Pastor Koay Kheng Hin
7 March 2021
As we look to God this Sunday morning I believe that, for many of us, there are needs and burdens that trouble our hearts. Even as we bring these needs and burdens in prayer to God, it is more important that we seek to draw closer to God in relational intimacy.
The Word of God reveals God to us primarily so that we may fellowship with him and grow in our relationship with him. In that relational growth, God wills to transform us to Christ-likeness in our character. As we integrate ourselves into the community of the people of God, in our particular sense, the community of Tabernacle of Praise, we must constantly keep in mind that on a personal level we need to grow in our spiritual character, especially in the fundamental Christian virtue of humility.
In my previous sermon titled Humility and Contentment, we learned to appreciate aspects of humility and contentment from looking at the person of John the Baptist.
Today I would like to draw insights on humility from the person of Christ himself. I have titled the sermon today “The Imitation of Christ”, incidentally the title of a Christian classic written nearly 600 years ago.
Why is humility considered a fundamental Christian virtue?, one may ask. It is because humility is the key to a fulfilling life of love, joy and peace and a blessed life of experiencing the rest of the soul in a real and substantial way.
The sermon text is Philippians 2:5-11 and I read.
Philippians 2:5-11
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death-
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Verses 6 to 8 is a description of the humiliation of Christ while verses 9 to 11 is a description of the exaltation of Christ. Verse 6 affirms the divinity of Christ Jesus ‘being in very nature God”.
He is described as not clinging to the privileges and glory of divinity by emptying himself, the Greek word “kenosis” for emptying, “made himself nothing”, not referring to his nature and essence, but describing his laying aside of his privileges and glory and becoming a human being, the nature of a servant.
He is truly God and truly man. For Christ Jesus as God the Son to become a human being was the ultimate act of humility. “He humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross”, the ultimate humiliation.
Verse 5 is an exhortation to all of us that “our attitude should be the same as that of Jesus”, the imitation of Christ. In heart and mind we need to be transformed to possess this spiritual humility. This is Christ-likeness. How is this humility expressed out in our lives ?
Firstly, just as Christ humbled himself and expressed it in obedience to the will of God the Father, we are to express spiritual humility by walking in obedience to the will of God.
Spiritual humility describes our living for the glory of God and not for our self-glory. The apostle Paul expresses this desire to live for the glory of God in, for example, ending the epistle to the Romans with Romans 16:27, “to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.”
The apostle Peter ends his second epistle with 2 Peter 3:18, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” Matthew records Jesus saying in Matthew 5:16, “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
It is of utmost importance that whoever we are and whatever we do people need to be drawn to God more than being drawn to us.
The book of Acts records that on his first missionary journey, Paul together with Barnabas had come to the city of Lystra and healed a man lame from birth. Expecting them to glorify God, they were shocked when the crowd began to see both he and Barnabas as Greek gods, The distress of both the apostles was revealed in Acts 14:14-15, 14“But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out to the crowd, shouting: 15“Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you.…….”
Secondly, it is only in humility that love can flourish. Humility and love are two sides of a spiritual coin.
A proud man is unable to love because pride is necessarily self-centred, in contrast to love which is other-centred. The humility of Christ Jesus was demonstrated in his love for his disciples when he washed their feet in the Passover meal the night before he was crucified.
John 13:1 records “It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.”
John 13:5, “After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with a towel that was wrapped around him.”
Romans 12:3, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” read with
Romans 12:9-10, “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another above yourselves.” gives us that connection between humility and love.
In conclusion, in our spiritual journey as a community, it is indeed needful for all of us to take time and effort to focus on our personal transformation to Christ-likeness in character.
The fundamental Christian virtue that grounds this Christ-likeness is humility and we are to imitate Christ in his humility expressed ultimately in God becoming a man.
Let us ask of God to empower us to grow in this Christ-like humility by living not for our self-glory but for the glory of God and to realize that only a truly humble man is capable of self-sacrificing love.
Then and only then shall we find rest for our souls as that rest is found in Christ Jesus in connection with the Christian virtue of humility, 28“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29). To god be the glory! Amen.
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