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Philippians 2:3-5, Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
Have you ever had a whole house inspection? We went through one a number of years ago. This stranger invades your home with the potential buyer at his side. First, he inspects the easy stuff. Yep, windows work, doors close, little drip here in the faucet. Not bad. But then they go up into the attic with a flashlight and you can hear their footsteps creaking and low muffled voices like, “Hmm. Uh-huh.” Creak, creak. More talk. Then down they come and now the dreaded crawl space inspection. You can hear them down there looking for the slightest evidence of termites, cracked joists, moisture, rodents, alligators, you name it. All quite unnerving. Then the report. The report! Didn’t they see the widows aren’t broken, paint is still on the wall, those shelves you worked so hard on in the garage are holding steady. No, just the bad stuff!
This morning we’re doing a heart inspection and we’re going into the foundation. The Holy Spirit is taking the light of God’s Word into our crawl space and looking around. And I’ll guarantee He is going to find some problems. As we study this issue of pride and vain glory, if you don’t feel this, if this doesn’t pinch, we need to call the undertaker. You must be dead! Here’s the big problem. Just like we get house blind, we become blind to the subtle pride hiding out in our inner man. Pride is a subtle sin, as Jerry Bridges calls it in his book Respectable Sins. We are all cursed with an inordinate supply of it, whether we recognize it or not. Thomas Watson said, “Pride runs in our blood.”
Last week we saw in vss. 1-2 how to have great joy and solve conflicts as believers:
- Verse 1 – Remember every single day how blessed you are in Christ.
- Verse 2 – Keep a close watch over your heart that can easily slip into self-centeredness.
Now in verses 3-4 we’re going to ferret out pride and selfishness. Notice both verses have two clauses separated by the strong contrasting word “but.” Verse 3, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, BUT with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.” Verse 4, “Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, BUT also for the interests of others.”
Now let’s turn these verses around to get a sharper insight into what Paul is saying. “Do everything to promote yourself and to look good in the eyes of others. Think highly of yourself and regard yourself as the most important person in your life. Look out for #1, yourself and your own interests. Don’t let others get in your way. Let this way of thinking be in you which was also in Satan!”
DECLARE WAR ON PRIDE AND NURTURE HUMILITY (vs. 3).
Philippians 2:3, Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;
Do nothing, not one thing. I love these absolute prohibitions. No question. Don’t do one thing in your entire life – every day, here at church, at home, at work, at school, on the athletic field, in the restaurant, on that committee, do nothing with these two attitudes of pride.
Pride’s first wrong attitude: selfish ambition.
Pride is essentially the worship of self as it is worked out in a multitude of ways. It is selfish ambition, self-promotion, self-praise. The word is used several times in the New Testament, often translated “dispute.” Pride drives disputes and conflicts.
In 2 Corinthians 12:20 Paul fears there may be among the Corinthians believers strife, jealousy, angry tempers, disputes, slanders, gossip, arrogance, disturbances.
Galatians 5:20 includes these deeds of the flesh: idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, factions.
We saw pride in Philippians 1:17 when some of Paul’s antagonists proclaimed Christ out of selfish ambition (self-promotion), rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.
James 3:14,16 says if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition (self-promotion or my way or the highway) in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.
Pride’s second wrong attitude: empty conceit.
You’ve met these people. They are full of themselves and are sure to tell you all about it. “Look at me, I am really somebody. I am an amazing person. I’ve done that before. I know all about that subject.” And yet he’s shortly known as just an empty wind bag. These are the Pharisees, strutting around making sure everyone knows how much they give, fast, pray. They love the applause of men. But what do we have to glory about? Paul calls out the Corinthian glory hounds in 1 Corinthians 4:7, “For who regards you as superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?”
Selfish ambition and empty conceit are the essence of pride. This is the problem with the self-esteem movement which tells everyone they should think highly of themselves, which we all do naturally. It’s like pouring lighter fluid on an already burning ego. The world says, “The chief end of man is to glorify himself and enjoy himself until he dies.” God says we are here to humble ourselves, to glorify God, to thank Him for all His goodness, and to serve Him with the gifts and talents He has given us. That’s where the joy is! Telling people to think highly of themselves is just the opposite. It drives people further into the darkness of human pride and conceit. It pushes them further away from the hope they could have by confessing their guilt before God and by receiving His Son Jesus as their Lord and Savior!
Pride Manifested.
What does this pride of selfishness and empty conceit look like? Our friend and author Stuart Scott wrote a booklet, Pride and Humility. He lists thirty ways pride reveals itself in our lives. I’m having mercy this morning and only giving you about fifteen or so.
Prideful people are full of selfish ambition and empty conceit, resent correction and have a critical spirit. They blame others and are ungrateful, unteachable, jealous or envious of others recognition. They drop subtle, masked hints of accomplishments, wanting others to think highly of them. They fake humility and try to impress people with God-talk, feeling spiritually superior. They ridicule others, belittle and laugh at others, gloat and put down others, practice one upmanship, refuse to admit wrong, refuse to forgive, and hold grudges. All of these selfish and conceited attitudes come out of that ugly curse of subtle pride that lingers deep down in our dark hearts.
In Respectable Sins Jerry Bridges notes one point of pride is accomplishments. I’ve met pastors at conferences and often heard, “So, how many you runnin’ by now?” And before you’re able to respond, they’re already telling you about their great spiritual accomplishments.
There’s also the pride of doctrinal or biblical knowledge. Many years ago in another town we had sweet neighbors who responded in faith to the gospel message and began attending our church. They were eager to serve, had leadership abilities, and became a genuine asset to our people. Soon he wanted to concentrate in more Bible study, so off they went to Bible college. When they came back, their attitudes were different. They had lots to teach us. We weren’t doing things the right way and our church needed fixing. We were a bit shocked and grieved over his changed attitudes. I believe he had fallen into the trap of 1 Timothy 3:6, “[an overseer] must not be a new convert, lest he become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.” That word conceited is tuphoo – to be enveloped in smoke. His knowledge and pride had smoked up his reason and wisdom. It wasn’t long before they quit church, moved out of town, and we lost track of them.
John MacArthur said “At its core all sin is an act of pride. Pride says, ‘Move over, God, I’m in charge here; I’ll do what I want.’” We must declare war on pride. We need to apply the cross to our pride. At the foot of the cross there is no room for any manifestation of pride. Whenever you feel pride rising up, immediately beat it down with God’s Word. Proverbs 16:5, Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.
Nurture Humility.
Philippians 2:3b,“But with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.”
Isaiah 66:2, “But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.”
Peter is crystal clear:
1 Peter 5:5,You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE.
Selfless humility is a godly virtue we must fight for every single day. Only by God’s grace in our soul through the Spirit of Jesus Christ can we nurture humility. Remove God’s grace, Christ, and the cross and your humility button will become inactive. We can’t dredge it up out of our depraved hearts. No one is born with humility. Humility is one of the first marks of a regenerated heart.
Humility Described.
Humility means a lowly way of thinking – tapeinos and phrosune, an attitude that willingly takes a lowly position. Jesus called us to take His yoke because He is gentle and lowly in heart. He came into this world in humility, lowering Himself all the way to death, even the death of the cross. The Greeks never saw this lowly thinking as a virtue. For them it meant being cowardly, pusillanimous, lily-livered. It’s really the same today. The world tells you: “Come on, you are somebody, esteem yourself, love yourself, promote yourself, assert yourself, be who you want to be. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, sue them. If someone spits on you, spit back. Return evil for evil.” Is that what Jesus did? No! When they slapped him, imagine if He slapped back! When they spit on Him, imagine if He spit back! Instead Jesus left room for God’s wrath to avenge evil doers (Romans 12:19-21).
What does God say about this lowly thinking? First, humility is a mark of regeneration and is the vanguard for all the other godly virtues. Humility leads the way.
Ephesians 4:1-2, Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,
You’ll find God’s way in Colossians 3:12-13 as a key part of the believer’s spiritual clothing: “Put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility.” In 1 Peter 2 Peter presents Christ as our model of handling opposition. In chapter 3:1-7 he instructs the wives and husbands how to bless each other. He ends with verses 8-9.
1 Peter 3:8-9,To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; 9 not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.
How does this lowly way of thinking apply toward others? Let’s look again at Philippians 2:3b,“In humility of mind, let each of you regard one another as more important than yourselves.” You may be thinking, “Wait. You’re not saying I’m supposed to think of others above myself, are you?” No, I’m not. GOD is! Let me give you one quick application of this verse. Here’s what God is saying to us: STOP THINKING YOU’RE SO IMPORTANT! AND START THINKING OTHER PEOPLE ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOURSELF! Calvin said, “If anything in our whole life is difficult, this above everything else is so.”
Imagine how this would transform marriages into the next thing to heaven! If you are esteeming your spouse above yourself, you’ll deny yourself and serve her, concerned about her time, her joys, her desires, her feelings. You’ll be gentle with her because she’s more important than you are. You’ll be quick to praise her like that husband says of the Proverbs 31 wife, “Many daughters have done excellently, but you exceed them all!” He grants her honor. How many wives would appreciate that? And Proverbs 31:12, “She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.” How many husbands would appreciate that! These two verses, Philippians 2:3-4, applied every day would do miracles for any marriage. The problem is pride pokes its head up and ruins stuff. We’ve got to battle it continually, all the way to those pearly gates.
How do you nurture this lowly way of thinking? Sometimes God will use your pride to humble you, like He did that babbly king of Babylon. When he boasted of his grand kingdom, God sent him out into the pastures to eat grass like the cattle. When Haman had those gallows built for Mordecai, God saw to it that Haman himself hung on them. Sometimes He serves you a nice slice of humble pie. Years ago our backyard had a nice little hill, and our kids would peddle as hard as they could to try to get some air with their bikes. I got out my 350cc Honda (good it wasn’t my Harley), rode it into the backyard, and announced, “Watch me, guys. Here’s how you do it.” I revved it up and was doing great as I hit the hill, but something happened and the next thing I knew I was lying beside the cycle, which was sticking halfway through our neighbor’s fence, and Carolyn looking down on me wondering if I was going to survive this stunt! Let’s say it knocked the wind out of my sails. Never forget, Proverbs 29:23, “A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.”
We nurture pride with a high view of God, like Isaiah when he saw the Lord high and lifted up and confessed, “Woe is me; I am undone.” No room for pride in the presence of God. You nurture humility by remembering your own depravity and God’s glorious sovereign grace in choosing you, dying for you, drawing you, and keeping you. Why me? What do you have that you didn’t receive? Pray for others and think about them as more important in your life. Declare war on pride and nurture humility.
DECLARE WAR ON SELFISHNESS AND NURTURE SERVING OTHERS – VS. 4.
Philippians 2:4, do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
We’ll be quick here. Verse 3 is the principle of Christlike humility; verse 4 is the practice. As we’ll see, verses 5-8 graphically describe in Christ Himself what humility of mind really means. But here Paul applies it very practically.
For whom are you looking out or “scoping” out? Not merely your own personal interests! A humble person isn’t all about himself and doesn’t constantly talk about himself. He isn’t on high alert toward how people are treating him. No, he’s on high alert on how he can bless and help others, but not with a proud “Look what I’m doing.” No one appreciates proud, patronizing, condescending “humble” servants. The Pharisees blew trumpets when they gave, prayed, and fasted. And they were obnoxious. Proverbs 27:2 says, “Let another praise you and not your own mouth.” Parents, when your children are tempted to “toot their horn,” remind them about this biblical principle and they will gain great profit from applying it. Philippians 2:4 is talking about a humility that is genuine, loving, selfless, self-forgetting ministry to others.
But notice, Paul says don’t “merely” look out for your own interests. There are things you need to look out for that are your own personal interests. Your most important personal interest is your salvation. Have you confessed your sin to God and placed your trust in Christ to redeem you from sin’s penalty? Another personal interest is reading God’s Word…every day. Are you providing for your own family and marriage? If not, you’re worse than an infidel (1 Timothy 5:8). Every husband and father must care for his own family first. And 1 Thessalonians 4:11 says you are to behave respectfully toward outsiders: keep yourself decent and orderly. Don’t be a blight to the neighbors: mow your lawn. Have considerate personal hygiene: cut your nails, wash your hair, use underarm deodorant, brush your teeth, and control that bad breath. Teenagers – this means you do. Develop good habits early.
With a strong contrast “but” God says humility must also look out for the interests of others. Here’s where it gets hard, and even tricky. For instance, God puts all kinds of construction on the Lloyd “Expressway” to slow down the traffic and test you whether you’ll look out for the interests of others. I’m in the second lane which is backed up about ten miles, or so it seems. The third lane seemed open quite a way ahead. Should I pull out and try to cut in up ahead closer to the front? No, don’t think so. Tempting as that would be, I knew God would probably have one of you be in the second lane and if any of you saw me do that you’d be, “Preach on, Brother Godshall!” So, I stay in line and wait. But then other cars are sailing right past me and trying to find a hole to break in. Now I’m in a dilemma. What do I do to put the interest of others first? Do I think of the people behind me who will get upset if I let others get in line which requires me to get as close as possible to the car in front of me so no one can merge in between us, trying hard to avoid any eye contact with that brash guy trying to cut in? Or do I think of the person who must get in at some point before the final merger and slow down and signal for him to cut in? You see, looking out for the interests of others can get a little tricky at times.
Albert Barnes gives a nice list of warnings about what the interests of others don’t mean.
Don’t give people your advice or opinion when it isn’t asked for or at the wrong time. If someone needs your counsel, God says go to them with a gentle, humble spirit. Often asking for the privilege of speaking before doing so opens the door to ministry. You want to help them bear their burden, but that requires lots of humility, not a know it all or I’m right and your wrong attitude. Don’t be a busybody, meddling in other people’s affairs. Don’t be quick to correct matters that aren’t your business. Certainly, don’t gossip about the concerns of others.
Barnes ends with this. “Where Christian duty and kindness require us to look into the concerns of others there should be the utmost delicacy.” But we’re not here just to serve ourselves. The interests of others are certainly ways you can serve other people with your time, money, energy, edifying words, your whole being.
SO WHAT?
Philippians 2:5, Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
Verse five is a transition into one of the greatest passages in the whole Bible on the humility and incarnation of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. “Let this way of thinking be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” Christmas is the story of divine humility. Christ came to save His people because He was more concerned about doing the Father’s will and putting our true needs before His own comfort in heaven. He humbled Himself, became like us but without sin, and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross. He didn’t come to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.
What about you? Are you at war with your pride? Are you working hard to put others before yourself? Looking for ways to serve and help others without a proud, empty-conceited attitude? Jesus said, “If you want to come after Me, deny yourself (that includes your pride), take up your cross daily and follow Me.” Let me tell you, we’ll be fighting this subtle sin of pride all the way to the portals of glory. But for now, is it possible that your own pride is keeping you from repenting of your sin and turning your heart in faith to Jesus Christ to save your soul?