Trusting Jesus No Matter What - The Humble Servant, Part 2

Someone has rightly observed 90% of life is your attitude.

10% is what happens to you. We all go through tough stuff, but how you respond, your attitude, is what will make the difference. Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus. Here's the question, what was that attitude and how do you get it?

Stay with me, you'll find out. Thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Living on the Edge is an international teaching and discipleship ministry motivating Christians to live like Christians. And we're a little over halfway through our newest series, Trusting Jesus No Matter What, How to Build an Unshakeable Faith.

And if you've missed any of Chip's teaching, you can easily catch up through the Chip Ingram app, and it's also a great way to listen to Living on the Edge anytime, anywhere. If you're ready, get your Bibles out and go to Philippians chapter two for the second half of Chip's talk, The Humble Servant. He begins in verse five. Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus. This attitude of considering others more important. Humility flies in the face of what I call the five Ps, power, possessions, position, prestige, and productivity. And I want you to watch when Jesus said to Peter, follow me. And when he says to you and me, he's going to cut across those five Ps and show us a different way, a powerful way, a counterintuitive way to become great in God's eyes.

We follow Jesus when we embrace his mindset toward power and possessions, who, although he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped. It's a picture of humility. It's a picture of I don't have to be in control. It's a picture of releasing those things, trusting that as I trust God, he'll work it out. When we look at possessions, he goes, I promise you're always going to have what you need. But to work crazy hours and to invest your life and somehow think that the more you accumulate is going to bring you happiness, he says, it's a lie.

Don't buy it. We follow Jesus when we embrace his mindset toward position and prestige. Not only did he not think equality with God a thing to be grasped in terms of position, but he emptied himself taking the form of a bondservant and being made in the likeness of men.

Put a circle around that word emptied. It's a big theological word. Some of you with Bible study backgrounds, it's kenosis. It means he veiled his deity, didn't lose it, but he veiled his deity and some of his voluntary access for a season so that he could be fully man and fully God. And then notice we follow Jesus when we embrace his mindset toward productivity. The text goes on to say, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. So again, he emphasizes the humanity of Jesus, the deity of Jesus. And then when he looks at what did he do? He humbles himself.

And this is how we humble ourselves. Obeying God, obeying what the scripture says. Forgiving your mate when in your heart of hearts you realize it's 90% her fault, 10% yours. Choosing to obey and say, Lord, I don't know how this looks, but I'm going to give the first portion of my income for your kingdom purposes.

And I don't know how it's all going to work out in terms of paying all my bills. It's obedient to the point of death. It's dying to self and ego and pride. And he says there's this amazing kingdom principle that give, and that's just not money. In fact, the passage in Luke 6 38, it's not even a financial passage, give and it will be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over.

For in whatever measure or size of cup or container that you give, it will be measured back to you, overflowing. Jesus is saying, I want you to follow me. And there's a kingdom mindset.

There's a kingdom lifestyle. There's a counterintuitive way and it requires faith. You have to believe what he says is true. You have to believe Jesus is the creator and sustainer.

You have to believe when he makes promises like this, he's going to take care of you. In my experience, we have a lot of people that intellectually agree with these things and very few who practice them. And yet the early church not practicing them wasn't an option. I think there's something that's happened, especially in sort of the Western side and American culture of our consumer mindset, that somehow we've filtered things through in such a way where we hear the commands and this is what you're supposed to do, that there's only a special group maybe that could do that. And we feel this freedom to take this one and reject that one. It's almost like our spiritual life and the commands of Jesus and the calling to follow him is like a salad bar and we choose which ones we'll accept and which ones we'll reject as though we're the authority. One of the things about doing some work in the Middle East and in China is they have a very different mindset.

They come from a very different background. But it's an amazing thing to be with a group of people who were Muslims that have come to faith and to sit with them. And when they open the Bible and it says this, it's just, yes, and so you do it. There's no second option.

There's no sense of how could it ever be optional if the God of the universe commands you to do it. I remember sitting in a cafe in Amman, Jordan, with a young doctor, about 32, and I'll never forget the breakfast. And there was a price on her head in Yemen. There was a network that we partnered with a group there and very few Christians in all of Yemen. And so as the Christians began to multiply, she was one of the keys and so there was a contract out to kill her.

And they were able to get her out of the country and she's super bright and articulate, speaks great English. Her request was, can you please help me get someplace where the World Health Organization, a refugee camp somewhere, because I'd like to use my skills to help heal people. I know I'm not going to live very long.

And she said that like when I said, can I get two eggs over easy and could I go with the wheat toast? I mean, it wasn't like she was making some dramatic statement. It was just following Jesus in my world at this time means, like many or most of my friends, none of us are going to live very long. But underneath of it is, but for me to live is Christ and to die is gain. There is no sense of, don't you feel sorry for me or I must be one of those wonderful, wonderful few Christians in all the world.

It was as matter of fact and that's what I long for. Because, see, she's following Jesus. She is descending into greatness. And I think this is something that somehow along the way, the culture and even the culture inside the church, we've lost this. We're not following Jesus when it comes to these areas of power and possessions and position, prestige and productivity. We bought into a world system and here's the irony.

The world system doesn't deliver. Some of us have really been very successful in some of these things and there's an emptiness and there's a lacking. I love how the Father rewards the Son. The final point here is we experience God's exaltation, His lifting up of us and His blessing when we follow Jesus' example of servanthood. Notice, it says, For this reason also God highly exalted Him, speaking of Christ, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name.

Why? So that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow. Well, of whom? Of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. You see, in God's economy, as we choose to follow Jesus, the acid test of greatness is love.

The road or the path to greatness is humility and the opportunity for real greatness is servanthood. And this is a far cry from the Christianity that most of us are being exposed to and most of us are living out. We're at a pivot point. We're at a point in history, a point in the church, a point in culture. God is raising up people that have this kind of mindset here and around the world. And at the same time, there is a culture that is increasingly hostile to our faith and to Jesus.

And this is one of those like first century opportunities. We get to be those people who would say, I'm trusting Jesus no matter what. As we wrap up our time, I'd like to ask a couple questions and then I would like to follow up with an amazing invitation from Jesus. Question number one is, how would you describe Jesus in your own words after reflecting on Philippians 2, 5 through 11? This is a little bit different than Jesus is walking through the fields and loves me and wants my life to work out. And don't get me wrong, I know we don't think of that way all the time.

But it's subtle. How would you describe Jesus to a friend? This is radical.

This is a revolutionary. This is a completely counterintuitive way to live one's life. How would you describe him? Second question is, what is Jesus' motive in calling us to follow him in his mindset of humility? I mean, why? I mean, what's his motive? What's his heart? What's his passion?

You know, we so often focus on the cost. Peter drops his nets, leaves everything to follow Jesus, and we miss the reward. And I will, Jesus said, make you a fisher of men.

You're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. We'll get back to our series, Trusting Jesus No Matter What, in just a minute. But first, if this teaching has ministered to you, consider becoming a monthly partner. Your regular financial support goes a long way to help us encourage pastors, create resources, and share Jesus with today's youth.

Visit LivingOnTheEdge.org today to learn how to support us. Well, with that, here again is Chip. You know, like you, I've had some successes in my life, and I've had some failures, and everything from a little success in sports over here, or maybe a little success in ministry, or something else over here.

But I will tell you something. I'll never forget the first time that the Lord Jesus allowed me to be, I just call it a conduit of his grace, where I didn't know very much, and I didn't know how to do much, but I found myself talking to a fellow on the floor. I was an RA in college who was really going through a hard time. And I explained how he could have a relationship with Jesus. And I remember in that little kitchenette, bowing our heads together, and him praying to receive Christ, and then watching his life change and be transformed the next two or three years. And then little by little, getting to have that kind of influence in our basketball team in college. And then out of the blue, the Lord kind of tapping me on the shoulder and saying, you know, you love basketball, and I love you, and you've had this passion, and you were injured most of your college career. How would you like to join this team and play all the Olympic teams throughout South America for a couple summers, and with fellow believers, and share your faith? And it was like amazing, a game every day, and huge crowds, and sharing your testimony, and literally at times leading 15 or 20 people to Christ each and every day.

What could be more fulfilling? And it's not always leading someone to Christ. Maybe you're the person that meets a physical need, and you do it privately, and there's a mom with a baby that no one cares about, and you pay to take care of her. Or I remember the first time I sat down with a couple who, I mean, they thought they had this huge marriage problem. They just didn't know that everyone has what they were going through. But we live in a day where if I'm not happy, it's not working, I'm gone.

And I remember meeting with them, Teresa and I, a number of times, and watching them forgive each other, and learn to communicate, and fall back in love, and watch their family come together, and watch their three kids not have some divided family. I'm with dad on the weekends, and mom during the week, and realizing you're just a normal, regular human being with all kind of limitations and struggles. And yet, as we are surrendered to him and trusting the payoff, the reward, this picture in my mind is like the grace of God, and we're the PVC pipe. It comes through us, and as it gets into the lives of others, it is, I don't want to be sacrilegious, but it's better than any drug that's ever been created, because it's what we're made to do. When the light of God, the love of God, the forgiveness of God, the reconciliation of God, and the power of God flows through your eyes, and your arms, and your words, and your wallet that transforms the lives of other people, I got news.

There's nothing like it. I mean, did you ever wonder why some of the most, I mean, richest, richest, richest, richest people, you know, they get to the end, or near the end, and they've got billions and billions of dollars. What do they all end up doing? They start some kind of foundation, because what they know is getting, getting, getting, getting, getting, it never fills the hole. And so, they may not be Christians, but they realize, I've got to help people.

I've got to give back. And when they do that, there's a joy. They don't fully understand, but what they're doing is they're following kingdom principles. And lastly, I have an invitation, and here's Jesus' invitation. The one who descended into greatness says, follow me. Luke chapter 9, and Jesus was saying to them all, if anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.

And here's the reason. For what is it profit to a man if he gains the whole world and lose or forfeits himself? Literally, it's his soul. And so, Jesus is saying, by faith, I'm going to make you an invisible promise over against all the physical realities. And if you want to follow me, it'll be a step of faith. And you need to deny yourself.

That's crazy in a consumer world. And then you need to take up a cross, so you need to die to your agenda. This is what I'm going to do.

This is why. This will make me successful. I call the shots, right? I'll run my life.

You die to that daily. And then you say to the Lord, I'm going to follow you. I'm going to follow you in my career. I'm going to follow you day to day. I'm going to follow you in my home as a husband or a dad or a single person or a roommate. I'm going to follow you.

Well, what's that mean? I'm going to consider the needs of others as more important than myself. I'm not going to look only on my stuff, but on others. I'm going to look at those five P's, and I'm going to look at those five P's the way Jesus did. And I'm going to flip it in a way that is so counterintuitive and just downright scary. And I'm going to follow Jesus. And I'm going to trust that when I draw near to God, that what the Scripture says is true.

He's going to draw near to me. And that, as it says in James 4, when I humble myself, God wants to and will exalt me. That He will not allow any good thing to be held back for me.

In Psalm 31, when I was on my journey of struggling as a first, probably three or four years as a Christian, and realizing my lack of good theological background and my lack of growing up in a Christian home did one good thing, a little bit like those Muslim believers, I didn't know anything. So I thought if it said this, it really meant that. And when it came to, Chip, are you going to be all in? Chip, are you going to lose your life for the gospel and for me so that you can find it? Well, I struggled. I struggled.

I struggled. I'll never forget one day reading Psalm 31. And I can't remember where in the passage, but it says, How great is your goodness that you have stored up for those that fear you, for those who follow you over against the opinions of men. And this picture came to me of, instead of God's arms crossed and why don't you get with the program and you don't quite measure up, that there was this Savior who has demonstrated His love for me by going to the cross, who put His Spirit inside of me and inside of you as a follower, who sealed me with that Spirit, and no one can snatch me out of His hands, who is currently preparing a place for me and every follower, and says, You went in on the greatest movement, not in history, the greatest movement of the Creator of the world. I want to invite you to die to your agenda and say yes to mine and become a part of the kingdom of God. Lose your life and find it.

Be counterintuitive. Walk in humility, because here's what I want to do. God says, I want to exalt you.

I want to lift you up. I want to fill your heart and fill your desires and your dreams, what my dreams are for you, so that all the things that everyone is looking for over here, I want to give to you in spades, exceedingly, abundantly, beyond what you could ask or think. Far from missing out, He says there is a life that I have for you that is better and greater and deeper and more wonderful, but the path is I'm going to trust the character of God and the promises of God, and they're invisible while I'm being bombarded by all the world system and many even in the church who say, Don't get too radical. God loves you. And I want you to hear that not sort of as a general thought, but as someone who's going to be loyal to you, that will help you, strengthen you.

But He's a rewarder to those who believe that He is and who believe He's a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Lord, you know what's going on. Every brother, every sister, what they're thinking at this very moment, where their challenges are. I can't end our time together without pausing and asking you at this very moment to rearrange the thinking and the mindset that we could grasp how holy and how wonderful and had great and generous and powerful and just all the good you have stored up for us that we could die to ourselves. Consider others more important than ourselves and follow you this very day by descending into greatness. Would you grant them by your grace the will to take even a baby step of obedience today? Not some time later, just a baby step of obedience to walk in the humility of Christ. Thank you, Lord Jesus.

I believe you will act in lives all around the country and places all around the world. And as we do, would you get glory? And would you allow our lives to give good and kindness and generosity and love to the lives of others? Amen.

Amen, Chip. And if you're looking for some practical help in recommitting your life to Jesus, let me encourage you to check out Chip's book, True Spirituality, Becoming a Romans 12 Christian. Through this resource, he'll share how you can become a genuine follower of Christ. To get your copy of True Spirituality or to order an extra one for you and a friend to go through together, go to specialoffersatlivingontheedge.org or the Chip Ingram app. Let us help you deepen your relationship with Jesus today. Well, Chip's still with me in studio, and Chip got truly blessed Living on the Edge with unbelievable ministry opportunities. And I know there's one particular opportunity that's personally brought you a lot of joy.

And it's something we developed through the pandemic that's really taken off. Would you take a minute and talk about it? Dave, I would be delighted. We started something called daily discipleship. And it was just how to study the Bible for yourself, but it wasn't a teaching. It was me speaking directly to a person into a camera.

And I really didn't know if it would work. Well, over 200,000 people have been through one of the five daily discipleships. And the feedback, why it brings me such joy is it's not like, oh, I like the teaching or oh, that was really great or that inspired me.

Over and over and over, I hear people say, I'm reading the Bible every day, God speaking to me. I have these skills. I kind of learn to journal. When I went through that with you, I developed the habit. It's changed my life. It's changed my marriage. I mean, it has been the most singular, delightful thing that I in the last 40 years have gotten to experience in a way that I never dreamed could happen by way of video. I mean, just little 10-minute videos and a little something to help people. Well, what I have to tell you is we're going to keep making them.

And the demand is really strong. And here's my appeal. If you've done any of the daily discipleships and if it helped you, would you consider becoming a monthly partner? Would you pay it forward? Would you just say, wow, yes, you know, I went through that one in Ephesians or the one in Philippians or the one in Romans or the one in James.

And wow, it so helped me. If it helped you, would you please help us help others? Would you pray and ask God if he wants you to be a monthly partner to Living on the Edge?

Well, as you prayerfully consider your role with this ministry, I want to tell you that our vision is to see a movement of Christians living like Christians for the glory of God and the good of all. So when you partner with Living on the Edge, you multiply our efforts in tremendous ways. Set up a recurring donation today by going to LivingOnTheEdge.org or the Chip Ingram app. That's LivingOnTheEdge.org or visit the Chip Ingram app. Hey, before we go, let me remind you of an easy way to listen to our extended teaching podcast. Hear Chip anytime on Amazon's Alexa Echo and Echo Dot. Just say Alexa, open Living on the Edge, and you'll be able to enjoy that day's full length teaching. Try it today. Well, from all of us here, this is Dave Druey saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge.