“I Want to be Like Jesus”
Philippians 2:1-13
You wouldn’t think it would be so difficult.
As a matter of fact, it should come naturally.
We are all born as little babies who don’t know a thing and are completely dependent on our mothers.
We are all made of the same stuff—flesh, blood, bone.
We have arms, most of us.
We have legs.
We have fears, flaws and insecurities.
We all get lonely.
We all hurt.
We all bleed.
We all get sick.
We all die.
Why, then, is it so hard to be humble?
The call for humility is one of the core teachings of Jesus.
Over and over again in the Gospels, Jesus told His disciples that the first shall be last, the least shall be the greatest, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Most of us, I think, would nod our heads in agreement with what Christ says and yet we tend to spend most of our lives working to achieve the opposite of humility.
We strive for recognition, exceptionalism, and elitism.
We don’t want to be like others—we want to be above them.
Our societies’ value system rewards materialism, competitiveness, and prominence while humility is often perceived as a weakness.
And yet our Scripture passage for this morning tells us the opposite.
(pause)
The Philippian Church was generally a pretty good church.
They had received God enthusiastically.
They had sent Paul a gift when they heard he was imprisoned in Rome.
This is where Paul was when he wrote this letter.
The only concern or worry Paul seemed to have about this church was that some kind of dispute or feud was taking place between two women whom he mentions by name in Chapter 4.
“I plead with [them],” Paul writes, “to agree with each other in the Lord.”
That is what Paul has on his mind as he writes our passage for today:
“if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.
Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…”
Wow.
That is a high calling, but it is the only way the Church is going to get along, move forward, and be Christ for our lost and hopeless world.
It’s the only way that the Church is going to avoid being destroyed by infighting and disputes:
“Be like Jesus!”
The story is told that one evening a man in a Dearborn, Michigan restaurant bumped into no less than the famous Chrysler Chairman, the late Lee Iacocca.
“Oh, Mr. Iacocca,” the man exclaimed, “what an honor to meet you!
Say, my name is Jack and I’m having a business dinner with some colleagues over there at that corner table.
It would really impress my friends of you could come over in a few minutes and say, ‘Hi, Jack,’ like you know me.”
Generously, Iacocca agreed to do it and so a few minutes later he went over to the table and said, “Hello, Jack! How are you?”
Jack looked up and snapped, “Not now, Lee.
We’re busy!”
(pause)
This story underscores the essence of pride and selfishness: we want to look more powerful and impressive than we really are, no matter who we might hurt in the process.
Or at the very least we want to take what we already have in life and use it as a pedestal from which to look down on as many people as we can.
Why do we do this?
It’s a lack of humility.
Why do we fight and demand our way?
Why do we hold grudges?
Why do we find it hard to forgive those who hurt us?
It’s a lack of humility.
The great irony and beauty of the Christian faith is the gospel truth that the One Being in the universe Who really is more exalted, more lofty, and more powerful than anyone is the same Being Who, far from using His high position as a platform for pride, stooped lower than low so as to humbly save us.
Philippians Chapter 2 reminds us just how much Jesus gave up in order to join us on this fallen planet.
At a minimum, He gave up the glories and splendors of heaven in favor of a world of indigestion, stubbed toes, dirty fingernails, and backaches.
Day after day Jesus looked into the eyes of the people He created only to see not even the faintest glint of recognition that their Sovereign Creator was standing in their midst.
Day after day Jesus lived on a planet He Himself had lovingly shaped at the dawn of time, only to see all around Him signs of decay, death, sorrow and sin.
“Being in very nature God…he made himself nothing,” Paul informs us.
Not only was He no longer living in exalted heights, He even ended up dying the worst, most humiliating, most public of all deaths: crucifixion.
In the ancient world, death by crucifixion was the worst that could happen to anyone.
To say the least, crucifixion meant someone had hit rock bottom.
There is no lower you could go.
There is no further you could fall.
There is nothing more inhumane; nor is there anything invented that causes one to feel less human than crucifixion.
And for Jesus Christ, Who was in very nature God, His death on the cross shows us the extreme extent of His humility—of His emptying of Himself.
And He did it all out of a humble, self-emptying love that goes beyond anything we can ever wrap our heads around.
And He did all this because He loves us.
He did all this to save us.
He didn’t have to, but He did.
Humility and self-emptying--taken to its inevitable conclusion—it leads to a cross.
“If you want to get the hang of the incarnation,” C.S. Lewis once wrote, “just imagine how you’d feel if you woke up one morning to discover you had turned into a garden slug.”
And it is in the face of all this that Paul says to us, “Okay, got the picture?
Good, now go and be like that!”
And let’s face it, few challenges in life could top this.
But there is nothing more beautiful in all the earth than a truly humble and loving person.
This is what Jesus is—truly humble and perfectly loving.
I want to be like that, how about you?
But how can I?
I live in this body of sin?
I want to do what’s right, but I can’t seem to do it.
I know the way to true freedom and happiness, but I go in the opposite direction anyway.
I’m like someone who looks at himself in the mirror and then walking away immediately forgets what he looks like.
Pastor Craig Groeschel shares this story:
“One time I was praying during worship, a few moments before preaching.
Eyes closed, focusing on God, I felt someone slip a note into my hand.
I never saw who it was, but the note was marked ‘Personal.’”
He continues, “I thought to myself, ‘Someone probably wrote a nice note to encourage me before I preach.
A warm, loving feeling settled over me as I unfolded the paper.
A moment later, I lost that loving feeling.
Evidently, the note was from a person who had tried to see me on Friday, my day off.
She took offense at my absence and blasted me with hateful accusations.
This happened literally seconds before I was to stand up to preach.
In that moment, I had a choice.
I could internalize the offense and become defensive or demoralized and discouraged.
Or I could ask myself, ‘I wonder what she’s experiencing that caused her to lash out?’
I began to pray: ‘Lord Jesus, please give me YOUR compassion for the person who wrote this letter.
Give me YOUR attitude; YOUR strength, YOUR humility, YOUR mind.”
Groeschel writes that as soon as he prayed this, his heart began to physically hurt for this person.
He knew that such a disproportionate reaction must indicate deep pain, and he didn’t take the note personally.
Humility is the ability to get outside of ourselves and into the hearts and souls of others.
Humility brings peace and personal happiness.
It is what makes us truly human and more like Jesus.
Back in 1991, Gatorade came out with a humongous advertising campaign called “I Want to Be Like Mike.”
They even had a catchy jingle.
The Mike they were referring to was Michael Jordan, one of, if not the best basketball player of all time.
Michael Jordan seemed almost immortal the way he played.
He was so relaxed; he had so much confidence.
He made amazing shots, often in clutch situations.
And he could, seemingly fly through the air on his way to a breathtaking slam dunk!
Lots of young kids watched Michael Jordan.
And everyone wanted to be like Mike!
I’d imagine that an entire generation of NBA basketball stars had, once upon a time, wanted to be like Mike!
(pause)
Paul writes to us this morning, “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.”
This is what I want.
How about you?
If so, we need to practice.
Just like those who grew up wanting to be like Michael Jordan had to practice a lot of basketball, if we are going to be like Jesus we are going to have to put in the effort.
Will we fail?
Yes.
A lot.
But if we get up, dust ourselves off, and keep praying, and keep loving, and keep serving and keep humbling ourselves…asking God’s Spirit to guide and direct us, we will be on our way.
It is God Who graciously offers us His mind, His love, His salvation, His humility, His freedom.
If we want it, we can have it.
What are we waiting for?
Will you pray with me?
Almighty God,
Your ways are so different than our ways.
Even so, we ask that you work in us, transform us, humble us, and give us a love for You and for others that is out of this world, a love that is like Jesus Christ Who lived, died, and was Resurrected for this purpose.
In our relationships with one another, give us the same mindset as Christ Jesus.
Lord Jesus, please give us YOUR compassion.
Give us YOUR attitude; YOUR strength, YOUR humility, YOUR love, YOUR mind.
We want to be like You!
We pray this according to Your will.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen
