WEBVTT 00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:06.320 Today we're in our study back again in Ephesians. 00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:10.880 Remember, we had to look back a few months months ago, back in the fall. 00:00:11.119 --> 00:00:20.399 We did the first three chapters of Ephesians, and we did a deep dive, kind of looking and looked to see the first half in these first three chapters. 00:00:20.640 --> 00:00:26.079 And uh what we were looking at was we saw uh being seated in the heavenlies with Christ. 00:00:26.239 --> 00:00:31.440 We saw our position, our possessions, and the power we have in Christ. 00:00:31.679 --> 00:00:37.600 And so uh there's some profound truths there, and what we find when Paul talks about it is like, Paul, what's in your mind here? 00:00:37.679 --> 00:00:40.320 It's so difficult sometimes to understand what you're saying. 00:00:40.560 --> 00:00:44.320 So these are real deep uh truths that we're gonna uh look at. 00:00:44.479 --> 00:00:50.560 We're walking through it fairly slowly so we can kind of uh get these ideas in our minds and hearts. 00:00:50.799 --> 00:00:57.679 But before we get into chapter four, which is where we're gonna pick up today, let's uh let's sort of refresh our memory and kind of go back and look. 00:00:57.840 --> 00:01:03.439 So Ephesians has often been described as one of the most deep books in the New Testament. 00:01:03.600 --> 00:01:13.599 And there's real reason for that because it captures the cosmic scope of God's redemptive plan, looking back at uh from eternity past to eternity future. 00:01:13.760 --> 00:01:27.280 And so we're seeing here how God works in what he's created, not just in us, but he wants us, he wants the heaven, heavenly realm to see through the church how he has purposed it for all of his own glory. 00:01:27.439 --> 00:01:29.680 That's what the church is supposed to be be doing. 00:01:29.760 --> 00:01:32.239 And so we're trying to plumb the depths of these truths. 00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:37.280 Clearly, we see Ephesians chapter 4 through 6 is the second half. 00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:39.200 It's divided into two parts. 00:01:39.439 --> 00:01:45.519 And uh as we're looking at these, we're looking at the second half is really about our actions and our lifestyle. 00:01:45.760 --> 00:01:48.719 The first half was about our identity in Christ. 00:01:48.879 --> 00:01:52.799 As I said, the position, possessions, the power we have in Christ. 00:01:52.959 --> 00:01:55.280 And the second half is how do you live this out? 00:01:55.439 --> 00:01:57.920 And it's so good, it gets really practical here. 00:01:58.079 --> 00:02:02.560 So I want us to consider just as a reminder of what we talked about, our identity in Christ. 00:02:02.719 --> 00:02:04.640 Our identity is so important. 00:02:05.120 --> 00:02:06.959 And uh it's it's just so important. 00:02:07.200 --> 00:02:12.159 Identity, as you think about it, is who you really are, who you really are. 00:02:12.479 --> 00:02:24.560 Back uh a number of years ago, when I was in my next last year in seminary, I think I've told this story before, I was in a class right before Christmas and uh was uh almost finished the class. 00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:30.080 We had some class went on into January as well, sort of overlapped Christmas in the holidays. 00:02:30.319 --> 00:02:32.960 And uh I had missed one of the classes. 00:02:33.199 --> 00:02:44.000 And so I uh was sitting next to a friend in that class, and his name was Michael, and I said, Hey Michael, I missed a class, and before Christmas break, do you think I could borrow your notes and kind of catch up what I missed? 00:02:44.159 --> 00:02:45.680 He said, Sure, he handed them to me. 00:02:45.840 --> 00:02:48.719 He said, You can just get them back to me when we get back together. 00:02:48.960 --> 00:03:02.639 And so uh Christmas break came and went, and January rolled in, and we came back to class, and I was sitting there in the classroom and uh waiting to give Michael his notes back, and I saw him walk in the door and I said, Hey Michael, how you doing? 00:03:02.800 --> 00:03:04.719 Hope your Christmas was great. 00:03:04.879 --> 00:03:08.319 And uh he said, Um, I'm sorry I don't know you. 00:03:08.479 --> 00:03:10.159 I thought he was kidding with me. 00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:11.280 I don't know you. 00:03:11.439 --> 00:03:13.599 And he said, I don't know who I am. 00:03:13.840 --> 00:03:21.680 They tell me that uh I had a bike accident over the holidays, and um he said, I lost my memory. 00:03:21.759 --> 00:03:26.479 I don't know who I am, and it just floored me. 00:03:26.879 --> 00:03:32.319 And I got to thinking how like that is for us sometimes as believers. 00:03:32.719 --> 00:03:37.439 Spiritual amnesia, we don't know who we are in Christ many times. 00:03:37.680 --> 00:03:43.199 And if you don't know who you are, you really can't live your life like you need to. 00:03:43.439 --> 00:03:46.879 It's critical to know who you are in order to know how to live. 00:03:47.199 --> 00:03:48.319 Think about that. 00:03:48.639 --> 00:03:51.840 In fact, if you don't know who you are, you won't know what to do. 00:03:52.159 --> 00:03:58.479 Because here's what the first three chapters of Ephesians gives us it gives us our belief system. 00:03:58.960 --> 00:04:01.840 And the next half is how we behave. 00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:07.199 So belief informs right behavior, right belief informs right behavior. 00:04:07.360 --> 00:04:14.560 So the believer's identity really can be summed up in one simple phrase, two words, in Christ. 00:04:15.039 --> 00:04:16.160 In Christ. 00:04:16.480 --> 00:04:20.480 Everything of who you are is summed up in that little phrase in Christ. 00:04:20.639 --> 00:04:25.040 So as a follower of Jesus, here are a couple of things just to think about and remember. 00:04:25.360 --> 00:04:28.000 My entire life is centered on him. 00:04:28.639 --> 00:04:38.160 Jesus is not a, he's not an add-on, he's not a little bit extra I put on Sunday to enhance my life. 00:04:38.399 --> 00:04:40.720 He is the center and circumference of it. 00:04:40.879 --> 00:04:42.160 He's the core of my life. 00:04:42.319 --> 00:04:44.480 My life is focused on Jesus. 00:04:44.639 --> 00:04:49.439 And so this is what it is when our life is centered on him in Christ. 00:04:49.519 --> 00:04:51.439 And and what happens to me? 00:04:51.839 --> 00:04:58.000 My wrongly centered self, which is sometimes it really gets in the way, myself gets in the way all the time. 00:04:58.319 --> 00:05:01.600 Guess what happens to my wrongly centered self? 00:05:01.759 --> 00:05:03.279 It gets crucified. 00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:07.360 Listen to what uh what Paul says, because he says this. 00:05:07.519 --> 00:05:08.319 Why does this happen? 00:05:08.480 --> 00:05:11.120 Why does my wrongly self centered self go away? 00:05:11.439 --> 00:05:14.000 Because it gets nailed to the cross. 00:05:15.120 --> 00:05:16.399 Listen to what Paul says. 00:05:16.560 --> 00:05:21.120 He says in Galatians 2.20, I have been crucified with Christ. 00:05:21.439 --> 00:05:25.600 It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. 00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:27.279 Amazing statement. 00:05:27.439 --> 00:05:35.199 And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. 00:05:35.680 --> 00:05:42.240 He says it again in Colossians 3, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 00:05:43.120 --> 00:05:50.399 And then lastly, in Philippians 1.21, he said, Paul did, for me to live is Christ. 00:05:51.360 --> 00:05:53.040 Could you say that about yourself? 00:05:53.279 --> 00:05:54.560 Can I say that about myself? 00:05:54.720 --> 00:05:59.199 To me, to live is Christ, it's a whole different way of looking at who I am. 00:05:59.360 --> 00:06:04.879 What Klein Snodgrass says in his book, who God says you are, listen to this. 00:06:05.120 --> 00:06:15.839 He says, You cannot be better than you are, act better than you do, or think better than you do until you see yourself differently. 00:06:16.399 --> 00:06:21.279 Scripture gives us an alternate vision as a foundation for life. 00:06:21.439 --> 00:06:24.399 It tells us who God says we really are. 00:06:25.519 --> 00:06:27.600 And that changes everything. 00:06:27.920 --> 00:06:29.680 It's so important to know who you are. 00:06:29.759 --> 00:06:31.920 And that's the focus of chapters one through three. 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:37.759 And it's critical, critical that we get this right in order to live out, chapters four through six. 00:06:38.879 --> 00:06:42.319 So after laying out these profound realities, what does Paul do? 00:06:42.560 --> 00:06:46.720 The first half of the letter, that's our identity in Christ, that's who you are. 00:06:46.879 --> 00:06:48.560 He then talks about our purpose. 00:06:48.879 --> 00:06:50.160 He makes it clear. 00:06:50.319 --> 00:06:59.040 And so what he's expecting us to do is his community of faith as believers in Christ, is that we should walk in accordance with our heavenly calling. 00:06:59.199 --> 00:07:02.079 That's chapter 4, verse 1, as we're gonna see. 00:07:02.399 --> 00:07:07.920 So your identity is who you are, your purpose is why you're here. 00:07:08.240 --> 00:07:11.120 I don't mean why you're here today, I mean why you exist. 00:07:11.439 --> 00:07:14.079 It's one of life's ultimate questions. 00:07:14.319 --> 00:07:18.800 People know, want to know what the meaning of life is, who they are, and why they're here. 00:07:19.680 --> 00:07:22.560 So it's your reason for being, it's why you exist. 00:07:22.800 --> 00:07:29.120 It defines and actually motivates you for what you do as a believer. 00:07:29.439 --> 00:07:30.560 So think about this. 00:07:30.639 --> 00:07:33.120 This was true in Jesus' own life. 00:07:33.759 --> 00:07:38.800 Jesus' awareness of his own identity helped him to fulfill his mission. 00:07:39.279 --> 00:07:41.600 Listen to what John says in John 13. 00:07:41.680 --> 00:07:52.319 It says, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. 00:07:52.800 --> 00:07:58.160 He laid aside his outer garments and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 00:07:58.319 --> 00:08:07.120 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 00:08:07.279 --> 00:08:09.759 You see the words Jesus knowing? 00:08:10.079 --> 00:08:12.000 Jesus knew who he was. 00:08:12.879 --> 00:08:14.399 He knew who he was. 00:08:16.079 --> 00:08:21.279 That the Father had given him all things in his hand, that he had come from God and he was going back to God. 00:08:21.360 --> 00:08:22.720 He knew his identity. 00:08:22.959 --> 00:08:24.720 And what did that allow Jesus? 00:08:24.800 --> 00:08:30.800 It allowed him to do what he did, to love unconditionally without any strings attached. 00:08:30.959 --> 00:08:32.799 His identity was so important. 00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:38.799 See, understand this identity cannot be separated from your purpose. 00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:40.399 It just can't. 00:08:40.879 --> 00:08:46.879 So when you know who you are in Christ, you can love and serve others without fear. 00:08:48.799 --> 00:08:51.519 It's very powerful for our relationships. 00:08:51.679 --> 00:09:08.320 Not worried about being rejected, not worried about losing my rights, not worried about uh, you know, my my perception of my my uh uh value, uh not worried about being validated by someone. 00:09:09.440 --> 00:09:14.159 See, when we internalize this idea that we're deeply loved by Christ, guess what? 00:09:14.320 --> 00:09:18.480 We're no longer driven by insecurity or the need to be approved. 00:09:20.320 --> 00:09:21.279 And so we have this. 00:09:21.440 --> 00:09:22.240 Jesus had this. 00:09:22.559 --> 00:09:23.519 No expectations. 00:09:23.600 --> 00:09:40.000 I know who I am, I know what I came to do, and we can live that way in our relationships, and we can serve each other and love each other secure, even for the people that we we think are really unlovable, hard to get along with. 00:09:40.480 --> 00:09:45.440 This becomes really powerful in those kinds of situations because I know who I am. 00:09:46.799 --> 00:09:51.200 This has profound implications for all of our relationships. 00:09:52.320 --> 00:09:54.480 So, Jesus, what did Jesus do at the cross? 00:09:54.799 --> 00:10:01.519 At the cross, he put to death the sinful self in us that destroys all of our relationships. 00:10:01.679 --> 00:10:03.840 And that sinful self, what did he do? 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:06.080 He created one new man in Christ. 00:10:06.159 --> 00:10:08.639 This is what Ephesians talks about. 00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:15.120 One new man in Christ with a new heart, with new motives, with new resources and new powers. 00:10:15.279 --> 00:10:21.360 Which means as you follow the Spirit of God, you can live like this if you're in Christ. 00:10:22.240 --> 00:10:23.200 So what happens? 00:10:23.440 --> 00:10:25.360 In Christ, we're brought into a spiritual unity. 00:10:25.600 --> 00:10:28.159 Peg talked about unity today. 00:10:28.559 --> 00:10:29.840 So powerful. 00:10:30.080 --> 00:10:41.759 It basically affects and transforms every relationship that we have, especially in the church, but also out there and also in our homes, in our workplaces. 00:10:42.399 --> 00:10:48.240 So let's look at this foundational text now for the rest of this series. 00:10:48.399 --> 00:10:53.200 It really goes from chapter four almost into the little part of chapter six. 00:10:53.759 --> 00:10:54.559 Let's look at it. 00:10:54.720 --> 00:10:56.399 Ephesians chapter 4, 1 through 3. 00:10:56.480 --> 00:10:56.879 Read it with me. 00:10:57.039 --> 00:10:59.200 It says, I therefore, therefore what? 00:10:59.440 --> 00:11:13.600 Based on all these things Jesus has done for us in changing our identity, giving us power, possessions, and resources, I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you've been called. 00:11:13.759 --> 00:11:23.279 With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to main the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 00:11:23.840 --> 00:11:26.240 This is what Jesus has called us to. 00:11:26.559 --> 00:11:31.120 And let's just stop and ask him to help us as we go through this text this morning. 00:11:31.279 --> 00:11:36.799 Father, we're so grateful, so thankful of what you've done by your death on the cross for us. 00:11:36.960 --> 00:11:40.480 You've made us into one new person in you. 00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:47.840 Given us powers and resources and abilities to live this life in a worthy way. 00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:55.919 Father, we just ask you to help us to understand these truths this morning, apply them to our lives and transform us in a new way. 00:11:56.240 --> 00:11:58.559 In Jesus' name, amen. 00:11:59.759 --> 00:12:06.720 So let's talk about this call, this call to the worthy walk is a call to live like Jesus. 00:12:08.559 --> 00:12:09.840 What a tall order. 00:12:10.399 --> 00:12:15.759 But we have the Holy Spirit to help us, and He's working in us to change us to look like Him. 00:12:15.919 --> 00:12:18.960 Every day we go from one degree of glory to another. 00:12:19.039 --> 00:12:20.480 That's what the Bible says. 00:12:20.720 --> 00:12:23.200 Just a little change every day. 00:12:23.440 --> 00:12:26.799 He's working us a little change every day to look like Jesus. 00:12:26.960 --> 00:12:28.240 Look at the verse one. 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:31.840 Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you've been called. 00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:34.480 And so this idea of walking, it's the word parapitao. 00:12:34.720 --> 00:12:36.000 It means to walk about. 00:12:36.080 --> 00:12:38.240 And it's referring to your lifestyle. 00:12:38.320 --> 00:12:47.039 It's the way you live your life out in the world, your conduct, your lifestyle, your behavior, how you live from day to day. 00:12:48.480 --> 00:12:49.360 Walk. 00:12:50.080 --> 00:12:52.240 And he says, walk worthy. 00:12:52.559 --> 00:12:56.240 Walk worthy, a word that means suitable. 00:12:56.399 --> 00:12:58.720 It means appropriate or balanced. 00:12:58.799 --> 00:13:05.759 If you think of this like a scale, it's like a scale where the balance gets into equilibrium. 00:13:06.000 --> 00:13:07.759 So here's where you are now. 00:13:07.919 --> 00:13:09.200 Here's your calling. 00:13:09.360 --> 00:13:15.440 And Paul is saying, let this rise, let your behavior rise to match your calling. 00:13:16.240 --> 00:13:17.759 What a great picture. 00:13:19.200 --> 00:13:31.200 Living worthy means the calling that you're being asked to live out this the actions, the behavior, the attitudes, the words, in all the relationships that they have to do what? 00:13:31.360 --> 00:13:37.120 To match this new identity, this new new man in Christ, to look like Jesus. 00:13:37.360 --> 00:13:39.759 Not out of an obligation, but what is he saying? 00:13:39.919 --> 00:13:42.080 This comes to us through grace. 00:13:44.080 --> 00:13:44.960 We receive it. 00:13:45.519 --> 00:13:46.639 We don't have to work it up. 00:13:46.799 --> 00:13:48.480 The Holy Spirit works it in. 00:13:50.960 --> 00:13:56.080 But this this can only be done as we depend and rely on the Holy Spirit to do it in us. 00:13:56.960 --> 00:14:02.879 So the apostle now gives four graces that I want you to see this morning. 00:14:03.039 --> 00:14:09.279 Four graces that give evidence that our character matches our calling. 00:14:09.840 --> 00:14:10.480 You see? 00:14:11.039 --> 00:14:13.360 And so these are so important to our relationship. 00:14:13.440 --> 00:14:15.919 They affect every relationship that you will have. 00:14:16.559 --> 00:14:19.600 These are four essential qualities he mentions here. 00:14:19.679 --> 00:14:26.480 Let me just give them to you: humility, gentleness, patience, and enduring love. 00:14:26.720 --> 00:14:30.559 Humility, gentleness, patience, and enduring love. 00:14:30.720 --> 00:14:31.840 We're going to talk about these. 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:38.960 These are all essential for good relationships in the community and out there, both inside and outside the Christian community. 00:14:39.120 --> 00:14:42.000 And they're shown, they were shown in perfection in Christ. 00:14:42.159 --> 00:14:43.039 Think about it. 00:14:43.360 --> 00:14:48.480 Jesus exhibited these qualities or graces everywhere he went, in perfection. 00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:51.200 So we look to him to see how to live these out. 00:14:51.360 --> 00:14:56.480 And they contribute, by the way, to the unity and holiness of the church and to our families. 00:14:56.720 --> 00:14:57.759 So let me give you these. 00:14:58.159 --> 00:15:02.159 Let's just call them stepping stones of grace for healthy relationships. 00:15:02.399 --> 00:15:09.120 Think of them as stepping stones, stepping stones for healthy relationships, stepping stones of grace. 00:15:09.279 --> 00:15:14.720 And as we cultivate these things, think of these as progressive. 00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:18.720 Because we start with the first one, and the first one is humility. 00:15:18.960 --> 00:15:19.840 Humility. 00:15:20.080 --> 00:15:27.039 So this Christ-like spirit begins with a commodity that was greatly despised in the ancient world. 00:15:27.120 --> 00:15:29.919 The Greeks thought it was horrible to be humble. 00:15:30.159 --> 00:15:31.200 Horrible to be humble. 00:15:31.279 --> 00:15:38.080 They viewed the Christian virtue called humility as groveling, as less than what you should be. 00:15:38.399 --> 00:15:38.480 F. 00:15:38.639 --> 00:15:38.720 F. 00:15:38.879 --> 00:15:40.000 Bruce even says this. 00:15:40.960 --> 00:15:45.519 He describes it as the crouching submissiveness of a slave. 00:15:46.159 --> 00:15:50.080 See, only slaves were humble, because that's what they deserved. 00:15:50.159 --> 00:15:51.360 They're slaves. 00:15:51.600 --> 00:15:54.399 But for every one of us, we don't want to be like that. 00:15:55.039 --> 00:16:02.559 So they considered humility to be a characteristic of weakness and cowardice. 00:16:03.679 --> 00:16:07.600 To be tolerated, as I said, only if you were a slave. 00:16:13.519 --> 00:16:18.960 And they considered it something to be proud of to be, to acknowledge their own superiority. 00:16:19.279 --> 00:16:20.960 You know anybody like that? 00:16:22.559 --> 00:16:25.840 Sometimes we think we're better than other people, right? 00:16:26.159 --> 00:16:28.960 But here's what the word means it means lowly thinking. 00:16:29.120 --> 00:16:31.519 Literally, lowly thinking. 00:16:32.159 --> 00:16:33.840 So it's an attitude. 00:16:34.559 --> 00:16:43.440 An attitude really is that's uh an unassuming estimate of our own abilities. 00:16:43.840 --> 00:16:46.559 An unassuming estimate of our own abilities. 00:16:46.720 --> 00:16:52.399 You know, remember, uh, I know some of you remember this uh legendary boxer, his name was Muhammad Ali. 00:16:53.519 --> 00:16:59.360 And uh if you don't know, he Muhammad Ali was uh really an amazing boxer. 00:16:59.519 --> 00:17:00.799 He is he was great. 00:17:00.960 --> 00:17:03.919 In fact, he would he wouldn't mind telling you he was the greatest. 00:17:04.160 --> 00:17:09.279 See he would go around and say, I am the greatest everywhere he went. 00:17:11.119 --> 00:17:21.200 One time Muhammad Ali was on a plane and the seatbelt sign came on, and the flight attendant was walking down the aisles, and everybody put their seatbelt on. 00:17:21.440 --> 00:17:26.400 And she got to Ali and she noticed that his seatbelt was unbuckled. 00:17:26.640 --> 00:17:29.440 She said, Sir, you need to buckle your seatbelt. 00:17:30.079 --> 00:17:34.240 And Ali looked up and said, Superman don't need no seatbelt. 00:17:35.680 --> 00:17:39.359 And she shot back, Superman don't need no airplane either. 00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:55.759 Somebody said humility is not thinking less of yourself, but it's not thinking of yourself at all. 00:17:56.880 --> 00:17:58.480 That's not quite right. 00:17:59.920 --> 00:18:00.960 It's not quite right. 00:18:01.119 --> 00:18:01.920 Really, humility. 00:18:02.000 --> 00:18:10.799 What we ought to say is humility is not thinking greater of yourself or less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. 00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:17.119 Not thinking greater of yourself or less than yourself, but thinking of yourself less. 00:18:18.640 --> 00:18:31.839 You know, there's a story about uh a group of people who were being shown and touring the house of the great Beethoven, doing tours in the lecture was walking people around, seeing all the different rooms. 00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:36.240 They came into the room where uh Beethoven's piano was sitting. 00:18:36.880 --> 00:18:47.200 And uh after talking about it, he said to everyone, if anyone would like to go up and play a few notes, play a few chords, go right ahead. 00:18:47.279 --> 00:18:53.440 And the whole crowd just trying to get at Beethoven's piano. 00:18:54.000 --> 00:19:10.079 And after a few moments, the guy that was taking them on the tour, he looked at this one man who was standing sort of outside the circle, a man with long flowing hair, and he said, Sir, wouldn't you like to come up and play it, play a few chords on the on the piano? 00:19:10.400 --> 00:19:14.799 And the man said, No, no, no, I'm not, I'm not worthy. 00:19:15.599 --> 00:19:22.799 The man's name was Padaruski, the great Polish statesman and pianist. 00:19:23.680 --> 00:19:33.359 And it basically his idea, if you think about it, he was the only man who really was worthy to sit down and play that piano. 00:19:34.640 --> 00:19:40.319 And sometimes we, because of our pride, are thinking we should jump in and be first. 00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:50.880 Jump in where we're not really ready to be, thinking we know more than we do, when we need to sit back and kind of watch what's happening. 00:19:51.039 --> 00:19:53.279 This is this is humble, this is humility. 00:19:53.440 --> 00:19:55.839 This is what Paul affirmed in Romans chapter 12. 00:19:55.920 --> 00:20:18.319 He said, For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned, not thinking too highly, not thinking too lowly, but just thinking of yourself less. 00:20:19.279 --> 00:20:28.559 Because we all have value, but we don't, this is not about diminishing who we're made to be, but it's also not exalting ourselves who we're not made to be. 00:20:28.799 --> 00:20:34.079 And so again, the Greeks didn't think highly of this lowly word, humility. 00:20:34.319 --> 00:20:35.039 But you know what? 00:20:35.200 --> 00:20:40.799 Christ elevated it to a supreme place, supreme virtue. 00:20:41.279 --> 00:20:44.079 Philippians 2, verse 8 says this by Paul. 00:20:44.160 --> 00:20:46.400 He says, and being found in human form. 00:20:46.640 --> 00:20:50.160 He, Jesus, humbled himself how? 00:20:50.559 --> 00:20:55.279 By becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 00:20:55.440 --> 00:20:57.200 That's humility, folks. 00:20:58.559 --> 00:21:02.000 So how do we cultivate this grace, this first grace? 00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:04.319 How do we step into this in our walk with Christ? 00:21:04.480 --> 00:21:19.839 Dwight Edwards, who was a, he was a uh relative of the great Jonathan Edwards, who was famous for the revivals across America, he said this: True humility is not putting ourselves down, but rather lifting others up. 00:21:20.400 --> 00:21:21.839 This is how we do this. 00:21:22.799 --> 00:21:25.519 And so Philippians Paul reiterates this idea. 00:21:25.599 --> 00:21:36.480 He says in Philippians 2, 3, and 4, do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility, count others more significant than yourselves. 00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:40.319 How would that be for us? 00:21:40.720 --> 00:21:44.000 Count others more significant than yourselves. 00:21:44.400 --> 00:21:46.480 That's a tall order, isn't it? 00:21:46.799 --> 00:21:56.079 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, do pay attention to your own, but he says also to the interest of other people, of others. 00:21:56.240 --> 00:21:59.759 And one of the ways you can know you're in the presence of a humble person is. 00:22:00.160 --> 00:22:03.039 That they're more interested in you than they are in themselves. 00:22:04.240 --> 00:22:07.359 They talk more about you than they do about themselves. 00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:14.240 You ever been around somebody whose whole conversation is about what they've done, who they are, who they know, and what they're going to do? 00:22:15.519 --> 00:22:17.279 This is not a humble person. 00:22:19.039 --> 00:22:24.000 I like the paraphrase of this in the message version, which reads, Don't push your way to the front. 00:22:24.319 --> 00:22:27.039 Don't sweet talk your way to the top. 00:22:27.519 --> 00:22:30.799 Put yourself aside and help others get ahead. 00:22:31.519 --> 00:22:34.400 Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage. 00:22:34.640 --> 00:22:38.960 Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand. 00:22:39.519 --> 00:22:45.359 So listen, if we make it our job to lift others up, we won't feel like we need to put anybody else down. 00:22:45.599 --> 00:22:46.480 That's the idea. 00:22:46.720 --> 00:22:48.640 When we put others down, guess what it makes us? 00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:53.200 It makes us, quote unquote, we feel like we're superior to somebody. 00:22:53.839 --> 00:22:55.039 That's pride. 00:22:55.759 --> 00:23:07.759 But if we go through life exalting Christ, we sang about exalting Christ today, and then we also lift others up, then genuine humility is going to be the result. 00:23:09.039 --> 00:23:13.359 Even more, and let this, I think, be a warning to all of us. 00:23:13.680 --> 00:23:19.440 If we exalt ourselves, then God will make sure of our humiliation. 00:23:21.599 --> 00:23:24.079 This is found as a principle all through the scripture. 00:23:24.160 --> 00:23:27.119 If we exalt ourselves, we're going to be humbled. 00:23:27.519 --> 00:23:29.839 James 4, verse 6, but he gives more grace. 00:23:29.920 --> 00:23:36.240 Therefore it says, God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. 00:23:36.480 --> 00:23:38.960 And then Jesus in Luke 18 said it like this. 00:23:39.039 --> 00:23:45.119 He said, Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. 00:23:45.440 --> 00:23:49.119 This is a principle that always operates. 00:23:49.279 --> 00:23:52.640 And so you can be sure that pride is going to lead to a downfall. 00:23:52.880 --> 00:23:54.400 Just mark it down. 00:23:55.359 --> 00:23:59.440 While humility leads to divine favor and exaltation. 00:23:59.680 --> 00:24:02.240 Notice one other thing, and we'll move to our second thing. 00:24:02.400 --> 00:24:10.000 How Paul qualifies this attitude of grace with the words withal, with all gentleness, with all humility. 00:24:10.160 --> 00:24:14.720 Both those, that withal applies to both those words, which is we're going to come to the next one in just a moment. 00:24:15.039 --> 00:24:18.079 But this withal applies to both humility and gentleness. 00:24:18.240 --> 00:24:25.359 Withal means with everyone, everywhere and in all circumstances. 00:24:25.519 --> 00:24:34.640 You know, what we find ourselves struggling with for the people that we think are wonderful, that we love a whole lot, we don't have any trouble being humble because we think they're great. 00:24:35.279 --> 00:24:44.400 But for people who we struggle with in relationships, we minimize them sometimes and make them less than we think they should be. 00:24:44.960 --> 00:24:48.480 So humility is a starting point for building any relationship. 00:24:48.559 --> 00:24:49.200 Let's go on. 00:24:49.359 --> 00:24:51.440 This is the first step to building unity. 00:24:51.599 --> 00:24:55.279 The second grace we have to cultivate is gentleness. 00:24:55.519 --> 00:24:56.079 Gentleness. 00:24:56.400 --> 00:25:01.279 Sometimes it may be in your version, the word meekness, it's often translated that way. 00:25:01.519 --> 00:25:07.680 Meekness or weakness or gentleness is uh strength under control. 00:25:08.640 --> 00:25:10.000 Strength under control. 00:25:10.480 --> 00:25:15.119 So you might think of a cult or a stallion who's been tamed. 00:25:15.359 --> 00:25:16.799 There's power there. 00:25:17.920 --> 00:25:22.640 But he doesn't use it like he maybe wants to. 00:25:23.680 --> 00:25:24.640 He's under control. 00:25:24.720 --> 00:25:29.920 So gentleness, we think about gentleness or meekness as being something weak. 00:25:30.160 --> 00:25:32.319 Meekness is not weakness. 00:25:33.519 --> 00:25:36.240 Jesus, remember, he used this. 00:25:36.400 --> 00:25:38.240 This was just part of who he was. 00:25:38.480 --> 00:25:39.599 It's part of his heart. 00:25:39.759 --> 00:25:44.079 So this idea, what we see here is that gentleness is not weakness. 00:25:44.240 --> 00:25:49.759 The idea is that it's strength that accommodates itself to somebody else's weakness. 00:25:50.240 --> 00:25:54.240 When I look at somebody, I'm not trying to be overbearing. 00:25:54.319 --> 00:26:00.559 I want to make sure that I am calm enough and gentle enough that I don't run over them. 00:26:01.279 --> 00:26:07.039 And so this person who doesn't let, he's a person that doesn't let their emotions get the best of them. 00:26:08.880 --> 00:26:14.960 So what I do is look at this in this way, is that I consider where that person is in their life. 00:26:15.440 --> 00:26:16.960 It's the way I respond to them. 00:26:17.119 --> 00:26:18.880 That's what we all should be doing. 00:26:19.119 --> 00:26:27.279 Jesus describes himself, think of this, he describes himself as gentle and lowly of heart, gentle and humble of heart. 00:26:27.519 --> 00:26:30.240 This is who Jesus is in his very heart. 00:26:31.039 --> 00:26:35.359 And so we're called to come to him to unburden ourselves, to give ourselves rest. 00:26:35.519 --> 00:27:04.079 Isaiah goes into detail about this specific aspect of Jesus, this grace-filled attitude of Jesus when he says, and he's talking about Jesus here in Isaiah 42, verse 3, a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench, he will faithfully bring forth justice, which tells us two things, that Jesus is gentle and compassionate toward those who are weak, who are struggling, who are broken. 00:27:05.200 --> 00:27:14.000 You think, see these images, the image of a bruised reed he won't break, which is, you know, some people are just emotionally or spiritually damaged. 00:27:14.319 --> 00:27:17.599 And one little word will just break the rest of them. 00:27:18.640 --> 00:27:23.680 And he Jesus doesn't come in and say, you know, you just need to get over it and move on. 00:27:25.119 --> 00:27:27.599 No, Jesus doesn't do that. 00:27:27.920 --> 00:27:33.279 He gently restores and he strengthens those who were hurting. 00:27:33.599 --> 00:27:35.759 This is that idea of gentleness. 00:27:35.920 --> 00:27:46.480 And then he talks about Isaiah does a faintly burning wick he won't quench, which symbolizes a person who's about, their life is about extinguished. 00:27:46.559 --> 00:27:48.000 They're about to give up. 00:27:50.480 --> 00:27:52.720 Jesus doesn't remove our hope, does he? 00:27:53.359 --> 00:27:55.680 He is he has always given us hope. 00:27:56.000 --> 00:27:59.759 So this is a promise that ought to be deeply comforting. 00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:04.720 If you're here today, listen, you're not too broken for Christ. 00:28:05.519 --> 00:28:08.319 You're not too broken for Christ. 00:28:10.400 --> 00:28:11.519 What does Jesus see? 00:28:11.599 --> 00:28:15.759 He sees your pain, he sees your weakness, he sees your struggle, he sees where you're hurting. 00:28:18.720 --> 00:28:19.920 And he sympathizes. 00:28:20.079 --> 00:28:21.519 In fact, that's what Hebrew says. 00:28:21.680 --> 00:28:26.559 We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness. 00:28:27.839 --> 00:28:31.119 And it also relates to the way we receive our receive injuries. 00:28:31.359 --> 00:28:33.519 Somebody hurt you this week? 00:28:36.480 --> 00:28:49.279 When you're talking about this gentleness, this is the person who walks with an attitude that doesn't get offended, doesn't respond or try to defend themselves. 00:28:49.759 --> 00:28:53.279 A lot of times we want to we want to defend ourselves when we're hurt. 00:28:54.640 --> 00:29:02.240 Barclay comments that this is someone who's who's always at, he's always angry at the right time and never at the wrong time. 00:29:03.359 --> 00:29:06.079 And so, well, who could do that? 00:29:06.960 --> 00:29:09.920 Always angry at the right time, never angry at the wrong time. 00:29:10.079 --> 00:29:10.799 Exactly. 00:29:10.960 --> 00:29:14.559 No one of us can do that without the help of the Holy Spirit. 00:29:15.279 --> 00:29:17.759 And so this is why it's called a grace. 00:29:18.079 --> 00:29:20.799 Only when we're controlled by the Holy Spirit. 00:29:21.359 --> 00:29:24.319 You know, give you a couple examples of this. 00:29:24.640 --> 00:29:30.079 King David showed this grace when he was in 2 Samuel 16. 00:29:30.240 --> 00:29:36.079 He was fleeing from Jerusalem from during Absalom, his son's rebellion. 00:29:36.319 --> 00:29:48.720 And David and all those with him, he and his mighty men and his army were walking along the road, and there was this little man off to the side of the road picking up rocks and just throwing them at David as they're walking along. 00:29:50.960 --> 00:29:53.839 David's mighty men wanted to take off this man's head. 00:29:53.920 --> 00:29:55.039 His name was what? 00:29:55.119 --> 00:29:56.160 Does anybody remember? 00:29:56.319 --> 00:29:57.119 Shimei. 00:29:58.319 --> 00:30:00.559 They wanted to take Shimei's head off. 00:30:03.920 --> 00:30:08.559 Shimei keeps throwing rocks and cursing at David as he's walking along. 00:30:09.119 --> 00:30:10.720 But here's what David said to his men. 00:30:10.799 --> 00:30:18.799 He said, If he's cursing, because the Lord has said to him, Curse David, who then shall say, Why have you done so? 00:30:19.359 --> 00:30:23.279 Leave him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. 00:30:24.319 --> 00:30:31.759 It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me, and that the Lord will repay me with good things for his cursing today. 00:30:32.079 --> 00:30:35.440 And so this happened all the way to the end of his journey. 00:30:35.599 --> 00:30:39.359 And by the time that they got to the end of the journey, it says they were exhausted. 00:30:39.839 --> 00:30:46.400 And sometimes people, when they are unkind and not thoughtful toward you, you are worn out. 00:30:46.640 --> 00:30:47.920 You're worn out. 00:30:49.279 --> 00:30:50.240 But guess what? 00:30:50.400 --> 00:30:53.680 These are the things that build this character trait in us. 00:30:54.400 --> 00:30:57.440 You don't need it unless you're in the situation. 00:30:57.599 --> 00:31:00.240 And in the situation, God can build it. 00:31:00.799 --> 00:31:01.839 Gentleness. 00:31:02.079 --> 00:31:05.599 In fact, our Lord showed this amazing grace throughout his ministry. 00:31:05.759 --> 00:31:07.519 Listen to what 1 Peter 2 says. 00:31:07.680 --> 00:31:14.400 He said, in 1 Peter 2, he said, He, being Jesus, did not retaliate when he was insulted. 00:31:14.559 --> 00:31:16.960 When he suffered, he did not threaten to get even. 00:31:17.119 --> 00:31:22.640 He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. 00:31:23.599 --> 00:31:24.400 Think about this. 00:31:24.480 --> 00:31:26.960 They called Jesus every name in the book. 00:31:27.279 --> 00:31:33.839 They spat on him, beat him, ultimately hung him on the cross. 00:31:34.480 --> 00:31:38.000 And so, in the face of betrayal and death, what did Jesus do? 00:31:38.960 --> 00:31:42.319 Since he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. 00:31:42.799 --> 00:31:43.920 And how do we respond? 00:31:44.079 --> 00:31:44.640 What did he do? 00:31:45.200 --> 00:31:48.880