyond.  So, in comparison to us, Jesus is so unbelievably superior. 

In fact, if anybody ever tells you, “You know, The Bible does not really say Jesus was God”, or have you ever had a Jehovah Witness, or a Mormon knock on your door, and say, “You will never find that in The Bible”? 

That is not true at all.  The Bible is so clear that Jesus is God.  In fact, The Bible approaches it from a whole bunch of different directions. 

-First of all, our Catechism asks, “Why do you believe Jesus is God?”

It says,

“I believe Jesus is God, because number one The Bible just point blank calls Him God.  After Jesus rose from the dead, Thomas fell down on his knees, and said to Jesus,

“My Lord and my God”. 

Jesus did not correct him.  He did not stop him.  He didn't say, “I am not God”.  The Bible point blank called Jesus, “God”. 

The Bible does not come anywhere near calling you God.  He is the top of the stack, and beyond. 

-Not only that but, The Bible also says Jesus has the attributes of God.  For example, Jesus said this about Himself. 

“Behold, I am with you always,

even to the end of the world.” 

In other words, Jesus is saying, “I am present everywhere, no matter where you go, I am there.  No matter when you are born, whether it is you, your grandchildren, your great, great, great, grandchildren, I am going to be with them, because I am present everywhere, and I am eternal.” 

Wow!  Talk about being far superior to us.  Did you ever say to somebody, “You think you are so good.  You act like you are holy.”?  We are not holy, but The Bible says Jesus was holy.  It says He was tempted in every point just like we are, and yet He was without sin.

Wow!  He has the attributes of God.

Did you ever have anybody say, “You think you know everything?”  We don't even come close to knowing everything.  But, one of the disciples said to Jesus,

“Lord, you know all things”.  

Wow!  In comparison to Jesus, He is so far above us.  That is the point scripture is making.

-Then, not only does The Bible call Him God, and say He has the attributes of God, but it also says He does the works of God. 

Maybe you have done some pretty special things in your life, made some special things, accomplished some special things.  But, here is what The Bible says about Jesus.  

“Nothing that was made

was made without Him.” 

In other words, Jesus was involved in the creation of the world.  Jesus could look at you, and say, “Yeah, you have done some pretty special things.  Do you know what I did?  I made you.  I made your DNA.  I made the neurons in your brain.  I know everything about how you work, and how your body works.  I made this whole universe.”  

Wow!

He was in very nature God.

-In fact, it goes on.  The Bible says He deserves the honor of God.  The Bible says,

“Whoever does not honor the Son,

just like he honors the Father,

does not honor the Father, either.”

Now, what other human being could we get down on our knees, bow down, and worship him, as God.  Boy, you want to compare yourself to Jesus?  You want to start with pride, and in pride, compare yourself?  He is so, so far above us that it is not even funny.  So, it sets the stage here. 

-Then, look at what it says, next. 

“Though He was by nature God,

He did not consider equality with God

as a prize to be displayed,

but emptied Himself

taking the nature of a servant.”

You see, Jesus could have, in His human nature, He could have made it so unbelievably, patently evident to everybody, “Wow.  That Person is God.”

Jesus could have displayed it, but He chose to hold back the full use of His divine power, in His human nature.

For example, Jesus could have come to this earth, and been the most unbelievably handsome person in the entire world.  He could have displayed His absolute glory of God.  But you know what The Bible says about Him?  It says,

“He had no beauty that we should desire Him. 

He was One from whom men hid their faces.”

You see, He did not put that full glory on display.  He hid it.

Jesus could have put His full power on display.  He could have made it evident to everybody that He was God.  They had Olympics, back then, too.  Jesus could have entered the Olympics.  He could have won every single event in the Olympics, blown the entire competition away, and set every world record, for all eternity.  But, Jesus did not do that.  He held back. 

And, He even appeared so weak, as to be nailed to a cross.  He did not put that full glory that He has on display. 

Jesus could have come up with the theory of relativity two thousand years before Albert Einstein did.  But, Jesus did not do that.  He did not make it apparent to everybody of His incredible brilliance.  He just taught a simple, simple message that even little children can understand.  

We are saved by faith in Jesus, as our Savior.

So, The Bible says,

“...by nature God,

He did not consider equality with God

as a prize to be displayed,

but He emptied Himself

by taking the nature of a servant.”

Now, I want you to see what The Bible does.  It takes Jesus from the pinnacle of who He is.  He is God in the flesh.  In comparison to us, He is so far superior.  But, look at what He does, willingly.  He is going to bring Himself from the highest spot, down to the very lowest spot you could possibly get 'on this wall'.  And even below that, in comparison to you and me.  It says,

“When He was born in human likeness,

and His appearance was like that of any other man,

He humbled Himself, humbled Himself,

and became obedient to the point of death -

even death on a cross.”

Look at what The Bible does there.  It takes two events in Jesus' life.  Basically, the beginning of His earthly life, His birth, and then, it takes the end of His earthly life, His death.  It puts them side by side in these two verses.  They are kind of 'the bookends' of Jesus' life. 

Interestingly, last week somebody sent me an email reminding me of three days ago, which was March 25th.  Did you know March 25th is a really, really big day in The Church Year?  Do you know what day it is?  If you go nine months after March 25th, guess what you get to?  You get to Christmas.  Just three days ago is what we call, The Annunciation.  It is when the angel announced to Mary, “You are going to have a baby”.  So that is the day we celebrate Jesus took on human flesh.  That is Jesus taking on our flesh. 

Then, four days from now, we are going to get to Jesus' trial, His arrest, and ultimately five days from now, His crucifixion, and His death.  So, it is not very far from The Annunciation to the death of Jesus.  And, this verse puts them both together.  It wants you to see how far Jesus has stooped, how low He had become. 

Think about His birth.  Did you ever have your mom say to you, when you were a kid, or maybe you have said this to your own kids, when you walk in to the room, and the room was all a mess, “What?  Were you born in a barn?” ?

I don't know anybody who was born in a barn.  But, I do know some people who were born in their own homes on the farm.  I know somebody who was born in the entryway to a hospital, because they did not quite make it.  I know some people who were born in cars.  But, I don't know anybody, I don't know anybody who was born in a barn, except God, God in the flesh.  Talk about the lowest of the low, born in the dirtiest place, a feed trough for animals. 

I don't know anybody who was told, “Sorry, but you can't come in here, and have your baby”, except God Himself, who was told, “There is no room for you in the inn”. 

Look how low He went.  This is God.  He has His little, tiny hands wrapped around His mother's fingers.  If you ever want to read something really endearing, just read Martin Luther's description about Jesus' birth.  He does this masterful job of showing you, look, when Jesus was born in such humble circumstances, He wanted to show that no matter who you are, no matter how proud you might be of yourself, or what kind of sins you are committing, Jesus came in such a way that who could be afraid of Jesus?  Nobody can be afraid of going to Jesus. He came in the most humble, kind way.  And, He came to show that no matter who you are, He came to be your friend, and He came to help you.” 

Then, as He grew up, listen to this description of how His humility drew people to Him.  It says,

“God chose to reveal Himself through a human body. 

The tongue that called forth the dead, with a human one,

the hand that touched the leper, had dirt under its nail,

the feet upon which the woman wept were calloused and dusty. 

His tears, oh don't miss the tears,

they came from a heart as broken as yours and mine has ever been. 

So people came to Him. 

My, how they came to Him. 

They came at night. 

They touched Him, as He walked down the street. 

They followed Him around the sea. 

They invited Him in to their homes. 

They placed their children at His feet. 

Why?  Because He refused to be a statue in a cathedral,

or a priest in an elevated pulpit. 

He chose instead to be a touchable, approachable, reachable Jesus.

This humble Jesus.”

Ultimately our text says,

“...He humbled Himself

and became obedient to the point of death -

even death on the cross.”

So now remember who this is.  This is God.

I know some people who have gone through some tough, tough deaths.  But, I don't know anybody who has gone so low as Jesus has gone.  I personally don't know anybody who was executed, executed for crimes against the church, and the state.  I personally don't know anybody who was executed in a very inhumane, (and I mean) inhumane way.  Roman crucifixion was intended to be the most shameful, humiliating, painful death you could inflict on somebody.  I don't know anybody who has died that type of death.  I don't know anybody, anybody in the world who has died that type of death, and had a friend betray him, another one deny them, and all of the rest of them forsake him.  I don't know anybody like that.  I don't know anybody who has had people, as he was dying, standing and mock him.  I don't know anybody else who has his own Father, God the Father, forsake him, as he dies. 

But look. 

        -Look at what He has done. 

        -Look how humble He has made Himself,

        -how low He has made Himself.

And why?  The ultimate, amazing reason why is because He knows where we think we might be on that stack.  He knows our sin.  God has every right in His heart to detest the proud.  But, God in His mercy, look at what He has done.  In His mercy He has said, “I love you so much, so much.  You are such value to me.  Not because you deserve it.  Not because you are worthy of it.  You are not worthy of it.  But, I love you so much that I will do all of that just for you, so you can be mine.  You can be my child.  You can be with me in Heaven, for eternity.”
Wow!

And so our text goes on, and says this. 

“Therefore, (because of what Jesus has done), God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

So, a day is coming when every creature that exists, whether they want to, or not, are going to see Jesus in all of His glory, and everybody, whether they want to, or not, is going to have to bow down to Him, and say, “You are God.  You are Lord.”
If it has happened to you right now, already, and in your heart, in your heart you confess that basic confession:  “Jesus Christ, today I confess Jesus Christ is Lord.”, do you know what The Bible tells us?  It tells us something amazing.  It says,

“No one can say Jesus Christ is Lord,

except by the Holy Spirit.”  

It means that the Holy Spirit has reached in to your heart.  He has stirred your heart.  It has caused this heart of faith to look at Jesus, and say, “Yes Jesus, you are, you are Lord.  You are my Savior.  I trust in you.  I believe in you, for the forgiveness of my sins.”

Now, give all of that, given all of that, let's go back to the top of the text. 

“Indeed, let this attitude be in you,

which was also in Christ Jesus.”

You know what?  God loves you so unbelievably in Christ.  He has made you of such great value.  You don't have to try to stack yourself up against somebody else.  You don't have to try to get people to think more highly of you. 

Think of how highly God thinks of you, and what He has done for you.  He said, “Let your attitude be that of Christ.”  It is not that we think less of ourselves.  But, we think of ourselves less, and we think of others more.  We strive to serve them, and treat them as more important than we are. 

Pride divides.  Do you know what humility does?  It unites.  Humility unites.  In the home where Mom and Dad, husband and wife, and children treat each other with humility, it unites.  In The Church, where church members treat one another with humility, it unites.  And, look what happens when we are all united.  Look at what is in the center.  All of the attention goes to Christ, and Christ crucified!

Amen