Are You Humble? Cultivating a Mindset of Humility – Humbly You Came

Brandon Werner - December 8, 2024

Are You Humble? Cultivating a Mindset of Humility

Pastor Brandon Werner | Together Church OKC |
December 8, 2024 | Series: Humbly You Came

INTRODUCTION

Some have said that, among Christian virtues, humility is the most important of them all. Christians authors like C.S. Lewis and Andrew Murray have expounded on this concept in their writings…

Andrew Murray called humility “the root of every virtue”:

“Humility, the place of entire dependence on God, is the first duty and the highest virtue of the creature, and the root of every virtue. And so pride, or the loss of this humility, is the root of every sin and evil.”

C.S. Lewis stated his belief that no one can become a Christian without at least a measure of humility:

“As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on thing and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you.”

These ideas from Murray and Lewis came from their study of the Bible.

In three places – Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6, and 1 Peter 5:5 – the Bible reminds us that God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.

In Romans 10, the Apostle Paul made clear what a person must believe in order to be saved…

Romans 10:9

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Confessing that Jesus is Lord is at the root of salvation. And a confession that someone other than you is Lord over you cannot be made genuine unless you first become humble.

Humility is among the most important virtues of all Christian virtues.

Let me ask you this morning: are you humble?

That’s a difficult question for many of us to answer. I mean, couldn’t the way we answer that question reveal we are not humble? “Humble? You bet! In fact, I’m the humblest person I know.”

How do you even answer that question? But again, I ask you, are you humble?

Before you could even try to answer that question you first have to be able to define what humility is. This subject is such a broad biblical topic that we could jump all over the place trying to describe it. Instead, I want us to narrow our focus this morning to a profound passage about humility. That passage is Philippians 2:1-11.

If you have your Bible with you, and I hope you do, open with me to Philippians 2:1-11.

We’re going to read it all. Before we do, there are two things I want to say about this passage.

First, I felt drawn to this passage because the incarnation of Jesus is present in this passage. In verse 7, Paul says Jesus was “born in the likeness of men.” With the Christmas advent season here, my reflections on humility have certainly caused me to consider how Jesus’ coming is a powerful example of humility. That’s why this series is called “Humbly You Came.”

Second, I want you to go ahead and underline or highlight the three central words of this passage. Everything that proceeds these words is building up to this point, and everything that follows these words is because of this point. Are you ready? The three central words in this passage are found in verse 8: He [Jesus] Humbled Himself.

Jesus humbled Himself. God humbled Himself. That’s absurd if you think about it. Yahweh, Jehovah God, humbled Himself. And it is the example of Jesus that ultimately defines humility in this passage.

With those things in mind, let’s read the passage together…

Philippians 2:1-11

1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, 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. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This morning, let’s first use Philippians 2:1-11 and the example of Jesus to grasp a biblical understanding of humility, then, let’s answer the question: are you humble?

BODY

According to Philippians 2:1-11, what is biblical humility?

Humility is a mindset you must develop.

The entire passage is about humility. But there is another word that appears three times in this passage. That word is “MIND.”

Two of the three times this word appears happens before Paul even uses the word “humility”!

Philippians 2:2

2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

The word “mind” literally means “to think thus” or “to dispose the mind in a certain way.”

Paul wants us to know that humility doesn’t happen by accident. You can’t simply hang out around church folks for a while and then automatically become a humble person. To become humble, you must cultivate a mindset of humility. This language reminds us of Romans 12 where Paul teaches disciples of Jesus to be transformed by the renewing of their minds.

So, first, humility is a mindset we must develop.

The mindset of humility is contrary to the mindsets of selfish ambition and conceit.

Selfish ambition and conceit are both mindsets that directly oppose humility. A mindset is a framework that shapes the way a person thinks. Like coding tells a computer what to do, a person’s mindset shapes the way they interpret situations and react.

The first mindset Paul lists that is contrary to a mindset of humility is a mindset of selfish ambition.

Selfish ambition is translated from the Greek word eritheia. That word describes a strong drive for personal success without moral inhibitions.

In other words, a person with a mindset of selfish ambition is a person who is willing to use other people to get what they want. They see people as a means to achieve their own ambitions.

A person with a mindset of selfish ambitions is a person who…

Leverages acts of kindness for personal gain.
Manipulates people’s emotions to get what they want.
Calculates how they can always come out ahead.
Takes credit for things they didn’t do or for things they couldn’t have done without the contributions of others.
Undermines the successes of others to make themselves look better.
Uses flattery to gain influence or favor.
Seeks positions of authority for power or prestige.
Prioritizes results over relationships.

This mindset of selfish ambition can exist in anyone! It can exist in those in authority (like husbands, parents, employers, and teachers), or in those under authority (like wives, children, employees, and students). In the church, a person with a mindset of selfish ambitions is anyone willing to take advantage of the kindness and generosity of the Christian community for personal gain.

James uses this same Greek word for “selfish ambition” to tell us what will happen to a church where this mindset of selfish ambition exists…

James 3:16

16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

Humility cannot thrive in this environment. That’s why Paul begins this passage on humility in Philippians 2 this way…

Philippians 2:1-11

Selfish ambition is the first dangerous mindset listed by Paul that directly contradicts a mindset of humility.

Paul also says that conceit is a dangerous mindset that opposes the mindset of humility.

Conceit is a compound word in the Greek (meaning it combines two Greek words into one). This is the only place in the Bible where this particular compound word is used.

The two words that make up this compound word are “kenos” (which means “empty” or “vain”) AND “doxa” (which means “glory”).

Together, this word literally means “empty glory” or “vain glory”.

A conceited mindset is a form of pride where a person is full of “empty or vain glory”. In other words, they constantly esteem themselves higher than they should or think they are more important or more deserving than they are.

When you have a conceited mindset, you are characterized by constantly thinking you matter the most…

You believe your needs matter more than the needs of others.
You think your problems are bigger than the problems of others.
You feel entitled to receive what others have, regardless of need.
You want others to do things for you, but you are not willing to sacrifice for others.
You expect others to serve, but you do not expect it of yourself.

When you are conceited, your “coding” or mindset framework functions something like this:

If something needs done, someone else should do it.
If someone needs to give something up, it won’t be me.
If there’s a line, I’ll be first.
If there’s a need to serve, I’ll be last.
If giving is required, others should step up.

It is impossible to be a humble person while maintaining either the mindset of selfish ambition or conceit. These mindsets are enemies of humility. That’s why Paul said…

Philippians 2:3-4

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, 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.

The antidote for these prideful mindsets is a mindset of humility.

The mindset of humility is defined by the mindset of Christ.

Jesus has a mindset. Have you ever thought about that? His mindset is really unique…

Our mindset can change; Jesus’ mindset never changes.
Our mindset can be wrong; Jesus’ mindset is always right.
Our mindset can mislead us; Jesus’ mindset leads us to God.

In our minds, we can allow mindsets like selfish ambitions and conceit. These mindsets can dominate our lives and lead us to react and make decisions that cause harm to ourselves and others and oppose what is good and of God.

But in the mind of Jesus, there is no room for destructive mindsets. Anyone who shares the mind of Jesus is aligned with what is right.

And listen to what the Apostle Paul says about a mindset of humility!

Philippians 2:5

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

He says the mindset of humility that belongs to Jesus is YOURS in Christ Jesus!

What does this mean?

The Apostle Paul puts it this way in…

1 Corinthians 2:16

“For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Again, Paul is exalting the mind of Christ as far superior to all other mindsets and always right. And then He says that you have the mind of Christ!

Now, you might be asking, “How can that be? As you shared about selfish ambition and conceit, I can see ways that I have that mindset. But now you’re saying I have the mind of Christ and, therefore, have a mind of humility. Which is it, Pastor?”

It’s both.

Listen.

You have a flesh; a physical body. That physical body has a brain. In that brain, you have the ability to think thoughts. Some of those thoughts are true (which means they would align with the mind of Jesus), and some of those thoughts are false or wrong (which means they are not in alignment with the thoughts of Jesus).

You have a flesh, but you are not defined by your flesh. What defines you is your spirit. Your spirit is the real you. It is the part of you that lasts forever. Long after your current flesh is gone, your spirit will still exist.

And if you are in Christ, God has done a miracle for your spirit. The Bible teaches that anyone who is in Christ has passed away. In other words, God put an end to our old spirit that was corrupted by sin and He made us to be born again by His Holy Spirit. Through that new spiritual birth, our entire lives and nature has changed.

According to the Bible, in that new spirit, we are now partakers of the divine nature of God! That means that things that once exclusively belonged to God are shared with us by God. These things God shares with us are not shared with us because we earned them or deserve them; they are shared with us because Jesus loved us so much that He died on the cross so our sins could be forgiven and we could be made into temples of God where His Spirit can dwell!

God shares so many things with us that we never deserved to have shared with us. For anyone who is a Christian, anyone who has been saved by Jesus and born again of the Holy Spirit, you share some incredible things with God!

You share God’s righteousness.
You share God’s love.
You share God’s joy.
You share God’s peace.
You share God’s patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control (the fruits of the Spirit).
You share God’s eternal life.
You share God’s inheritance.

And, according to the Apostle Paul, you share the mind of Christ!

In other words, in the Spirit, you have the mind of Jesus.

Now, you still have a flesh and a brain. God hasn’t done a miracle in your flesh… yet (but someday He promises to put it to death and to resurrect you to a new one). But, for now, you still contend with the flesh and with the physical brain God gave you.

But the power of the Spirit is greater than the power of the flesh. In Christ, you have the ability to align your flesh and your brain with the mindset of Christ!

Now, bring that back to humility and Paul’s point in Philippians 2…

Philippians 2:5-8

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

You do understand that Jesus is actually greater than you, don’t you? That’s why the humility of Jesus is so audacious. In Philippians 2, Paul defines humility as the mindset of Christ; and that mindset is this: Jesus considered us to be more significant than Himself. So, He became our servant.

While we were filled with conceit, with “empty glory”, Jesus “emptied Himself” (same Greek word) of the glory that He had with the Father in heaven.

He gave up the form of God (which was better for Him) to take on our form and likeness.

He put aside His Lordship to become a servant to us.

He left the glories of heaven and came to this earth to be born in the likeness of man. Born into poverty, born into shame, born into suffering… born to die.

He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death… even death on a cross.

Why take on our form? Why be born into our image and likeness? To become our servant and to suffer for our sins in our place. He took on our form so He would have…

A back that could be beaten.
Feet that could walk our road and carry our cross.
Hands to be pierced.
A head to receive the crown of thorns.
A heart that could stop beating.

He is greater than us, but He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped. Instead, He who is far greater than I am considered me ahead of Himself.

That’s the mindset of Jesus, so that’s the mindset of humility.

CONCLUSION

The mindset of Jesus defines the mindset of humility. There are some common misconceptions about humility that can’t be true because they do not define Jesus…

Humility is not…

Slipping onto the background and being unseen.
Thinking poorly of yourself and belittling yourself.
Being small and quiet.
Avoiding conflict at all costs.
Believing you have nothing to offer.

None of these things define Jesus, so these things can’t define humility. I think they define something else: insecurity.

Philippians 2 tells us what humility is. If you want to grow in humility, repeat this phrase after me…

“I am not more significant than anyone else. Because Jesus served me, I will serve them.”

That’s it! That’s the mindset of humility. That’s the phrase you can memorize and put on repeat until the mindset of humility is in you.

Repeat it again.

When someone doesn’t meet my expectations.
When my spouse or children frustrate me.
When a car cuts me off in traffic.
When others sin against me.
Even when people offend me and treat me wrong.

Growing in humility is learning to apply this mindset in every and all situations… “I am not more significant than anyone else. Because Jesus served me, I will serve them.”

This is true. None of us are more significant than anyone else.

We are all created.
We have all sinned and need Jesus.

This puts us all on equal footing. None of us are more significant than anyone else.

But Jesus is more significant than all of us, yet He became a servant to all of us. He stooped down to serve us. Since that is true, it gives me permission to consider others more significant than myself and to become their servant.

Jesus defines humility.

So, I ask you again: are you humble?

If you’re understanding this passage and you’re like me, you’re probably thinking, “Yes and no. If I am humble, I’m not nearing as humble as Jesus.”

And you’d be right. No one is as humble as Jesus. But we can all become more like Jesus by growing in humility like His.

Growing in humility isn’t going to be a one-time decision for you. Yes, you must start by deciding you want to be humble. But once that’s in place you must go to work and develop the mindset of humility. How do you do that? Repeat one more time:

“I am not more significant than anyone else. Because Jesus served me, I will serve them.”

That’s the mindset. That’s humility. Will you grow in humility?

INVITATION

If you are a follower of Jesus, first, do you want it?
- If you want it, will you develop that mindset?
If you are not a follower of Jesus, you must humble yourself and confess Jesus as your Lord.
- Giving up self-sovereignty requires humility.

INTRODUCTION

Some have said that, among Christian virtues, humility is the most important of them all. Christians authors like C.S. Lewis and Andrew Murray have expounded on this concept in their writings…

Andrew Murray called humility “the root of every virtue”:

C.S. Lewis stated his belief that no one can become a Christian without at least a measure of humility:

“As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on thing and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you.”

These ideas from Murray and Lewis came from their study of the Bible.

In three places – Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6, and 1 Peter 5:5 – the Bible reminds us that God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.

In Romans 10, the Apostle Paul made clear what a person must believe in order to be saved…

Romans 10:9

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Confessing that Jesus is Lord is at the root of salvation. And a confession that someone other than you is Lord over you cannot be made genuine unless you first become humble.

Humility is among the most important virtues of all Christian virtues.

Let me ask you this morning: are you humble?

That’s a difficult question for many of us to answer. I mean, couldn’t the way we answer that question reveal we are not humble? “Humble? You bet! In fact, I’m the humblest person I know.”

How do you even answer that question? But again, I ask you, are you humble?

If you have your Bible with you, and I hope you do, open with me to Philippians 2:1-11.

We’re going to read it all. Before we do, there are two things I want to say about this passage.

With those things in mind, let’s read the passage together…

Philippians 2:1-11

This morning, let’s first use Philippians 2:1-11 and the example of Jesus to grasp a biblical understanding of humility, then, let’s answer the question: are you humble?

BODY

According to Philippians 2:1-11, what is biblical humility?

Humility is a mindset you must develop.

The entire passage is about humility. But there is another word that appears three times in this passage. That word is “MIND.”

Two of the three times this word appears happens before Paul even uses the word “humility”!

Philippians 2:2

2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.

The word “mind” literally means “to think thus” or “to dispose the mind in a certain way.”

So, first, humility is a mindset we must develop.

The mindset of humility is contrary to the mindsets of selfish ambition and conceit.

The first mindset Paul lists that is contrary to a mindset of humility is a mindset of selfish ambition.

Selfish ambition is translated from the Greek word eritheia. That word describes a strong drive for personal success without moral inhibitions.

In other words, a person with a mindset of selfish ambition is a person who is willing to use other people to get what they want. They see people as a means to achieve their own ambitions.

A person with a mindset of selfish ambitions is a person who…

Leverages acts of kindness for personal gain.
Manipulates people’s emotions to get what they want.
Calculates how they can always come out ahead.
Takes credit for things they didn’t do or for things they couldn’t have done without the contributions of others.
Undermines the successes of others to make themselves look better.
Uses flattery to gain influence or favor.
Seeks positions of authority for power or prestige.
Prioritizes results over relationships.

James uses this same Greek word for “selfish ambition” to tell us what will happen to a church where this mindset of selfish ambition exists…

James 3:16

16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.

Humility cannot thrive in this environment. That’s why Paul begins this passage on humility in Philippians 2 this way…

Philippians 2:1-11

Selfish ambition is the first dangerous mindset listed by Paul that directly contradicts a mindset of humility.

Paul also says that conceit is a dangerous mindset that opposes the mindset of humility.

Conceit is a compound word in the Greek (meaning it combines two Greek words into one). This is the only place in the Bible where this particular compound word is used.

The two words that make up this compound word are “kenos” (which means “empty” or “vain”) AND “doxa” (which means “glory”).

Together, this word literally means “empty glory” or “vain glory”.

When you have a conceited mindset, you are characterized by constantly thinking you matter the most…

You believe your needs matter more than the needs of others.
You think your problems are bigger than the problems of others.
You feel entitled to receive what others have, regardless of need.
You want others to do things for you, but you are not willing to sacrifice for others.
You expect others to serve, but you do not expect it of yourself.

When you are conceited, your “coding” or mindset framework functions something like this:

If something needs done, someone else should do it.
If someone needs to give something up, it won’t be me.
If there’s a line, I’ll be first.
If there’s a need to serve, I’ll be last.
If giving is required, others should step up.

It is impossible to be a humble person while maintaining either the mindset of selfish ambition or conceit. These mindsets are enemies of humility. That’s why Paul said…

Philippians 2:3-4

The antidote for these prideful mindsets is a mindset of humility.

The mindset of humility is defined by the mindset of Christ.

Jesus has a mindset. Have you ever thought about that? His mindset is really unique…

Our mindset can change; Jesus’ mindset never changes.
Our mindset can be wrong; Jesus’ mindset is always right.
Our mindset can mislead us; Jesus’ mindset leads us to God.

But in the mind of Jesus, there is no room for destructive mindsets. Anyone who shares the mind of Jesus is aligned with what is right.

And listen to what the Apostle Paul says about a mindset of humility!

Philippians 2:5

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,

He says the mindset of humility that belongs to Jesus is YOURS in Christ Jesus!

What does this mean?

The Apostle Paul puts it this way in…

1 Corinthians 2:16

“For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Again, Paul is exalting the mind of Christ as far superior to all other mindsets and always right. And then He says that you have the mind of Christ!

It’s both.

Listen.

You share God’s righteousness.
You share God’s love.
You share God’s joy.
You share God’s peace.
You share God’s patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control (the fruits of the Spirit).
You share God’s eternal life.
You share God’s inheritance.

And, according to the Apostle Paul, you share the mind of Christ!

In other words, in the Spirit, you have the mind of Jesus.

But the power of the Spirit is greater than the power of the flesh. In Christ, you have the ability to align your flesh and your brain with the mindset of Christ!

Now, bring that back to humility and Paul’s point in Philippians 2…

Philippians 2:5-8

While we were filled with conceit, with “empty glory”, Jesus “emptied Himself” (same Greek word) of the glory that He had with the Father in heaven.

He gave up the form of God (which was better for Him) to take on our form and likeness.

He put aside His Lordship to become a servant to us.

He left the glories of heaven and came to this earth to be born in the likeness of man. Born into poverty, born into shame, born into suffering… born to die.

He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death… even death on a cross.

Why take on our form? Why be born into our image and likeness? To become our servant and to suffer for our sins in our place. He took on our form so He would have…

A back that could be beaten.
Feet that could walk our road and carry our cross.
Hands to be pierced.
A head to receive the crown of thorns.
A heart that could stop beating.

He is greater than us, but He did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped. Instead, He who is far greater than I am considered me ahead of Himself.

That’s the mindset of Jesus, so that’s the mindset of humility.

CONCLUSION

The mindset of Jesus defines the mindset of humility. There are some common misconceptions about humility that can’t be true because they do not define Jesus…

Humility is not…

Slipping onto the background and being unseen.
Thinking poorly of yourself and belittling yourself.
Being small and quiet.
Avoiding conflict at all costs.
Believing you have nothing to offer.

None of these things define Jesus, so these things can’t define humility. I think they define something else: insecurity.

Philippians 2 tells us what humility is. If you want to grow in humility, repeat this phrase after me…

“I am not more significant than anyone else. Because Jesus served me, I will serve them.”

That’s it! That’s the mindset of humility. That’s the phrase you can memorize and put on repeat until the mindset of humility is in you.

Repeat it again.

When someone doesn’t meet my expectations.
When my spouse or children frustrate me.
When a car cuts me off in traffic.
When others sin against me.
Even when people offend me and treat me wrong.

Growing in humility is learning to apply this mindset in every and all situations… “I am not more significant than anyone else. Because Jesus served me, I will serve them.”

This is true. None of us are more significant than anyone else.

We are all created.
We have all sinned and need Jesus.

This puts us all on equal footing. None of us are more significant than anyone else.

Jesus defines humility.

So, I ask you again: are you humble?

If you’re understanding this passage and you’re like me, you’re probably thinking, “Yes and no. If I am humble, I’m not nearing as humble as Jesus.”

And you’d be right. No one is as humble as Jesus. But we can all become more like Jesus by growing in humility like His.

“I am not more significant than anyone else. Because Jesus served me, I will serve them.”

That’s the mindset. That’s humility. Will you grow in humility?

INVITATION

If you are a follower of Jesus, first, do you want it?
- If you want it, will you develop that mindset?
If you are not a follower of Jesus, you must humble yourself and confess Jesus as your Lord.
- Giving up self-sovereignty requires humility.

Watch the Sermon